Biological classic study - Raine et al. (1997)

Question 1

What were the 2 aims of Raine et al’s classic study?

Answer 1

To examine whether there was a difference in brain functioning between NGRI murderers and control non-murdering participants

To see whether there was any evidence of diminished mental capacity in NGRI criminals which may have implications for sentencing received

Question 2

What are the IV and DV of Raine et al’s classic study?

Answer 2

IV: Type of participant - experimental group of people charged with murder but pleading NGRI or control group of non-murderers

DV: Brain dysfunction indicated by glucose metabolism measured using a PET scan

Question 3

Who were the participants of Raine et al’s classic study? (3 points)

Answer 3

82 participants in total

Experimental group: 41 participants (39 males and 2 females)

Control group: 41 participants (same sex)

Question 4

What were the experimental design and methodology of Raine et al’s classic study?

Answer 4

Experimental Design: matched pairs based on age and gender

Methodology:
Experiment type: Natural quasi-experimental - brain damage was naturally occurring
Location: UC Irvine imaging room

Question 5

What was the procedure of Raine et al’s classic study? (4 steps)

Answer 5

1. Participants did a 10-minute practice CPT (Continuous Performance Task) to ensure they were familiar with and understood the task
2. All participants were injected with a (FDG) fluorodeoxyglucose tracer
3. All participants performed a CPT for 32 minutes whilst undergoing a PET scan
4. The “cortical peel” and “box” techniques were used to analyse the 10 slices (pictures) taken of the participants’ brains, comparing activity in the right and left hemispheres

Question 6

What were the results of Raine et al’s classic study? (4 points)

Answer 6

Abnormal asymmetries with reduced activity in areas of the left hemisphere and increased activity in the right hemisphere

Glucose metabolism in:
Left-hemisphere pre-frontal regions
NGRI: 1.09
Control: 1.12

Amygdala in left hemisphere
NGRI: 0.94
Control: 0.97

Some brain areas showed no difference - cerebellum and midbrain; associated with mental illness, not violence

Question 7

What is the significance of the results of Raine et al’s study? (2 points)

Answer 7

Pre-frontal cortex
+ Typically regulates decision-making and moderates social behaviour
+ Impairment could lead to impulsive behaviour and a loss of control

Amygdala
+ Involved in regulating emotions and detecting fear
+ Underactivity could explain unusual emotional responses in NGRI participants like a lack of fear

Question 8

What was the conclusion of Raine et al’s study? (3 points)

Answer 8

Multiple brain areas are involved in regulating aggressive behaviour including:
+ Prefrontal cortex
+ Corpus callosum
+ Amygdala
+ Hippocampus

Brain abnormalities in such regions combined with environmental and social factors can predispose a person to violent and aggressive behaviours

No differences in CPT based on age, gender, ethnicity, or history of brain injury

Question 9

How generalisable is Raine et al’s classic study? (3 points)

Answer 9

Low generalisability

Unique sample of NGRI patients committing murder - not representative of other crimes e.g. theft

Androcentric experimental group - 39 males and only 2 females

Question 10

Raine et al - Reductionism

Answer 10

Ignores environmental factors in violent behaviour - reduces it to brain dysfunction

Question 11

How ethical is Raine et al’s classic study? (3 points)

Answer 11

Protocols (protection from harm) and consent forms (informed consent) approved by the Human Subjects Committee of UC Irvine were used

Participants were taken off their medication for 2 weeks - could have had withdrawal symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, subjecting them to distress

Exposure to the harmful radioactive isotope FDG in PET scan could be harmful

Question 12

Raine et al - Nature-nurture

Answer 12

More nature than nurture as brain functioning may cause aggressive behaviour

Question 13

Is Raine et al’s classic study applicable to real life? (2 points)

Answer 13

Has implications for the wider world where lawyers can advocate for lighter sentencing as violent criminals plead NGRI

Could be considered a socially sensitive research area if used to screen and criminalize people

Question 14

Raine et al - Decades (Time)

Answer 14

The influential factor of technological and scientific advancement has been important in using brain scanning techniques

Question 15

How reliable is Raine et al’s classic study? (3 points)

Answer 15

PET scans can be repeated for reliability by other researchers to check for consistency in data and compare results

Standardised procedure (e.g. CPT for 32 minutes with 10 minutes of practice) can be replicated

Lowered reliability:
+ 1990s PET scans were unclear and had to be interpreted
+ + Subjectivity based on researchers’ interpretation

Question 16

How internally valid is Raine et al’s classic study? (2 points)

Answer 16

Matched pairs design was used to match NGRI participants with control group - greater control over extraneous variables

Medication being withheld means that the PET scan measures ‘natural’ brain activity - cause and effect between brain activity and NGRI status can be established

Question 17

How ecologically valid is Raine et al’s study? (2 points)

Answer 17

All participants underwent a PET scan that involved an individually moulded thermosetting plastic head holder used to hold the head still whilst 10 slices of the brain were taken at 10mm intervals

Such experimental procedures used at the Irvine (UCI) imaging centre lack task validity - unreflective of real-life violent crime involving NGRI people

Question 18

Raine et al - Science

Answer 18

Brain scanning techniques are objective and scientific - increased credibility

Question 19

Raine et al - Social control

Answer 19

Linking brain regions to violence may be open to abuse when controlling violent offenders

Question 20

Raine et al - Socially sensitive research

Answer 20

Issues of pleading NGRI takes away blame from the individual

Question 21

Raine et al - Themes

Answer 21

Biological explanation for violent dysfunction through brain dysfunction