bio explanation of crime: gender

Question 1

how does brain injury explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 1

• teenage years = males more likely to acquire a TBI (14% vs 5%)
• could be due to males participating in more risky behaviour / rough play
• men more likely to enter manual jobs

Question 2

how does the amygdala explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 2

*women have enhanced left amygdala which relates to reward/punishment and is mainly involved in thought
*men have enhanced right amygdala which relates to facial recognition, aggression, sexual desire and fear, mainly involved in action

Question 3

how does XYY explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 3

only males can have Y chromosome

Question 4

how does Eysenck’s personality explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 4

*men have higher levels of testosterone
*men are more likely to score higher on psychoticism
*95% prison population male

Question 5

how does Freud’s theory explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 5

*girls have weaker superegos
*no castration anxiety so more likely to respond to id

Question 6

how does self fulfilling prophecy explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 6

*boys and girls have different socialisation
*boys labelled as boisterous or trouble makers

Question 7

how does social learning theory explain gender differences in crime?

Answer 7

*men might be more aggressive so young boys imitate this
*same sex role models
*men committing more crimes

Question 8

explain some differences in male and female offences

Answer 8

*anti-social behaviour is shown more by men than women
*more men are convicted, arrested, and sentenced
*men are less likely to report female aggression
*evolution has led men to be more aggressive and so may account for increased crime rate