Biological Approach Forensics Ao1

Question 1

Atavistic form

Answer 1

Tendency to revert to an ancestral type
A explanation for criminal behaviour suggesting that criminals have an innate personality is a throwback to primate forms - determined by their physiological makeup

Question 2

Lombrosso says

Answer 2

Offenders possess similar characteristics to lower primates and this could explain their criminality
Offenders were seen by him as lacking evolutionary dev
Their savage and untamed nature meant they would find it impossible to adjust to demeans of a civilised society and would inevitably turn to crime
He saw offending as natural tendency rooted in genes of those who engage with it
Offending was innate so offenders can’t be blamed
His Ideas are evolutionary

Question 3

What did lombroso measure

Answer 3

Ppls height weight span of arms eye colour

Question 4

Lombroos said all criminals have

Answer 4

Dark skin high cheekbones extra toes or nipples

Question 5

He said women’s are short

Question 6

Lombroso deemed to be father of …

Answer 6

Modern criminology

Question 7

Lombroso investigated

Answer 7

Facial and cranial features of hundreds of Italian convicts
After examining 4000 living and 400 dead criminals
He concluded the majority of crimes were accounted for by atavistic characteristics

Question 8

Somato types meas

Answer 8

Body types

Question 9

Who identified somatotypes and how many

Answer 9

4 somatot types
Kretschemer

Question 10

Genetic explanations for crime suggests …

Answer 10

That would be offenders inherit a gene or a combo of genes that predispose them to commit a crime

Question 11

2 people who studied genetic explanations of offending behaviour

Answer 11

Christiansen 1977
Crowe 1972

Question 12

Christiansen 1977

Answer 12

Studied 3500 twins in Denmark and found concordance rates for offending 35% MZ twins and 13% for DZ twins

Question 13

Crowe 1972

Answer 13

Looked at adopted children whose biological mother had a criminal record
50% of the children at risk of a criminal record at age 18 compared to to 5% control group whose mother didn’t have a criminal record

Question 14

Diathesis stress model

Answer 14

Considering genetics and offending behaviour
Criminal beh may be geneticall/biologically pre disposed but is triggered by environmental factors
Eg being raised in a dysfunctional environment or having criminal role models

Question 15

Who founded candidate genses in offendeing and how

Answer 15

Tiihonen 2014 analysed over 900 offenders and revealed abnormalities on to genes that may be associated with violent crime
MAOA GENE
CDH13 GEENE

Question 16

MAOA gene

Answer 16

Which controls dopamine and serotonin the the brain. High levels are associated with aggressive behaviour

Question 17

CDH13 GENE

Answer 17

which regulates neural pathways and contribute to maintaing excitru and inhib synapses high levels also founf in app
However this research so far hasn’t been replicated

Question 18

Neural explanation of offending beh

Answer 18

Much of the evidence in this area has investigated individuals diagnosed with and ( APD) antisocial personality disorder formally known as psychopathy
APD is associated with reduced emotional responses, a lack of empathy for others and this is a condition characterised by many convicted criminals
Eg less activity in the frontal lobe of a psychopath vs Normal person

Question 19

Phineas gage

Answer 19

Railway worker - catastrophic Damage to prefrontal lobes caused by a metal bolt catapulting through cheek and up through eye into brain (pre frontal area)
Recovered physically but went from being sober quiet family man to a violent drunk
Prefrontal lobes keep behaviour in check - moderate impulses

Question 20

Raine research in neural explanations

Answer 20

Raine et al also founf an 11% reduction in brain matter of the pfc in people w APD compared to controls
Across many studies of the APD brain raine found that individuals with anti social personalities ha reduced activity in pre frontal cortex - parts that regulate emotional behaviour

Question 21

What is a mirror neuron

Answer 21

A type of brain cell that fires when you do an action and also when you simply watch someone else doing the same action they help us understand and interpret the actions of others
Eg you see ppl racing and your heart starts racing trying to see which will finish first

Question 22

Keysers 2011

Answer 22

Research suggests that APD can experience empathy but more sporadically then a normal person
Found when offenders were aksed to empathise with a person showing pain on a film did their empathy reaction activate this is controlled by mirror neurorns
Suggest taht APD individuals are not totally without empathy but may have a neural switch which can be turned on or off
Unlike a normal Brian where it’s permanently switched in