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Crimonology Unit 2 > Ac 2.1 Describe Biological Theories Of Criminality > Flashcards

Ac 2.1 Describe Biological Theories Of Criminality Flashcards

1
Q

What does The term physiological mean?

A

Physical Form → Form of The body or brain. Physiology is The study of how The Human body works.

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2
Q

Can we judge someone based on their appearance?

A

No
Weakness - judgemental
Making claims about peoples behaviour based on immutable characteristics (things they have No control over) can lead to bad things such as racism.

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3
Q

What did Lombroso study to support his Theory?

A

In 1876 he studied 3,389 alive and 383 dead criminals
He measured size and other parts of the body.
He found that 40% of Criminal acts could be accounted for by their physical characteristics.
* * Didn’t have A control group so had nothing to compare The criminals to **

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4
Q

What was lombroso’s innate criminality theory?

A

He believed criminality was inherited so someone’s likelyhood of becoming A Criminal was a innate, inherited characteristic- you cannot do anything about it.
Criminality is passed down from generation to generation
Lombroso thought you could identify criminals based on physical features
Murderers had “ cold, glassy stares, bloodshot eyes and big hawk like noses” and rapists had “jug ears” - these physical features were inherited meaning criminality is innate.

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5
Q

What was lombroso’s evolution and atavism Theory?

A

Atavism is something ancient or ancestral
Lombroso saw criminals as atavistic- an earlier primitive stage of evolution.
Lombroso thought atavistic People were pre-social, unable to control their impulses and had A reduced sensitivity to pain (criminals had Lots of tattoos)

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6
Q

Physical features criminals had according to lombroso ?

A

Sloping forehead
Receding chin
V long arms
Heavy jaw
High cheek bones
Eye defects
Abnormal teeth
Extra fingers or toes
Wrinkles

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7
Q

What characteristics do atavistic People have according to Lombroso?

A

Pre-social
Unable to control impulses
Reducer sensitivity to pain -Lots of tattoos
Long arms - behaved like savages or apes

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8
Q

Some evidence to back up lombrosos theory?

A

Study in A University in China produced research that suggest facial features can identity A criminal.
ID photos of 1,856 Chinese men were entered into an Al program - half had A previous conviction
Correct identified 83% of The criminals
Wrongly identified innocent Men as criminals 6% of The Time

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9
Q

What were The main principles of Sheldon theory?

A

Link between body type and criminality
Link between biology and personality

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10
Q

Which somatype did he suggest was most likely to become criminal?

A

Mesamorphs -High testosterone levels
↓
Rectangular, muscular, sturdy

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11
Q

Did glueck and glueck support Sheldon theory? What were their findings?

A

Found support For SheldonS theory that mesamorphs were more likely to commit crime
Studied juveniles- found mesamorph somatype higher representation among delinquents
Ratio 1:2

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12
Q

Is this theory still relevant?

A

Lost popularity in The 1960’s -started being seen as prejudice and discriminative

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13
Q

What is somatotypology?

A

A System of catagorisation where individuals are assigned according to their bodily physique
These types had typical personalities that corresponded with them.

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14
Q

What are The 3 somatotypes?

A

Endomorphic
Mesomorphic
Ectomorphic

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15
Q

What body type is endomorphic?

A

Fat and soft
Easy way to remember- enDO → do → donut → fatter body

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16
Q

What body type is mesomorphic?

A

Muscular and hard
More prone to commit violent and aggressive acts
Easy way to remember- Mesomorph →M → muscle

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17
Q

What body type is ectomorph?

A

Thin and fragile
Least likely to commit violent and aggressive acts.

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18
Q

What is The personality of an endOmorph?

A

Relaxed, comfortable, good - humoured, even tempered, sociable, tolerant

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19
Q

What is The personality of a mesomorph?

A

Adventurous, assertive, competitive, fearless, aggressive

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20
Q

What is The personality of an ectomorph?

A

Anxious, self conscious, artistic , thoughtful, quiet, private, introverted

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21
Q

What else did Sheldon theorise?

A

Body types could be used to predict behaviour
Criminal behaviour may have A cause link to body type
Predicted mess morphs would be more likely to be criminals _ based on biological and social reasons

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22
Q

What did Sheldon study to support his theory?

A

Studied photographs of 200 male collage student and 200 male delinquents
Split delinquents into ‘deliquant’ and ‘criminal delinquent,’ based on their level
Rated The photos ow A scale of 1 (low) -7 (High) in relation to their mesamorphy

23
Q

What did The results show?

A

Mesamorphs are linked to criminality and crime
More likely to commit crimes and be delinquent

24
Q

What are The criticisms of this study?

