bio explan - neural

Question 1

what does the neural explanations of offending behaviour consider

Answer 1

considers how structures of the brain may be different in criminals alongside different neurotransmitter levels
- brain differences may be due to nurture or nature (inherited)

Question 2

what are the 2 neural explanations of offending behaviour

Answer 2

• brain regions
• neurotransmitters

Question 3

outline why brain regions are suspected explanation to offending behaviour

Answer 3

criminals often report having had head injury
- 8.5% of US population have had brain injury compared to 60% in US prisons

Question 4

what are the brain regions associated with offending behaviour

Answer 4

• prefrontal cortex
• limbic system

Question 5

outline research conducted regarding PREFRONTAL CORTEX to provide evidence on brain regions being neural explanation to offending behaviour

Answer 5

• Raine used 71 imaging studies (of murderers, psychopaths and violent individuals) showing that they had reduced functioning in prefrontal cortex
• lowered activity in prefrontal cortex associated with loss of control and impulsiveness

Question 6

what is the prefrontal cortex’s role

Answer 6

regulate emotions and control moral behaviour
- criminals shown to have reduced functioning of prefrontal cortex’s

Question 7

what is the limbic system

Answer 7

set of structures in brain (thalamus + amygdala) thats linked to emotion and motivation

Question 8

outline research conducted regarding LIMBIC SYSTEM to provide evidence on brain regions being neural explanation to offending behaviour

Answer 8

• Raine studied murderers who were found ‘not guilty’ by reasoning of insanity
• compared with matched controls and found abnormal asymmetries in limbic system of murderers (reduced activity on left side + increased on right side)

Question 9

what are the neurotransmitters associated with offending behaviour

Answer 9

• serotonin
• noradrenaline

Question 10

role of serotonin

Answer 10

controls mood
- low levels = increased aggression

Question 11

how can serotonin be used as neural explanation of offending behaviour

Answer 11

• researchers suggest low levels of serotonin may predispose individuals to impulsive aggression + criminal behaviour

Question 12

what is function of noradrenaline

Answer 12

• regulation of arousal, attention and stress reactions
• helps people react to perceived threats

Question 13

how is noradrenaline a neural explanation of offending behaviour

Answer 13

• very high and very low levels of noradrenaline have been associated with aggression, violent and criminality

Question 14

what are high levels of noradrenaline associated with

Answer 14

associated with activation of sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)

Question 15

what does having low levels of noradrenaline mean

Answer 15

individuals ability to react to perceived threats will be reduced

Question 16

evaluation points for neural explanations of offending behaviour

Answer 16

(+) real world application - treatment/drugs
(+/-) reliability
(-) cause or effect
(-) based on aggression rather than offending

Question 17

expand on real world application being eval point for neural explan of offending behaviour

Answer 17

• neural explanations of offending behaviour can lead to possible methods of treatment
• example - low levels of serotonin are related to increased aggressiveness in criminals, those in prison may be put on diets that enhance their serotonin levels which reduces aggression
• e.g. artificial sweeteners are high in phenylalanine and low in tryptophan - making production of serotonin difficult
• future treatments can potentially decrease likelihood of those with high serotonin levels becoming criminals if their serotonin is controlled

Question 18

expand on RELIABILITY (+/) being eval point for neural explan of offending behaviour

Answer 18

• use of brain imaging (PET scans) provides objective clinical evidence
• by providing neural explanation it means there is good reliability
• however, can be unreliable source of gaining research as brian imaging can not be calibrated properly (not carefully assessed) alongside some methods of brain scanning can be sensitive to noise/sound which may disrupt findings

Question 19

expand on CAUSE OR EFFECT being eval point for neural explan of offending behaviour

Answer 19

• neural explanations raise concerns about determinism - whether abnormalities in regions of brain/level of neurotransmitters are CAUSE of offending behaviour , RESULT of behaviour or an INTERVENING VARIABLE
• research only highlights correlation between head injuries and later criminality
• head injury may not be genetic (could be spurious relationship - someone grew up in violent household) so may suffer from head injury
• link between head injury and offending behaviour could be because of violent childhood - limiting the explan because dont know route cause of heady injury + when if occurred
• not 100% sure whether it was cause/result of offending behaviour

Question 20

expand on ‘based on aggression rather than offending’ being an eval point for neural explan of offending behaviour

Answer 20

• research on neurotransmitters rely on studies on non human animals - criminality not being studied by aggression instead
• there is not 100% correspondence with any area of brain or neurotransmitter because data cannot predict who might become offender and who may not
• limiting explan as it isnt reliable enough to explain offending behaviour accurately alongside basing explan on aggression rather than criminal behaviour