brain injuries & disorders

Question 1

strength: change in personality

Answer 1

In a few extreme cases, brain injury or disease had led to major changes in an individual’s personality and behaviour, including criminality.

Question 2

strength: EEG

Answer 2

There is some correlation between abnormal EEG readings (which measure brainwave activity) and psychopathic criminality.

Question 3

strength: prisoners

Answer 3

Prisoners are more likely than non – prisoners to have a brain injury.

Question 4

weakness: rare

Answer 4

Crimes caused by brain injury or disease are rare. The sufferer’s original personality is more important in whether they engage in crime.

Question 5

weakness: unclear

Answer 5

It is not clear that abnormal brainwave activity causes psychopathic criminality. Some psychopaths have normal EEG patterns, and some normal people have abnormal EEG patterns.

Question 6

weakness: cause and effect

Answer 6

Prisoners’ higher likelihood of brain injury could be the result of their criminality (for example, getting into fights) rather than a cause of it.