A

Only used males
Stereotypical / potential discrimination
Potential researcher bias
Shows A correlation - correlation is Not causation

25
Genetic explanation - criminal genes What genes have been associated with crime and violence?
Low activity version of The MAOA Gene - nicknamed 'warrior' Gene because The link to aggressive behaviour → controller of dopamine levels in brain CDH13 -a Gene involved in neural connectivity → associated with substance abuse and ADHD
26
What percentage of crime is attributed to these genes?
5-10 % of all violent crime in The Finland's is associated with individuals with these genes
27
Can criminal behaviour be explained By genes alone?
No - can't ignore other factors Free will Environmental factors Other genes- many more genes may be involves in violent behaviour
28
How can twin studies be used to research The genetic basis of crime?
Concordance rates of mz and dz twins m2 higher because of amount of genes shared
29
What bin Joseph research in 2001, and what were the findings?
32 mz twins who grew up apart eliminated environmental factors. Results showed both in childhood and adult antisocial behaviour Weed to consider way concordance rates Not 100%
30
Chromosomal abnormality What is the theory behind Chromosomal abnormality?
Chromosomes carry our genetic information - evidence suggests that if someone has A chromosomal abnormality this can lead to increased chanced of criminality
31
Chromosomal abnormalities - xyy syndrome What is xyy syndrome?
A problem with sperm production can lead To males inheriting 2 Y chromosomes so they end up with xyy genes instead of xy.
32
What are some characteristics of someone with xyy syndromes?
Taller than others, problems with speaking and processing words, coordination problems, behaviour problems, higher testosterone levels, longer arms.
33
Evidence to back up this theory?
Jacob et Al - looked to find evidence of xyy They found 15 men with xyy per 1000 Men in prison compared to only I iw 1000 In the general population - xyy disproportionate represented in The prison population vs The general population
34
Criticisms of the xyy theory?
Act research done In prisons or Mental hospitals Wo evidence that extra y chromosome increases criminal behaviouR Most People don't know thet have it and live a Normal life commuting No chime Not everyone who commits crime had xyy Women can't have it so doesn't explain why they commit crime
35
Why are twin studies used to supportthe idea that crime is genetic?
There are two types of twins mz (identical share 100%, of genes) and dz ( now-identical share 50% of genes) We assume mz and dz twins share same environment so any difference is due to genes.
36
What is meant By The term concordance?
Means how much agreement their is between factors - how similar they are
37
How do concordance rates relate to twin studies?
The similarities between twins in terms of crime If One twin has A certain trait / behaviour does The other? High concordance- both similar-both criminal Low concordance - both different - One criminal One not Evidence suggests that concordance rates are higher in mz twins
38
Evidence to back up this theory?
Some evidence to suggest crime concordace rates are higher in mz twins Lange 1929 round 10 out of 13 mz twins had both served Time in prison but only 2 out of 17 dz twins has. Christiansen 1977 studied 3,586 and found male mz twins had A 35% concordance rates and female mz twins had A 21% concordance rate - male dz twins 13% concordance rate remace dz twins 8% concordance rate.
39
Criticism of evidence?
Cannot rule out affect of environment→ raised in same Home Max be treated same By parents/ siblings so learning environment affects their behaviours ( adoption studies can rule this out)
40
What is The theory behind adoption studies?
If criminal behaviour is genetic will The adopted child be more like their genetic parents or adopted parent If The criminal behaviour is more similar to their biological this would suggest A genetic link (nature) If child is more similar to adoptive parents this suggests an environmental link (nurture)
41
What is involved in an adoption study?
Researching if.. identical twins with criminal parents are adopted are The more or less likely to commit crimes now that there in a different environment
42
What difference are they trying to establish between birth parents and adoptive parents?
If criminality is genetic or if The environment they grow up in plays A bigger part in if they become criminal → nature or nurture
43
Why might it be important to know whether or Not The adoption took place soon after birth?
Certain Time with parent may influence behaviour More Time spent with adoptive family, longer Time in that environment - more impact
44
Evidence to support this theory
Hutchings and mednick 1975- studied 14000 adoptees. High proportion of boys with criminal convictions had biological parents with criminal convictions ↓ Suggest A genetic link Mednick et Al 1994 - found No relationship between The number of criminal convictions of an adoptive parent and their adopted child Supported The earlier findings - positive correlation between number of eliminate convictions of A biological parent and their offspring.
45
Brain explanations- brain abnormality What area of The brain is key For decision making and self control?
Pre-frontal cortex
46
Brain explanations- brain abnormality What can happen if this area of The brain is damaged ?
Someone may Not be able to think about The consequences of their actions and Not resist temptations resulting in impulsive behaviours (crime)
47
Brain explanations- brain abnormality Evidence to support this theory?
Raine- Raine conducted pet scans on murderers and found there to be lower levels of activity in their prefrontal cortex compared to others
48
Brain explanations- brain injuries Who was Phineas Gage?
Rail Road worker In the 1800's
49
Brain explanations- brain injuries What happened to him?
3 ft iron Rod through The head
50
Brain explanations- brain injuries How did his behaviour and personality change after The accident?
Used to be mild mannered - now short tempered and angry
51
Brain explanations- brain injuries How was this change explaned?
Damage to pre-frontal lobe
52
Brain explanations- neurochemical imbalance Low levels of what hormone has been linked to aggression and anti-social behaviour?
Low levels of serotonin- The happy hormone
53
Brain explanations- neurochemicai imbalance What can Help increase serotonin levels?
Medication and food → eggs, cheese, salmon, turkey, nuts, seeds

Crimonology Unit 2 (10 decks)

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