Applied: Criminal

Question 1

What are the physiological explanations for criminal behaviour and what are the studies to support?

Answer 1

• Brain Dysfunction - Raine
• Genetics - Brunner

Question 2

What are the non-physiological explanations for criminal behaviour and what are the studies to support?

Answer 2

• Upbringing - Farrington
• Learning - Sutherland
• Cognitive - Palmer & Hollin

Question 3

What was the aim of Raine’s study?

Answer 3

To find out if there is a difference in the structure of brain activity between people who have committed murder (NGRIs) and non-murderers. In particular, Raine looked at the role played by the prefrontal cortex, the corpus callosum, the amygdala, the medial temporal lobe (MTL)/hippocampus and the thalamus in predisposing people towards aggression.

Question 4

What was the background of Raine’s study?

Answer 4

Raine wanted to see if the findings of previous studies linking brain structure to aggression in animals could be generalised to humans.

Question 5

What was the hypothesis of Raine’s study?

Answer 5

Violent offenders who plead NGRI would have dysfunction in various brain regions