26.10.23 Forensic Psychology - Biological explanations: An historical approach

Question 1

What is the atavistic form?

Answer 1

• BIOLOGICAL explanation for offending
  behaviour
• Criminals ‘GENETIC THROWBACKS’
• PRIMITIVE subspecies
• Cannot conform to RULES of modern
  society
• Distinguished by certain FACIAL or
  CRANIAL characteristics

Question 2

Who suggested the atavistic form?

Answer 2

Lombroso

Question 3

What kind of development did Lombroso think offenders lacked?

Answer 3

Evolutionary

Question 4

What did Lombroso think criminal behaviour was?

Answer 4

INNATE and GENETIC therefore criminals cannot be blamed for their actions

Question 5

What else did Lombroso suggest?

Answer 5

Criminals have certain PHYSIOLOGICAL ‘markers’

Question 6

What were these certain physiological ‘markers’ linked to?

Answer 6

CERTAIN types of offence

Question 7

What are these also known as?

Answer 7

BIOLOGICALLY determined ‘atavistic’ characteristics

Question 8

Give four cranial features

Answer 8

Facial ASYMMETRY, LONG SLOPING brow, HIGH cheekbones and STRONG PROMINENT jaw

Question 9

Give two physical features

Answer 9

DARK skin and presence of EXTRA fingers, toes or nipples

Question 10

Give three other aspects of offenders

Answer 10

Use of SLANG, tattoos and unemployment

Question 11

What did Lombroso go on to do?

Answer 11

CATEGORISE particular types of offenders in terms of FACIAL and PHYSICAL characteristics

Question 12

Give three features of murderers

Answer 12

BLOODSHOT eyes, LONG ears and CURLY hair

Question 13

Give three features of sexual deviants

Answer 13

SWOLLEN FLESHY lips, GLINTING eyes and PROJECTING ears

Question 14

Give a feature of fraudsters

Answer 14

THIN ‘REEDY’ lips

Question 15

What did Lombroso examine?

Answer 15

FACIAL and CRANIAL features of LIVING and DEAD ITALIAN convicts

Question 16

What did Lombroso conclude?

Answer 16

There was ‘ATAVISTIC’ form

Question 17

What else did he conclude?

Answer 17

• Features KEY indicators of CRIMINALITY
• 40% criminal acts committed by people
  with ATAVISTIC characteristics

Question 18

What is a strength of Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 18

Changed the study of crime

Question 19

Changed the study of crime

Answer 19

• Shifted EMPHASIS on MORALISTIC
  discourse to more SCIENTIFIC discourse
• Describing how PARTICULAR types of
  people commit CERTAIN crimes, created
  beginning of OFFENDER profiling
• Made MAJOR contribution to study of
  CRIMINOLOGY

Question 20

What is a limitation of Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 20

Evidence CHALLENGING link between atavism and crime

Question 21

Evidence challenging link between atavism and crime

Answer 21

• Goring
• Compared 3,000 offenders to 3,000 non
  offenders
• No evidence of UNUSUAL facial or cranial
  characteristics distinguishing offenders
  from non-offenders
• Evidence of LOW IQ
• CHALLENGES L’s theory that offenders
  can be PHYSICALLY distinguished based
  on their CRANIAL and FACIAL
  characteristics