Forensic

Question 1

MAOA gene

Answer 1

Regulates serotonin, linked to aggressive beh

Question 2

CDH13 gene

Answer 2

Linked to substance abuse and ADHD

Question 3

Genetic explanations for offending behaviour

Answer 3

twin studies - christiansen
Adoption studies - crowe bio mother
Candidate genes - Tiihonen MAOA and CDH13
Diathesis stress model - genetic predisposition (diathesis) and psychological trigger due to env (stress) - cause mental disorder

Question 4

Features of neurotic personality

Answer 4

High level reactivity in SNS (fight or flight) - nervous or jumpy

Question 5

Personality traits of extraverts

Answer 5

Under active nervous system
Constantly seek stimulation - risky
Dont condition easily / learn from mistakes

Question 6

Personality traits of extraverts

Answer 6

Under active nervous system
Constantly seek stimulation - risky
Dont condition easily / learn from mistakes

Question 7

Features of Psychotic personality

Answer 7

Higher levels of testosterone
Unemotional + probe to aggression

Question 8

What is the differential association theory + Who

Answer 8

Learn attitudes and motives for offending through association w criminals and non criminals
Sutherland

Question 9

What was Sutherland’s contribution towards the differential association theory

Answer 9

scientific principles explain all types of offending
Offending behaviour acquired through process of learning
frequency, intensity, duration of exposure to criminal and non criminal individuals determines criminal behaviour
Can explain re-offending behaviour - observational learning and imitation in prison

Question 10

What are the two factors that cause offending behaviour according to differential association theory

Answer 10

Learning attitudes - procrime>anticrime
Learning techniques - e.g how to pick a lock

Question 11

What was Christiansen’s study of genetic explanations to offending
(Concordance MZ and DZ)

Answer 11

3500 twins - Denmark - concordance 35% MZ , 13% DZ - suggests traits inherited - twins 1880-1910

Question 12

What was Crowe’s Adoption study of genetic explanations of offending beh

Answer 12

Bio mother criminal record, 50% chance baby become offender by 18yrs, Bio Mother no record, 5% risk

Question 13

What was Tiihonen’s study of genetic explanations of offending

Answer 13

genetic analysis 800 finnish offenders
MAOA and CDH13 associated with violent crimes
Analysis found 5-10% severe violent crimes in finland attributable to MAOA and CDH13 genotypes

Question 14

Neural explanations to offending behaviour

Answer 14

Prefrontal cortex-RAINE found reduced activity here for offenders and 11% reduction grey matter ppl w APD - used brain imaging
Mirror neurons associated with empathy reaction -KEYSERS: offenders empathised when asked to - neural** ‘switch’,** ‘normal’ brain has it always switched on.

Question 15

Cognitive explanation for offending behaviour theory of moral development and WHO

Answer 15

Kohlberg - individuals progress through stages of moral reasoning
Higher stage of moral reasoning = more sophisticated - based on responses to moral dilemmas, offenders more likely to be at pre conventional stages - characterised by need to avoid punish + receive reward, child-like reasoning
Higher levels sympathise more w rights of others

Question 16

Two types of Cognitive Distortions

Answer 16

1) Hostile attribution bias - tendency to misinterpret actions of others - assume they being confrontational when they not , misread non-aggressive cues - supported by Dodge + Frame
2) Minimalization - attempt to downplay seriousness of offence e.g burlgars ‘supporting my family’

Question 17

How does Dodge and Frame’s study support Hostile attribution bias

Answer 17

Showed ambiguous provocation clip to children - those identified as ‘aggressive’ before study interpreted situation as more hostile than ‘non-aggressive’
Lacks standardisation

Question 18

How does Barbaree’s study support minimalization

Answer 18

26 incarcerated rapists
54% denied offences, 40% minimised seriousness
- H- Only supports minimalization in sexual offenders

Question 19

Explain the different types of cognitive distortions

Answer 19

1 - Hostile attribution bias ( attempt to rationalise offence - assume someone being hostile)
2- Minimalization (Attempt to downplay or deny behaviour)

Question 20

Palmer and Hollin’s study evidence for link between level of moral reasoning and crime - support

