Atavistic form - AO3 Flashcards
1
Q
What is a strengh of atavistic form?
and counterpoint
A
- P: Strength = Lombroso’s theory changed criminology
- E: The “father of modern criminology”, - Hollin (1989) shifted the emphasis in crime research away from moralistic to scientific
- E: Also, in describing how particular types of people are liekly to commit particular types of crime, the theory heralded offender profiling
- L: Lombroso made a major contribution to the science of criminology
COUNTERPOINT
Features are most likely to be found among people of African descent, a view that fitted 19th century eugenic attitudes
2
Q
What are two limitations od atavistic form?
A
- P: Limitation = evidence contradicts the link between atavism and crime
- E: Goring (1913) compared 3000 offenders and 3000 non offenders and found no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics
- E: He did not suggest that many people who commit crime have lower than average intelligence (offering limited support for atavistic theory)
- L: Challenges the idea that offenders can be physically distinguished from the rest of the population
- P: Limitation = Lombroso’s methods were poorly controlled
- E: Lombroso didn’t compare his offender sample with a control group therefore failed to control confounding variables
- E: E.g modern research shows that social conditions (e.g poverty) are associated with offending behaviour, which would explain some of Lombroso’s links (Hay and Forest 2009)
- L: Lombroso’s research does not meet modern scientific standards
3
Q
What is something to consider about atavistic form?
A
- P: Consider = nature or nurture
- E: The atavistic form suggests that crime has a biological cause, it is genetically determined
- C: Facial and cranial differences may be influenced by other factors such as poverty, poor diet, rather than inherited
- S: Suggests that an idea of an innate atavistic form as a predisposing factor for criminality is meaningless
