Crime topic 1

Question 1

What are the physiological explanations?

Answer 1

Genetics, family history, twin studies adoption studies, brain dysfunction

Question 2

What did Lombroso (1876) suggest?

Answer 2

Criminals are more likely to have prominent jaws, brow ridges and large ears, alongside other factors, such as prisons being ‘criminal universities’.

Question 3

What did Jacob et al (1965) suggest linking to the ‘criminal gene’?

Answer 3

XYY men were more aggressive than XY men, XYY men make up 0.001% of the population, they make up 1.5% of prison population.

Question 4

What did Osborne and West (1979) suggest?

Answer 4

(Family history studies). They compared sons of criminals and non criminal fathers. They found 13% of the sons of non-criminal fathers had criminal convictions vs 40% of sons from criminal fathers. It implies there can be a genetic influence.
Nature vs nurture
Free will vs determinism

Question 5

What do twin studies show?

Answer 5

Twin studies can be MZ (identical) or DZ (non-identical), if criminal rate is high in MZ twins it can be linked to a genetic biological factor.

Question 6

What did Christiansen (1977) demonstrate?

Answer 6

Found MZ concordance rates of 35% compared with 13% for DZ twins in Denmark.

Question 7

What do adoption studies help to show?

Answer 7

In family and twin studies, families live together so it is harder to detangle the nature nurture debate. Researchers can investigate those born with a biological criminal father who are raised in a different environment.

Question 8

What did Mednick et al (1987) show? Adoption studies

Answer 8

Bio parents with no criminal record and adopted parents with no criminal record- 13.5% (criminal records offspring)
Bio parents with a criminal record and adopted parents with no criminal record- 20%.

Question 9

What is the pre-frontal cortex associated with?

Answer 9

Impulsivity and poor behavioural control. Those with damaged may experience less self control and are more aggressive and have impairments in emotional processing.

Question 10

What happens when the hippocampus is damaged?

Answer 10

Associated with impulse activity

Question 11

What happens to people with exaggerated amygdala control?

Answer 11

Show impulse aggression whereas people who are aggressive but cold and calculating have reduced amygdala volume.

Question 12

What happens when the corpus callosum is damaged?

Answer 12

Unable to effectively process information across both sides of the brain, it may cause ineffective linguistic processing.

Question 13

What was Raine et al aim (1997)?

Answer 13

To see if violent offenders who commit murder and plead Not Guilty for Reasons of Insanity (NGRI) have localised brain function.

Question 14

What was the research method and design?

Answer 14

Quasi experiment
Matched pairs design ( age, sex and psychiatric condition)

Question 15

Who were the participants?

Answer 15

41 murderers- 39M 2F, hadn’t received any medication 2 weeks prior the scan
41 controls 39M 2F

Question 16

Brief procedure summary?

Answer 16

Ps were injected with Fluorodeoxyglucose ‘tracer’ and asked to complete a CPT (continuous performance task). After 32 mins, each ps was transferred to a PET scanner using cortical peel techniques and box techniques.

Question 17

Main results from Raines study?

Answer 17

No difference in behavioural performance on the CPT.
The murderers had lower levels of glucose metabolism in the lateral and medial pre-frontal cortical regions of the brain and corpus callosum.
Asymmetrical activation in areas of the limbic system eg greater activation in the right of the temporal lobe, hippocampus and thalamus.

Question 18

Conclusions from Raine’s study?

Answer 18

There is reduced glucose metabolism, the areas of abnormal activity are associated with aggressive behaviour- amygdala, hypothalamus, and thalamus, lack of fear amygdala, impulsiveness pre-frontal cortex and expressing emotions eg amygdala.

Question 19

What does the non-physiological factor social factors suggest?

Answer 19

SLT claims the result of social environments affects behaviour. Children acquire antisocial behaviour through positive reinforcement and imitation of criminals. Behaviour which is rewarded is reinforced and repeated.

Question 20

What did Farrington and West (1996) suggest?

Answer 20

Aiming to see if criminal behaviour could be predicted. It was a longitudinal study from 411 London boys from the ages of 8-31 years.
Different tests were carried out. School tests measured IQ, attainment and personality. Interviews collected data about employment history, relationships and offending behaviours.
Boys mothers also completed interviews about family size , employment history, child rearing practice, degree of supervision and temporary separations.
Questionnaires were completed by teachers and concerned troublesome, and aggressive behaviour attainment and truancy.
Peers provided info about popularity, daring, dishonesty and troublesomeness.
Criminal records were obtained with reference to convictions of the boys, parents, siblings and later wives or cohabitees.
By the age of 32 37% had committed a crime, offending commonly concentrated in families, 4% of the 400 families contributed for 50% of the convictions for all families.
The worst offenders came from large-sized, multi-problem families.
Evaluation- longitudinal studies are highly useful, however the sample was androcentric and ethnocentric , self reports may not be the most valid test.