Answer 20

compared moral reasoning in convicted offenders and non
used socio moral reflection short form (SRM-FM) : 11 moral dilemma situations
offenders less mature moral reasoning - support
H - Hypothetical scenarios and answers - less valid

Question 21

Thornton and Reid limitation of Moral reasoning levels

Answer 21

Level of moral reasoning may depend on offence
financial gain offences more pre-conventional than impulsive crimes
Level not the same for all criminals

Question 22

Howitt and Sheldon limitation of cog distortions

Answer 22

-Level of Cog distortion depends on offence
-non contact sex off used more CD than contact
-previous history of offending used more CD
-Simplistic, distortions not used in same way by all offenders

Question 23

What is interpersonal coherence (bottom up)

Answer 23

Behaviour at crime scene reflects behaviour in everyday life.

Question 24

What are the key variables in investigative psychology (bottom up)

Answer 24

Interpersonal coherence - beh at crime scene reflects everyday life
Significance of time and place - may indicate where they live
Forensic awareness - subject to police interrogation before may be less mindful

Question 25

Lundrigan and Canter - support bottom up

Answer 25

120 US murder cases Support Geo profiling Smallest space revealed spatial consistency (SC) SC more noticeable for marauders

Question 26

Twin studies - support for genetic explanation

Answer 26

Christiansen 3500 twins concordance of offending beh : 35% MZ, 13% DZ traits inherited BUT - low temporal validity ttwins bron 1880-1910

Question 27

Kandel and Freed Neural explanation support

Answer 27

Link between frontal lobe and crime damage > impulsive beh H - not all offenders have damage

Question 28

What is restorative justice

Answer 28

shift emphasis from needs of state to victim Active involvement from both - confront offender Braithwaite ' crime hurts justice should heal' Restitution Restorative Justice council - use outside of crime e.g school Trained mediator present

Question 29

Shapland research support for restorative justice

Answer 29

85% reported satisfaction, 2% said made it worse + every £1 spent on restorative justice saves £8 on reduced recidivism > good for long term

Question 30

Wood and Suzuki limitation resorative justice

Answer 30

It's not as survivor-focused as reported in surveys process distorted - victim used - needs of survivor secondary to needs of offender for rehab - lack internal validity

Question 31

Rates of recidivism support for restorative justice -Strang

Answer 31

causes decrease in rates Strang - meta analysis RJ compared to custodial significantly less likely to re offend RJ Publication bias issue with meta analysis

Question 32

What are the steps to constructing an FBI profile - Top down

Answer 32

data assimilation - review evidence crime scene classification - organised or disorganised crime reconstruction - hypotheses of sequence if events generating a profile - likely offender

Question 33

Canter support for organised offenders

Answer 33

analysis 100 US murders subset of features identified matched FBI typology increase validity - H flawed evidence, only US murders, poor sample, no standardisation, lacks internal validity, not generalisable

Question 34

Organised and disorganised not mutually exclusive

Answer 34

Godwin - cant classify as one or the other continuum (may have high IQ but commit spontaneous crimes) - hard to classify redcued validity

Question 35

Wider application of top down approach

Answer 35

other types of crime : Meketa - applied to burglary cause 85% rise in solved cases in 3 US states - added interpersonal and opportunistic - wider application than originally assumed

Question 36

Lombroso's research + features

Answer 36

Atavistic form - biological characteristics predetermined to become offender sloping brow, prominent jaw. 383 dead 3839 living 40% characteristics murderer - bloodshot eyes and curly hair

Question 37

Goring's research limitation of atavistic form

Answer 37

3000 offenders and 3000 non no diffs in facial characteristics

Question 38

Mednick support for diathesis stress model of offending ~(bio+env) parents

Answer 38

neither bio or adpot parents convicted 13.5% chance child conviction, either parent 20%, both parents 24.5% - bio and env have effect on offending

Question 39

Farrington limitation of DA nature or nurture

Answer 39

Identified Risk factors for later offending suggest nurture influence Learn beh from family but also share genetics nature or nurture could be genetics that cause intergenerational offending

Question 40

Eysenck x2 support for criminal personality

Answer 40

2070 peisoners scored higher avg than 2422 controls - agrees w predictions - H only used male participants

