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Criminology Unit 2 > Topic 2: Biological Theories of Crime > Flashcards

Topic 2: Biological Theories of Crime Flashcards

1
Q

Define physiological

A

Physical form- this can be the body or the brain

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2
Q

What was the main principle within Lombroso’s theory?

A

The physical form being an indicator of criminality

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3
Q

Who did Lombroso carry out his studies on?

A

Convicted criminals in hospitals for the mentally insane.

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4
Q

Define what Lombroso meant by the term ‘atavism’

A

He claimed that criminality was heritable and that those who committed crime had atavistic features

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5
Q

Lombroso believed that criminality was __________ and that criminals could be identified by ________ __________ that confirmed them as being a savage.

A

inherited, physical defects

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6
Q

Lombroso suggested that criminality is not a matter of sin or free will but instead…?

A

A medical problem that needs to be examined

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7
Q

What did Lombroso suggest that atavistic people were like?

A

Pre social, unable to control impulses and have a reduced sensitivity to pain

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8
Q

Give 3 common features of ‘atavistic’ prisoners

A

Excessively long jaws, long arms, abnormal teeth

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9
Q

What part of the body did Lombroso particularly measure in dead prisoners?

A

The skull

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10
Q

Lombroso saw criminality as atavistic to remind him of…?

A

Earlier primitive stage of evolution

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11
Q

Define ‘somatotype’

A

Somatotype theory relates body types to personality characteristics and relates criminal behaviour to body type.

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12
Q

Define ‘endomorph’

A

Bigger (fat) and soft people

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13
Q

Endomorphs tend to be…?

A

Sociable and relaxed

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14
Q

Define ‘ectomorph’

A

Thin and fragile people

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15
Q

Ectomorphs tend to be…?

A

Introverted and restrained

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16
Q

Define ‘mesomorph’

A

Muscular and hard people

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17
Q

Mesomorphs tend to be…?

A

Aggressive and adventurous

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18
Q

According to Sheldon, which body type is most likely to be criminal and why?

A

Mesomorphs– because they have a more adventurous and energetic nature

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19
Q

Did Glueck and Glueck support Sheldon’s theory? What did they find?

A

Yes, however they found a fourth somatotype, a middle ground essentially which they called a balance

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20
Q

True or False: Lombroso believed that crime is innate.

A

True

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21
Q

What genes have been associated with crime and violence?

A

MAOA gene and a variant of Cadherin 13 (CDH13)

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22
Q

Those with these genes are how many more times more likely to have a history of criminal behaviour?

A

13 times

23
Q

How can twin studies be used to examine the genetic basis of crime?

A

Looks at MZ twins who grew up in different environments, therefore eliminating environmental factors

24
Q

What did Joseph research in 2001 and what were his findings?

A

Conducted research on 32 pairs of MZ twins who lived apart and found that both childhood and and adult anti-social behaviour had high heritability involved

25
Q

What is the correlation between crime and depression?

A

Patients with depression suffer with low levels of seratonin which plays a huge role in levels of mood and depression which is hereditary so if theres a link between depression and criminality then criminality can be inherited.

26
Q

Monozygotic twins (MZ) are ____________ twins

A

Identical

27
Q

Dizygotic twins (DZ) are ____________ twins

A

Non-identical

28
Q

Monozygotic twins share ___% of their genes, whilst dizygotic twins share _____% of their genes.

A

100%, 50%

29
Q

Which type of twin is the best participant for investigating whether crime is genetic and why?

A

Identical (MZ) because it is highly likely that their behaviour will be similar due to the fact that they have the same DNA

30
Q

Define ‘concordance’

A

Concordance means how much agreement there is between two factors – how similar they are. This can be used when talking about the similarity between twins - in terms of crime.

31
Q

What is meant by ‘high concordance’

A

They are both similar, i.e. both twins are criminal

32
Q

What is meant by ‘low concordance’

A

They are different, e.g. one twin is criminal, one is not

33
Q

Which twin is concordance higher in?

A

Identical (MZ)

34
Q

Christiensen examined 3,586 pairs of twins, what were the results?

A

Concordance rates were low even for MZ twins (35%) which indicates that the environment still plays a big role in criminal behaviour

35
Q

What is meant by ‘nature’

A

Means behaviour is due to genes

36
Q

What is meant by ‘nurture’

A

Means behaviour is due to environmental influences

37
Q

What does an adoption study look at?

A

The impact of nurture on children who are raised by parents who are not their biological parents

38
Q

What difference are they trying to establish between birth and adoptive parents?

A

How much the child has picked up from their adoptive parents (nurture) vs their biological parents (nature)

39
Q

Hutchings & Mednick (1975) studied 14000 adoptees, what were the results?

A

A high proportion of boys with criminal convictions had biological parents with criminal convictions

40
Q

Mednick et al. (1994) studied adoptees and their adoptive parents, what were the results?

A

No relationship between adoptees and their adoptive parents

41
Q

What is XYY syndrome?

A

A rare chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of an extra Y chromosome in males

42
Q

People with XYY syndrome are referred to as ‘super males’ suggesting…?

A

They are more aggressive and violent than typical men

43
Q

Give 3 characteristics of people with XYY syndrome

A

Taller than average, cystic acne during adolensce, muscle weakness

44
Q

Jacob et al studied 1000 men in prison and 1000 men in the general population, what were the results?

A

15 men with XYY per 1000 in prisons compared with 1 man XYY per 1000 men in general population

45
Q

What does Jacob et al’s study suggest about the relationship between criminality and XYY syndrome

A

Suggests that some criminals could have the XYY syndrome and this could be a reason why they commit criminal acts

46
Q

What can happen if the pre-frontal cortex of the brain is damaged?

A

Someone may not be able to think through consequences and resist temptations which could result in impulsive behaviour including crime

47
Q

Raine conducted PET scans on murderers in prison to see if there was a difference between them as opposed to the general population, what did he find?

A

Murderers had lower levels of activity in their pre-frontal cortex suggesting that they have irrational thoughts and behave impulsively

48
Q

Which case supported the brain abnormality theory? What happened?

A

Phones Gage had an accident where an iron rod went through his left frontal lobe, he survived but suffered extreme personality changes

49
Q

Explain the correlation between serotonin and criminality

A

Low levels of serotonin can be linked to irritability, rage, high levels of anger, and general violent behaviour

50
Q

Explain the correlation between steroids and criminality

A

Steroids have also been linked to high levels of aggression and increase levels of testosterone

51
Q

Explain the correlation between the overproduction of testosterone and criminality

A

Leads to increased aggressive and irritable behaviour as well as increased muscle mass– more violent behaviour= more criminal behaviour

52
Q

Give one biological theory that can be applied to Fred and Rose West

A

Brain abnormality– Fred West had 2 brain injuries that he suffered from a motorbike accident and being pushed off a fire escape, leading to personality changes

53
Q

Give one biological theory that can be applied to Richard Speck

A

Lombroso- atavistic features

Criminology Unit 2 (8 decks)

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