Ac2.1 biological theories Flashcards
Explain Lombroso’s theory
he believed criminals had certain facial features and were physically different to non-criminals.
What did Lombroso use to support his theory?
he examined the faces of 383 dead criminals and 3839 alive criminals.
what are insane criminals?
intellectually and morally challenged or deflected individuals, such as psychopaths and habital delinquents.
what are epilectic criminals?
a person who commits a crime during the course of a seizure is therefore legally insane and must be committed to a psychiatric ward.
what are criminaloids?
criminality caused by environmental factors rather than biology.
Explain Sheldon’s theory
he believed that criminality depended on body type. he discovered 3 body types ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph.
he found that mesomorph are most likely to commit crimes due to adrenaline/risks.
what did Sheldon use to support his theory?
he examined 4000 photographs of men from the back, side and front in very little clothing.
what are the features of endomorphs?
fat, narrow shoulders, wide hips and shorter
what are the features of mesomorphs?
muscular, broad shoulders, narrow hips
what are the features of ectomorphs?
thin, narrow shoulders, narrow hips and taller
what personality do endomorphs have?
socialable, relaxed, outgoing, comfortable
what personality to mesomorphs have?
adventerous, sensation-seeking, assertive, domineering
what personality do ectomorphs have?
fragile, introverted, self-conscious, emotionally restrained
what is the XYY theory?
suggests that criminality may be attributed to a chromosomal abnormality which is an extra Y chromosome (sometimes referred to as the super-male disease)
who discovered the XYY theory?
Patricia Jacobs
what behaviours are displayed if someone has an extra Y chromosome? (XYY theory)
explosive temper, hyperactivity, impulsivity, defiant actions, lack of empathy, sometimes antisocial behaviour
what are the statistics for XYY men?
15 in 1000 in prison has the condition
1 in 1000 in general population has the condition
what are the symptoms of XYY?
typically being tall, well built, low intelligence (history with violence/aggression)
what are dizygotic twins?
twins born at the same time but come from two separate eggs and share 50% of DNA (fraternal)
what are monozygotic twins?
twins born at the same time but come from one egg and share 100% of DNA (identical)
what are concordance rates?
the probability that if one twin has a characteristic then the other twin will have that characteristic
what did Johannes Lange research/discover?
he investigated 13MZ twins and 17DZ twins. he found that 10 of the 13 MZ twins had both served time and only 2 out of 17 DZ twins had both served time.
what did Christensen research/discover?
he investigated 3586 twin pairs born in the eastern part of Denmark between 1881 and 1910. he found a 52% concordance rate between MZ twins and only 22% concordance rate between DZ twins.
what is adoption? (twin theory)
a criticism of twin studies because twins share genes but also environment so how can it be argued that behaviour is only genetic. twins look the same or similar and will be treated the same by people around them.
