Adoption studies

Question 1

Is this theory genetic or physiological?

Answer 1

Genetic

Question 2

What does this theory compare?

Answer 2

The similarity of adoptees to biological or adoptive family

Question 3

What is the conclusion if they are more similar to the biological parent?

Answer 3

Genes are more important than environment

Question 4

What is measured for similarity?

Answer 4

Traits such as criminality that are the same

Question 5

Who conducted adoption studies?

Answer 5

Crowe
Mednick et al

Question 6

What did Crowe find out?

Answer 6

If the bio mum is a criminal = 50% criminals
If the bio mum isn’t a criminal = 5% criminals

Question 7

What did Mednick et al find out?

Answer 7

The bio father has the most influence over the child’s criminality

Question 8

What are the strengths of this theory?

Answer 8

Other studies support the idea that genes cause criminality, Crowe and Mednick both show bio parents have the most influence
Overcame problem of twin studies ( had a difference in environment)
Mednick studied over 14,000 adoptees ( good sample, representative)

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of this theory?

Answer 9

Depending on the age they’re adopted, they may have already been influenced by bio/foster parents (bio=genes and environment, foster = outside factors)
The information about bio parents isn’t always easily accessible or available