Biological Explanations: Atavistic Form

Question 1

Cesare Lombroso date

Answer 1

1876

Question 2

who was Cesare Lombroso?

Answer 2

an Italian Physician

Question 3

what did Cesare Lombroso propose?

Answer 3

criminals were ‘genetic throwbacks’ to a primitive sub-species who were biologically different from non-criminals

Question 4

if criminals are a sub-species, they have an

Answer 4

atavistic form

Question 5

Cesare Lombroso’s theory of the atavistic form

Answer 5

laid the foundations for modern offender profiling

Question 6

offenders were seen by Lombroso as

Answer 6

lacking evolutionary development

Question 7

criminals savage and untamed nature meant that they would

Answer 7

find it impossible to adjust to civilized society and would inevitably turn to crime

Question 8

Lombroso saw criminal behavior a an

Answer 8

innate tendency

Question 9

because Lombroso though that criminal behavior was an innate tendency, he proposed a new perspective that

Answer 9

the criminal was not at fault - in this ways, his ideas were revolutionary

Question 10

Lombroso argued the criminal sub-type could be identified by being in possession of

Answer 10

psychological makers

Question 11

these atavistic characteristics are

Answer 11

biologically determined

Question 12

these characteristics are mainly features of the

Answer 12

head and face that make criminals physically different from the rest of us

Question 13

characteristics of the skull

Answer 13

A narrow, sloping brow.
A strong, prominant jaw.
High cheekbones.
Facial asymmetry.

Question 14

other physical features include

Answer 14

dark skin and the existence of extra toes, nipples or fingers

Question 15

besides physical traits, Lombroso suggested there were other aspects of the atavistic form including

Answer 15

Insensitivity to pain.
Use of criminal slang
Tattoos.
Unemployment.

Question 16

Lombroso suggested that particular physiological markers were linked to

Answer 16

a particular type of crime

Question 17

murderers were described to have

Answer 17

Bloodshot eyes.
Curly hair.
Long ears.

Question 18

sexual deviants were described as having

Answer 18

glinting eyes with swollen and fleshy lips

Question 19

Lombroso meticulously examined the facial and cranial features of

Answer 19

383 dead criminals and 2829 living ones

Question 20

from Lombroso’s research, he proposed

Answer 20

the atavistic form

Question 21

Lombroso concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by people with

Answer 21

atavistic characteristics

Question 22

Lombroso is hailed as the

Answer 22

father of modern criminology

Question 23

Lombroso shifted the emphasis in research away from

Answer 23

moralistic discourse to scientific discourse

Question 24

thanks to Lombroso saying that people with certian characteristics were more likely to commit a crime, he began

Answer 24

modern criminal profiling

Question 25

by starting modern criminal profiling, Lombroso

Answer 25

made a huge contribution to the science of criminology

Question 26

many of the atavistic features that Lombroso are most likely to be found in

Answer 26

people of an African descent

Question 27

Lombroso’s description of atavistic form being ‘uncivilized, primitive and savage’ would fit in

Answer 27

with the racial beliefs of the time

Question 28

Lombroso’s intentions are unclear but its obvious that there are

Answer 28

racial undertones within his work which overshadows it

Question 29

Goring date

Answer 29

2013

Question 30

Goring compared

Answer 30

3000 criminals and 3000 non-criminals

Question 31

what did Goring conclude?

Answer 31

there’s no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual physical characteristics

Question 32

what did Goring suggest?

Answer 32

people that commit crimes tend to have a lower then average IQ which offers limited support for a criminal sub-species

Question 33

Goring’s research does question

Answer 33

Lombroso’s theory

Question 34

unlike Goring, Lombroso didn’t

Answer 34

compare his sample to a non-criminal control group

Question 35

If Lombroso had compared his sample to a non-criminal sample

Answer 35

the idea of atavistic form may not have been published

Question 36

Lombroso’s research also failed to account other variables

Answer 36

many of the criminals he studied had a history of psychological disorders which may have been confounding variables

Question 37

the evidence that atavistic form is based on has

Answer 37

serious flaws

Question 38

even if criminals had features described in atavistic form

Answer 38

this doesn’t mean that this is the cause of their offending

Question 39

facial and cranial differences may be influenced by other factors

Answer 39

poverty or a poor diet

Question 40

Lombroso’s later work stated that

Answer 40

criminals could be made as well as born