AC3.2 : Effectiveness Of Criminological Theories To Explain The Causes Of Criminality

Question 1

Positives Of Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (individualistic)

Answer 1

1. Bobo doll experiment showed the model had an effect on the child’s behaviour. Therefore showing cause and effect.
2. The experiment and variables, such as gender and actions of the model, were controlled, thus allowing greater accuracy
3. The study has been replicated with slight changes and similar results have been found.

Question 2

Negatives of Banduras social learning theory. (individualistic)

Answer 2

1. The bobo doll experiment is a laboratory study of imitation, which has low ecological validity.
2. The experiment involves ethical issues due to exposing the children to aggression.
3. There was a novelty aspect of the doll for children who had never played with it before, meaning they were more likely to copy the adult.

Question 3

Positives of Freud’s theory. (individualistic)

Answer 3

1. Just because Freud’s theories are rather odd or unusual it doesn’t make them automatically wrong.
2. Psychodynamic theories have contributed to research about crime and behaviour.
3. The Id, ego and superego relate to different parts of the brain, and their functions and development.

Question 4

Negatives of Freud’s theory (individualistic)

Answer 4

1. Psychodynamic theories of offending are no longer accredited by psychologists due to the difficulty of testing concepts such as the unconscious mind.
2. Unscientific and lack objective interpretation. It is also a very subjective process.
3. Lack of quantitative data from Freud’s case studies. He knew his patients and therefore couldn’t be subjective.

Question 5

Positives of Eysenck’s personality types(individualistic)

Answer 5

1. Eysenck’s research on soldiers in hospital supported this theory. He predicted the most traumatised soldiers would score high on neurotic.
2. If this theory is correct and tendencies towards criminal behaviour are detectable in childhood, then it may be possible to intervene at an early stage and prevent such development.
3. His personality testing has formed the basis of many modern personality

Question 6

Positives of Lombroso(biological)

Answer 6

1. Lombroso was the first person to give criminology scientific criminology.
2. Charles Goring did find a low-order intelligence in convicts which suggests some genetic base to criminality.
3. Several pieces of research that suggests that less attractive individuals are more likely to be guilty.
4. Lombroso did challenge the idea that criminals are evil or that they choose to be evil or that they choose to be criminal.
5. Lombroso labelled prisons “criminal universities” and suggested prisoners came out much worse than when they went in. Given todays recidivism rate this is perceptive.
6. His work heralded the beginnings of offender profiling.

Question 7

Negatives of Lombroso (biological)

Answer 7

1. Lack of a control group
2. Lack of accuracy due to possible disfigurements.
3. Not everyone with atavistic features are criminals and not every criminal has atavistic features.
4. Charles Goring used a non criminal control group and found no significant differences in terms of behaviour.
5. Scientific racism because many of the features are specific to those of African descent.
6. Extremely deterministic and assumes we cannot escape destiny.

Question 8

Positives of Sheldon (biological)

Answer 8

1. A number of studies have confirmed that there is a small association between body build and criminality.
2. A good sized sample was used and Sheldon had control groups of non offenders to refer to.
3. Even though there could be issues surrounding the reliability of Sheldon’s study, other researchers have found results that seem to support, at least in part, his initial theory.
4. Found that some criminal groups were more mesomorphic.

Question 9

Negatives of Sheldon (biological)

Answer 9

1. He couldn’t explain how ectomorphs and endomorphs could also be criminals.
2. Did not take into account that peoples body types change throughout their lives.
3. Consider if mesomorphs get picked upon or invited to do illegal acts.
4. If mesomorphs shape is considered criminal then do courts think this too? The judicial system may treat them too harshly.P

Question 10

Positives of XYY(biological)

Answer 10

1. One study by Jacob found that a significant number of men in prison had XYY sex chromosomes instead of XY.
2. Adler indicated that it is possible that aggressive and violent behaviours are at least partly determined by genetic factors.

Question 11

Negatives of XYY(biological)

Answer 11

1. Studies have found that genetic abnormalities are widespread throughout the general population and therefor do not explain aggression.
2. Focusing too heavily on genetics ignores the behaviorist approach.
3. Theilgaard researched the traits of XYY men compared to XY men. He found the characteristics of aggression was not associated with the XYY men.

Question 12

Positives of Twin studies(biological)

Answer 12

1. Such studies are natural experiments, as the biological relationships between the twins is a naturally occurring variable.
2. Christiansen supports the view that criminality does not have a genetic component.
3. The results of twin studies have helped the prevention of vulnerable disorders.

Question 13

Negatives of Twin studies(biological)

Answer 13

1. Early twin studies, such as Lange were inadequately controlled and lacked validity as to whether the twins were DZ or MZ, which was based on appearance rather than DNA.
2. The small sample involved in twin studies may not be representative of the general population.
3. If twins are brought up in the same environment, criminality could just as easily be related to nurture as to genetics.

Question 14

Positives of adoption studies(biological)

Answer 14

1. As adopted children are exposed to a different environment, it is easier to separate genetic and environmental factors.
2. Studies have concluded that there is a correlation between adopted children and their biological parents.

Question 15

Negatives of Adoption studies(biological)

Answer 15

1. The age of adoption may mean the adopted children have already been influenced by either their natural parents or their foster environment.
2. Info about bio family isn’t always available.
3. The Adoption process is not always random, as often children are placed with parents similar to thier biological families.

Question 16

Positives of Marxism (sociological)

Answer 16

1. Does provide an explanation for crime that covers all social classes and a variety of offences.
2. Highlights the impact of selective law enforcement and how white-collar crime is under-policed.
3. Demonstrates how the law reflects differences in power between the social classes. Also, how inequality in society can lead to criminal behaviour.

Question 17

Negatives of Marxism (sociological)

Answer 17

1. Largely ignores other class inequalities such as gender or ethnicity.
2. Overstates the amount of crime in working class communities.
3. Many prosecutions of wc crime.

Question 18

Positives of The labelling theory (sociological)

Answer 18

1. Shows how the law is often enforced in a discriminatory way. Highlights the consequences of labelling.
2. Highlights the weakness in official stats which allow bias in law enforcement.
3. Highlights the role of the media on defining and creating deviance and for producing moral panics.

Question 19

Negatives of the labelling theory (sociological)

Answer 19

1. Fails to explain why deviant behaviour happens in the first place.
2. Ignores the victim of the crime and focuses on the criminal. There is a potential to romanticise crime.
3. Criminals do not need a label to know they are doing wrong. Plus, labelling does not always lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 20

Positives of Right realism (sociological)

Answer 20

1. Has helped produce and shape the government’s research into crime.
2. Offers a more practical approach to tackling crime than its mainly theoretical predecessors such as Marxism or labelling.
3. Research by Flood-Page supports the view of the decline of the family. They found children, particularly males, from one lone parent backgrounds and step-families were more likely to offend than those who lived with two natural parents.

Question 21

Negatives of right realism (sociological)

Answer 21

1. Too readily accepts crime statistics.
2. Ignores wider structural causes of crime.
3. Ignores the increasing gap between the rich and the poor which creates resentment (relative deprivation).

Question 22

Positives of left realism (sociological)

Answer 22

1. Explores the role of the victim of crime, especially the poor or vulnerable in much more depth than any other criminological theory.
2. Recognises multiple causes of crime.
3. Left realism avoids the worst excesses of both right and left wing approaches by neither glorifying or attacking the police.

Question 23

Negatives of left realism (sociological)

Answer 23

1. Doesn’t explain why everyone in relative deprivation turns to crime
2. Arguably made up a mix of other theories pulled together
3. Fails to explain white collar crimes