What makes a criminal (Biological) Flashcards
(23 cards)
What did Lombroso (1876) say about characteristics of criminality?
Criminals have physiological characteristics, for example a sloping brow or a larger nose.
What are some physiological explanations of what makes a criminal?
-Brain disfunction
-Genetics
How does brain disfunction explain how a criminal is made?
Damage in pre-frontal cortex can cause a low resting heart rate which promotes aggression and violence in an individual.
Who says that damage in the pre-frontal cortex can cause violence and agression?
Raine et al.
How did Raine et al prove his theory of pre-frontal cortex damage?
Raine et al (1997a) Positive emission topography (PET) scans in murderers, reduced activity in pre-frontal areas
Raine et al (1997b) children with low resting heart rate showed more antisocial behaviour
How could damage to the pre-frontal cortex occur?
-Could be heritable,
-Could happen through birth complications e.g fetal alcohol syndrome etc
-Raine says BIOSOCIAL reasons should be taken into account.
How does genetics explain how a criminal is made?
Genes can be inherited from parents that is associated with aggressive or violent behaviour
Give an example of a gene that is associated with aggressive/ violent behaviour and why.
MAOA gene, can cause an excess of serotonin break down which is linked to aggressive violence.
Explain two studies that show how the MAOA gene can be linked to criminal behaviour.
1993 Bruner, gene counselling: Family had hereditary mutation of MAOA. Males had aggressive or violent traits as gene only carried on X chromosome, only males affected.
1995 Cases, rats: Deletion of MAOA gene in rats, caused similar findings to Brunner.
What are some non-physiological explanations of what makes a criminal?
Farringdon and West: 411 boys until adults found childhood risks of crime are family criminality, low school attendance and poverty
-Sutherland believed in differential association hypothesis, where crime is learnt and normalised
What is a cognitive explanation of what makes a criminal?
-Believed that criminals are working at low moral reasoning (Kholberg)
Explain what study supports the cognitive explanation of what makes a criminal.
Palmer and Hollin: found male offenders had least mature moral reasoning.
They used SMRF questionnaires
What was the background of Raine et al (1997a)
Previous studies show relationship between low levels of activity and prefrontal cortex and violent behaviour
What was the aim of Raine et al (1997a)
They wanted to look at direct measures of both cortical and subcortical brain functioning using PET scans of murderers pleading not guilty by reason of insanity
What is the cortical area of the brain?
Cerebral cortex
What is the subcortical area of the brain
includes hypothalamus, hippocampus etc
Who were the sample of Raine et al 1997a?
41 murderers, 39 male, 2 women
-They were all pleading not guilty by reason of insanity and had issues such as schizophrenia/brain damage etc.
What controls were involved in Rain et al (1997a)
All samples were medicine free,
-Being either left/right brained had no effect on behaviour
What materials were used in Raine et al (1997a)
-PET machine involved which produced a 2D map of brain activity
-FDG tracer was injected in participants which traces metabolism of glucose
-A continuous performance task (CPT) used where participants had to tap the screen when a target shows
Describe the procedure of Raine et al (1997a)
-Participants sent to uni of California
-10 minutes before injection, subjects practiced the CPT
-30s delay before study started, ensured novelty of task did not show.
-After 32 minutes of CPT, each participant went under a PET scan
What were the results of Raine et al (1997a)
Overall no difference in performance of CPT
NGRI participants had more activity in the right side
-Reduced activity in pre-frontal cortex
-Less activity in left side.
What are biological strategies for preventing criminal behaviour?
-Earlier intervention, better health and nutrition programmes for pregnant women, helps to lower antisocial behaviour
-Visitation from nurses whilst pregnant and advice.
-Children eating more Omega 3 such as fish etc
What are some studies that support the applications?
-Raine: mothers who smoke while pregnant 3x at risk of having children that have antisocial behaviour, birth complications also increase.
-Olds (1998) low socio-economic pregnant mothers visited by nurses had children who had 63% less convictions
-Raine at el (1997b) increased omega-3 intake reduces antisocial and aggressive behaviour