Question 21

Predictors of crime?

Answer 21

Family criminality, family poverty, low intelligence, poor school attainment, poor parental supervision/ conflict.

Question 22

What did Beckers (1968) rational choice theory suggest?

Answer 22

Criminal behaviour is no different to non-criminal behaviour, a person intentionally chooses to partake. The reason they choose to take part is that they think it will be more rewarding and less costly. It supports the Free will debate.

Question 23

What did Sutherland suggest?
Different association theory

Answer 23

We learn criminal behaviour through interaction with others learning values, attitudes, techniques and motives such as being part of a gang.

Question 24

What did Akers (1979) suggest?

Answer 24

68% of marijuana use from 2500 American adolescents can be explained through differential association reinforcement.

Question 25

How does testosterone link to crime?

Answer 25

Statistically men commit more crimes than females and ultimately produce higher testosterone.

Question 26

What did Dabbs (1995) suggest?

Answer 26

692 adult males had a salvia sample taken to indicate testosterone levels. Inmates who had committed personal crimes eg sex and violence had higher levels of crime than those who had committed domestic crimes eg theft.

Question 27

What is the MAOA-L warrior gene?

Answer 27

Responsible for the enzyme MAOA, which helps break down excess serotonin in the brain. High levels of serotonin have been associated with with aggressive, antisocial behaviour.

Question 28

What did Caspi et al (2002) discover?

Answer 28

Studied 1037 children in New Zealand, from birth to adulthood. Men with lower levels of MAOA were more likely to grow up to exhibit antisocial behaviour if they had been maltreated as children.

Question 29

Section A question plan?

Answer 29

1. Summary of Raines aim, sample, research method and procedure. 2. Pre-frontal cortex has lower metabolic activity level linked to loss of self control. It suggests criminals are less likely to control urges and commit a crime. 3. Amygdala has asymmetrical activation, decreased activity in the LH rather than RH. Criminals are less likely to show reduced feelings of fear, less concerned about their actions. 4. Criminal behaviour can result from brain dysfunction, a consequence of biosocial factors including poor child nutrition . Strategies like nutrition and exercise such as omega 3 should be taken.

Question 30

Section B examples?

Answer 30

Individual- Raines ps individual differences, BUT differences may be due to situational factors eg anger. Situational- Farrington and West BUT some individual factors eg low intelligence. Both- Biosocial interventions Nature- Raine BUT he ignores nurture influences Nurture- Farrington and West BUT some factors are inherited eg intelligence Both- Biosocial interventions Free will- Raine/Beckers BUT level of biological determinism Determinism- Farrington and West situational factors BUT some children from families with same risk choice do not become criminals Both- Biosocial interventions Reductionism- Raine BUT brain functions do often function collectively Holism- Farrington and West BUT is still highly focused on upbringing rather than biological factors Both- Biosocial interventions Scientific criteria- Cause and effect- Raine BUT IV is quasi so could be other differences Objective data- Farrington and West took data from criminal records BUT most data was predictors so could be subjective Controls- Raine, eg all ps did not take medication 2 weeks prior, same CPT lasting 32 minutes BUT some controls not in place Useful criteria- Practical applications- Biosocial applications BUT Farrington and West lacks usefulness as there are too many predictors of crime examined, many are hard to change eg family size. Ecological validity, internal validity, ethnocentrism Socially sensitive criteria- Stigma- Farrington and West stigmatise certain groups BUT may help improve support for poorer families. Controversial- Raine- excuse for murderers BUT Raine says it is is a predisposition to violence rather than an excuse. Political consequences- Raines- negative implications on society if murderers claim their brain chemistry caused their behaviour. BUT more could be done to prevent this eg biosocial treatments. Ethics- Right to withdraw- Farrington and West- 11% did withdraw in the study BUT Raines ps may have been more vunerable to partake Informed consent- Raines- consent to take part in the CPT scan BUT criminals with NGRI aren't able to consent, may not understand what is happening Protection of ps- Raines study not overly distressing as ps were merely performing the CPT BUT may have been distressing fro schizophrenic patients not being able to take medication 2 weeks prior.

Question 31

Section C Applications?

Answer 31

Application 1- Nutritional supplements Eg Omega- 3 capsule (taken 4 times a day), Omega-3 deficiencies result in limited regulation of the limbic system which leads to self-control problems and aggressive behaviour. DHA is an omega 3 fatty acid required for normal brain function. Supplements can reduce violent behaviour, eg Gesch et al reported a 26% improvement of young male offenders. HOWEVER there are high costs and hard to enforce outside prison. Application 2- drug treatment Anti-psychotic drugs, Clozapine given twice a day for 2 months. A serotonin receptor and a dopamine blocker which alters brain chemicals. Helps address Schizophrenia, criminal and violent behaviour. Fazel et al saw a 45% reduction in violent crime with antipsychotics HOWEVER there is high discontinuation rates (74%).