2.1 - Biological Theories of Crime

Question 1

what are biological theories of crime?
- the basic idea

Answer 1

the theory that criminals are biologically different to non-criminals - these differences cause them to commit crime

Question 2

what are the 4 biological explanations for criminality?

Answer 2

Physiological theories
Genetic theories
Brain injuries and disorders
Biochemical

Question 3

name the 2 theories of physiological theories & what they studied

Answer 3

Lombroso - Atavism
Sheldon - Somatotypes

Question 4

what did lombroso suggest criminals could be defined by?

Answer 4

destinctive physical features eg. large jaw, high cheekbones, curly hair, protuding nose
characteristics eg. tattoes & insensitivity to pain

Question 5

what did lombroso describe criminals as?

Answer 5

atavistic - presocial and unable to control impulses

Question 6

what is atavism?

Answer 6

a throwback to an earlier, more primitive stage of evolution.

Question 7

what did sheldon suggest criminals could be identified with?

Answer 7

‘somatotypes’ - bodytypes

Question 8

name the 3 somatotypes of sheldons theory

Answer 8

ectomorphs
mesomorphs
endomorphs

Question 9

what are ectomorphs?

Answer 9

thin, fragile people who lack muscle and fat
self-conscious personality and emotionally restrained

Question 10

what are endomorphs?

Answer 10

rounded, soft people who have fat and lack muscle
sociable and relaxed personality

Question 11

what are mesomorphs?

Answer 11

muscular and hard bodied - little fat and more muscle
outgoing personality & enjoy physical activity

Question 12

which somatotype does sheldon suggest are more likely to commit crime and why?

Answer 12

mesomorphs - more attracted to the risk-taking and physical physique is an important asset to crime

Question 13

what are the 3 genetic theories of crime?

Answer 13

XYY theory
adoption studies
twin studies

Question 14

what’s the name for twins who are non identical?

Answer 14

dyzgotic twins - share 50% of the same DNA

Question 15

whats the name of twins who are identical?

Answer 15

monozygotic twins - share 100% of the same DNA

Question 16

what is a concordance rate?

Answer 16

the probability as a % that if one twin has a characteristic the other twin will have the same

Question 17

what evidence is there for twin studies?

Answer 17

christiansen’s study of twins in denmark (1977)

Question 18

what are adoption studies in relation to the nature vs nurture debate?

Answer 18

criminal behaviour comes from genetics = nature
criminal behaviour comes from environment = nurture

Question 19

what evidence is there for adoption studies?

Answer 19

mednick (et al) study on 14,000 adopted male children

Question 20

what did mednick et al find? (adoption studies)

Answer 20

• found that sons were more likely to have a criminal record if their biological father had one (concordance rate of 20%)
• only 14.7% concordance rate between adoptive parent and son

Question 21

what did christiansen find? (twin studies)

Answer 21

52% concordance rate for MZ twins
22% concordance rate for DZ twins

Question 22

what is XYY syndrome and what is it known as?

Answer 22

where an individual is born with an extra Y chromosome.

karyotype or ‘super male’ disease

Question 23

who came up with the XYY theory?

Answer 23

patricia jacobs

Question 24

what behaviours are caused by XYY syndrome?

Answer 24

explosive temper/aggression
hyperactivity and impulsivity
antisocial personality

Question 25

what did jacobs find? (XYY theory)

Answer 25

15 in 1000 men have XYY syndrome in prison compared to 1 in 1000 in the general population

Question 26

what is a case study used to evidence the XYY theory?

Answer 26

John Wayne Gacy - sexually assulted, tortured and murdered at least 33 men in the USA

he had XYY chromosome

Question 27

what part of the brain is responsible for actions, behaviours and thoughts?

Answer 27

frontal lobe - prefrontal cortex

Question 28

what case study can be used to evidence brain abnormalties?

Answer 28

phineas gage - personality changed after damage to prefrontal cortex

Question 29

what brain diseases have been linked with criminal or antisocial behaviour?

Answer 29

dementia & huntington’s disease

Question 30

what are the 4 biochemical explanations for crime?

Answer 30

sex hormones
blood sugar levels
substance abuse
diet - other substances

Question 31

what male hormone can cause aggressive behaviour?

Answer 31

testosterone

Question 32

what crimes have testosterone levels been associated with?

Answer 32

rape and murder

Question 33

the ____ or ____ of testosterone can lead to crime

Answer 33

under or overproduction

Question 34

what 3 things have been accepted as partial defences for women charged with crime?

Answer 34

premenstrual tension (PMT)
lactation (breastfeeding)
post natal depression

Question 35

what do female hormones effect? (biochemical)

Answer 35

judgement, mood and selfcontrol

Question 36

what can low blood sugar levels trigger?

Answer 36

aggressive behaviour & reactions

Question 37

what is low blood sugar levels called?

Answer 37

hypoglycemia

Question 38

what does substance abuse involve?

Answer 38

legal (alcohol) and illegal (heroin & cocaine) substances

Question 39

who is horace williams? (biochemical)

Answer 39

american bodybuilder who took 2000x the recommended dose of steriods

Question 40

what happened to horace williams? (biochemcial)

Answer 40

increased testosterone levels & became very violent

Question 41

what is serotonin?

Answer 41

a neurotransmitter associated with regulating mood and behaviour

Question 42

what happens if serotonin levels are low?

Answer 42

high levels of aggression and more likely to engage in crime

Question 43

according to lombroso, what are the other criminal defining characteristics?

Answer 43

insensitivity to pain eg. tattoos
unemployment