Biological Explanations: Atavistic Form Flashcards

1
Q

Cesare Lombroso date

A

1876

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2
Q

who was Cesare Lombroso?

A

an Italian Physician

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3
Q

what did Cesare Lombroso propose?

A

criminals were ‘genetic throwbacks’ to a primitive sub-species who were biologically different from non-criminals

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4
Q

if criminals are a sub-species, they have an

A

atavistic form

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5
Q

Cesare Lombroso’s theory of the atavistic form

A

laid the foundations for modern offender profiling

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6
Q

offenders were seen by Lombroso as

A

lacking evolutionary development

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7
Q

criminals savage and untamed nature meant that they would

A

find it impossible to adjust to civilized society and would inevitably turn to crime

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8
Q

Lombroso saw criminal behavior a an

A

innate tendency

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9
Q

because Lombroso though that criminal behavior was an innate tendency, he proposed a new perspective that

A

the criminal was not at fault - in this ways, his ideas were revolutionary

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10
Q

Lombroso argued the criminal sub-type could be identified by being in possession of

A

psychological makers

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11
Q

these atavistic characteristics are

A

biologically determined

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12
Q

these characteristics are mainly features of the

A

head and face that make criminals physically different from the rest of us

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13
Q

characteristics of the skull

A

A narrow, sloping brow.
A strong, prominant jaw.
High cheekbones.
Facial asymmetry.

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14
Q

other physical features include

A

dark skin and the existence of extra toes, nipples or fingers

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15
Q

besides physical traits, Lombroso suggested there were other aspects of the atavistic form including

A

Insensitivity to pain.
Use of criminal slang
Tattoos.
Unemployment.

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16
Q

Lombroso suggested that particular physiological markers were linked to

A

a particular type of crime

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17
Q

murderers were described to have

A

Bloodshot eyes.
Curly hair.
Long ears.

18
Q

sexual deviants were described as having

A

glinting eyes with swollen and fleshy lips

19
Q

Lombroso meticulously examined the facial and cranial features of

A

383 dead criminals and 2829 living ones

20
Q

from Lombroso’s research, he proposed

A

the atavistic form

21
Q

Lombroso concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by people with

A

atavistic characteristics

22
Q

Lombroso is hailed as the

A

father of modern criminology

23
Q

Lombroso shifted the emphasis in research away from

A

moralistic discourse to scientific discourse

24
Q

thanks to Lombroso saying that people with certian characteristics were more likely to commit a crime, he began

A

modern criminal profiling

25
by starting modern criminal profiling, Lombroso
made a huge contribution to the science of criminology
26
many of the atavistic features that Lombroso are most likely to be found in
people of an African descent
27
Lombroso's description of atavistic form being 'uncivilized, primitive and savage' would fit in
with the racial beliefs of the time
28
Lombroso's intentions are unclear but its obvious that there are
racial undertones within his work which overshadows it
29
Goring date
2013
30
Goring compared
3000 criminals and 3000 non-criminals
31
what did Goring conclude?
there's no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual physical characteristics
32
what did Goring suggest?
people that commit crimes tend to have a lower then average IQ which offers limited support for a criminal sub-species
33
Goring's research does question
Lombroso's theory
34
unlike Goring, Lombroso didn't
compare his sample to a non-criminal control group
35
If Lombroso had compared his sample to a non-criminal sample
the idea of atavistic form may not have been published
36
Lombroso's research also failed to account other variables
many of the criminals he studied had a history of psychological disorders which may have been confounding variables
37
the evidence that atavistic form is based on has
serious flaws
38
even if criminals had features described in atavistic form
this doesn't mean that this is the cause of their offending
39
facial and cranial differences may be influenced by other factors
poverty or a poor diet
40
Lombroso's later work stated that
criminals could be made as well as born