Behavioral Theories Flashcards
Do sociological explanations locate the causes of crime inside or outside the individual?
Outside
What did Sheldon believe regarding criminality.
That your body shape affects your personality and the type of crime you commit. (Somatology)
Sheldon’s beliefs in somatology had the same flaws as Lombroso due to what?
They only looked at small sample sizes to draw generalized conclusions.
Were the early biological theories weak?
Yes
Who was known for their theory of somatology?
Sheldon (1898-1977)
Shat was the three body types Sheldon looped people in?
Endomorphs, Mesomorphs and Ectomorphs
Describe Ectomorphs according to Sheldon
Thin, extroverted and sensitive
Describe Mesomorphs according to Sheldon
Athletic, Muscular and Aggressive - apt to commit violent and other crimes.
Describe Endomorphs according to Sheldon
Heavy with short arms/legs - relaxed, extroverted, relatively non-criminal.
Who body morphology did Sheldon find delinquents mostly had?
Mesomorphic morphology
Who conducted the first study of family transmission of crime?
Richard Dugdale (1877)
In the biological theory on crime, what was crime considered analogous to?
To disease and illness
What family did Richard Dugdale study regarding the family transmission of crime?
A rural New York family named Jukes
What was the issue with Dugdale’s study on the Jukes family?
He had no control group, therefore couldn’t determine whether Jukes’ level of criminality was higher than other families.
True or false: Those who favoured ‘nature’ over of ‘nuture’ saw the individual’s behavioral attributes as being a result of the environment.
False. Those who favored ‘nature’ saw the individual’s behavior as being attributed to inherited predispositions and genetic influences.
Regarding the “Nature vs Nurture” question, what consensus was reached?
That the truth lies somewhere in between - a nature plus nuture perspective
What perspective had dominated fields like criminology for decades? Nature or Nuture
The Nuture perspective
Is there a link between IQ and Crime?
Yes, where children with conduct disorders tend to have lower IQ scores than non deviant controls.
Is a low IQ inherently criminogenic?
No
Were definitive conclusions drawn from twin studies regarding aggressiveness or criminal behavior?
No, because no consistent pattern of genetic influence emerged.
Give another type of study besides twin ones that believe heredity would play a role in criminality.
Adoption studies
What chromosome abnormality is associated with higher crime?
XYY men, however the abnormality is rare
Which hormone was considered to have correlation with aggression and criminality?
Testosterone
During which time of a woman’s cycle was associated with a higher chance of committing crime?
The eighth day period immediately preceding and during menstruation
Who argued postpartum influence is related to crime?
Robin Ogle and colleagues (1995)