atavistic form, genetic + neural explanations Flashcards
atavistic form
a biological approach that attributes criminal activity to the fact that offenders are genetic throwbacks or a primitive sub species - ‘Lombroso’
atavistic features of criminals
- strong jaw - high cheekbones - dark skin
atavistic features of murderers
- bloodshot eyes - curly hair
Lombroso’s research
- he examined the skulls of 383 dead convicts + 3839 living ones, concluding that 40% of criminal acts are committed by people with atavistic characteristics
- he’d concluded that there was an atavistic form + that atavistic features were key indicators of criminality
strength of atavistic form - Lombroso’s contribution to criminology
E: he shifted the focus to scientific views of criminals. He focuses on genetics + influences of evolution. also, Lombroso’s approach has been thought to be one of earliest forms of offender profiling
C: so his approach has had a major contribution to criminology + our understanding of offenders
strength of atavistic form - Lombroso’s sample
E: he used a sample size of 4000+ (living + dead criminals)
C: representative as 4000 people will all have slightly different features, so findings are reliable
However, he only used Italian convicts - culture bias. Results can’t be generalised to other countries + cultures so are less valid (ethnocentric)
limitation of atavistic form - scientific racism
E: many characteristics of offenders are more likely to be found in certain individuals eg. those of African descent. so, there may be more people of certain races identified as being criminal using Lombroso’s ideology
C: whether Lombroso intended this to be the case or not some people are uncomfortable with his ideology of offenders + implication for certain races
limitation of atavistic form - contradictory evidence
E: Goring compared 3000 criminals with non criminals in terms of physical + mental abnormalities. Offenders had no distinct characteristics eg. facial - he suggested that criminals had lower IQ but this was the only distinct difference
C: mixed evidence for Lombroso’s ideology that offenders look different to non offenders
the neural explanation
there are neural differences between the brains of criminals + non criminals
amygdala - role in emotion processing, decision making + memory
Raine
Raine compared 27 psychopaths to 32 non psychopaths - found that psychopaths had 18% volume reduction in amygdala, thinning of cortex
Raine found 11% reduction in grey matter of pre frontal cortex in people with APD compared to controls
mirror neurons
- type of brain cell that fire when you complete an action, and also when you simply watch someone else doing the same action
1. those with fully functioning brain always have empathy
2. those with APD can experience empathy, but it’s sporadic
Keyser’s et al
when APDs asked to empathise they could. mirror neurons activated
in those with APD, mirror neurons not always ‘switched’ on so can’t always empathise
in normal brains, mirror neurons are always switched on
effects of serotonin
serotonergic dysfunction linked to criminal behaviour
- violent criminals whose violence was impulsive had lower levels of serotonin than violent criminals who’s crime was planned
genetic explanation
idea that offenders inherit a combination of genes that predispose them to committing crime (innate)
concordance rates for crime
MZ: Lange found that 10/13 had twin in prison
Christianson found 33%
DZ - Lange found 2/17 had twin in prison
Christianson found 12%
concordance rates suggests that criminality has genetic basis as MZ twins were more likely to have twin in prison
candidate genes -abnormalities on 2 genes - linked to violent crimes
- MAOA gene - controls serotonin + dopamine
- CDH13 - linked to substance abuse + ADD. Having both of these genes puts an individual at a higher risk of being involved in criminal acts (13x more likely)
diathesis stress model
genetic predisposition + environmental effect = criminality
- if genetics play a role in offending behaviour, it’s likely that environment also plays a role
strength of neural - scientific
E: use of PET scans to study brains of criminals and non criminals are scientific. they show a lack of activity in frontal + temporal lobes of murderers. PET scans are scientific so can be repeated
C: this makes them reliable as you can find the same results many times. it also establishes a C+E relationship eg. lower activity of frontal lobe causes crime
strength of genetic explanation - support from adoption studies eg. Mendick et al
E: Diathesis stress model supported by studies that show that having a genetic predisposition and then an adoptive parent (environment) increased a person’s likelihood of engaging in crime
C: highlights importance of both factors and interactions between these factors and how they may lead to crime
limitation of genetic explanation - problems with twin studies
E: most pairs of twins also have same upbringing so you’re unable to separate the effects of nature + nurture. MZ twins share 100% DNA and environment eg. friends
C: researchers can’t determine C+E relationship because of this eg. genetics causes crime
limitation of biological explanation - biological determinism
E: bio determinism is when genetics, brain structure etc control behaviour eg. having a set of candidate genes, smaller amygdala are an explanation for crime
C: creates implications for legal system as criminals can argue that their genetics is what caused them to commit their crimes - takes away responsibility. also makes prison rehabilitation ineffective
limitation of biological explanation - biological recuctionism
E: bio reductionism is breaking behaviour down to genetics, brain structure. fails to consider factors such as environment or experiences that cause people to commit crime
C: limits understanding of beh so limits treatment (rehabilitation) that can be made for criminals