Question 41

Farrington meta analysis limitation of eysenck's theory

Answer 41

offenders scored high in psychoticism but not neuroticism or extraversion

Question 42

Moffitt - why eysenck's theory too simplistic

Answer 42

drew distinction between offending in adolescence and that continues into adulthood - personality alone can't explain this moffitt considered env factors too

Question 43

Difference between weak, deviant and over-harsh superego

Answer 43

weak - no internalisation of superego, parent not present during phallic stage deviant - internalises superego w deviant values over-harsh : harsh parenting child crippled by guilt/anxiety - unconscious drives criminal acts to satisfy need for punishment

Question 44

Psychodynamic explanation foroffending behaviour

Answer 44

inadequate superego Blackburn : if superego deficient, offending behaviour inevitable id has free reign Bowlby theory of maternal deprivation - continuous relationship with mother figure - failure to establish in critical period lead to affectionless psychopathy

Question 45

Lewis limitation of psychodynamic explanation

Answer 45

Correlation not causation 500 young people interview - maternal dep poor predictor of future offending

Question 46

Gender bias limitation of freudian theory (psychodynamic explanation) + Hoffman

Answer 46

20x more men than women in prison Hoffman : girls more moral in restsiting temptation opposite to expected as girls develop weakers superego as no castration anxiety - alpha bias

Question 47

Goreta support for link between offending and superego

Answer 47

analysis 10 offenders referred for psychiatric treatment - all disturbances in superego guilt and need for punishment

Question 48

Kochanska contradictory evidence against psychodynamic explanation (role of superego)

Answer 48

Found harsh parents tend to raise rebellious children, lack guilt - opposite of over-harsh superego (child expresses guilt) - questions relationship between harsh parenting and child's guilt. H- still explains offending

Question 49

AO1 behaviour modification

Answer 49

based off operant conditioning - reinforce obedient beh token economy system token (secondary reinforcer) exchange for reward (primary reinforcer e.g go gym) operationalise target beh standardies procedures - train staff shaping beh incremental steps

Question 50

Hobbs and Holt support beh modification and Field

Answer 50

set up token economy for young offenders sig diff in +ve beh compared to control - H - only young offenders > Field found effective for young offenders too > TE effective -but some not respond (H)

Question 51

What did Bassett and Blanchard suggest is necessary for effective token economy

Answer 51

Full and consistent approach required e.g lack staff training or high staff turnover H - address this and make improvements

Question 52

Blackburn limitation of behaviour modification

Answer 52

may not affect long term behaviour Blackburn: beh mod has 'little rehabilitative value' - cog based permanent e.g anger management, take responsibility and understand Play along w Token economy for reward

Question 53

Howells limitation of anger management programmes

Answer 53

success depends on individual factors pps in AM programme little overall impact to no treatment group H - offenders w intense anger before showed siginifcant progress

Question 54

stages to anger management

Answer 54

Cognitive preparation - reflect skills acquisition - techniques to deal w anger application practice - controlled environment role play

Question 55

Novaco role of cog factors in offending - anger management

Answer 55

cog factors trigger emotional arousal > negative acts AM form of CBT

Question 56

Keen anger management programme for young offenders

Answer 56

'national anger management package' in UK found mainly positive outcomes > awareness of anger management difficulties - used diaries H - issues w self report

Question 57

Bartol limitation of custodial sentencing and prison refrom trust + counterpoint

Answer 57

imprisonment 'brutal' and 'demeaning' research (prison reform trust) : suicide 9x higher in prison 25% women 15% men symptoms of psychosis in prison prison oppressive regime' Counter : prison reform doesnt include no. who had psychosis before prison - pre existing emo health > confounding variables

Question 58

The Vera institute of justice support for custodial sentencing

Answer 58

43% less likely to offend if take part in college education programme - support rehabilitation H - not always access to this + doesn't support other forms of CS

Question 59

Farrington limitation of neural explanation

Answer 59

adult males who scored high psychopathy (Antisocial personality disorder) has experienced risk factors during childhood - could've caused APD > Link between APD and neural processes complex (other factors contribute to APD)