biological explanations: genetic and neural Flashcards
what is the genetic explanation for crime
the genetic explanation for crime suggests that would be offenders inherit a gene or combination of genes that predispose them to commit crimes
what study shows the importance of genes when it comes to committing crimes
twin studies:
-Karl Christiansen (1977) studied over 3500 twin pairs in Denmark and found concordance rates for offender behaviour of 35% for identical twins and 13% for non identical twins (this was in males the rates were slightly lower in females)
The offender behaviour was checked against Danish police records.
This data indicates that it is not just behaviour that is inherited but predisposing traits
what did Raymond and Crowe study show
they found that adopted children whose biological mother had a criminal record had a 50% risk of having a criminal record by that age of 18
whereas adopted children whose biological mother did not have a criminal record only had a 5% risk
what study identified potential candidate genes that contributes towards offending behaviour
a genetic analysis of almost 800 finish offenders by Jari Tihonen et al (2015) suggested that two genes (MAOA and CDH13) may be associated with violent crime
the analysis found that about 5-10% of all severe violent crime in Finland is attributed to the MAOA and CDH13 genotypes
what does the MAOA gene do
this gene regulates serotonin in the brain and has been linked to substance abuse and attention deficient hyperactivity disorder
how does the diathesis stress model explain offending behaviour
if genetics do have some influence on offending behaviour, it seems likely that this is at least partly moderated by the effects of the environment
A tendency towards offending behaviour may come about through the combination of genetic predisposition and biological or psychological trigger e.g. being raised in a dysfunctional environment or having criminal role models
where have most of the evidence towards the neural explanation come from
there is evidence to suggest that there may be neural differences in the brains of offenders and non offenders
much of this evidence has involved individuals diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (APD)
what is APD associated with
it is associated with reduced emotional responses
a lack of empathy
for the feelings of others and is a condition characterises many convicted offenders
what studies did Adrian Raine conduct on the APD brain
he reported that there were several dozen brain imaging studies demonstrated that individuals with antisocial personalities have reduced activity in their PREFRONTAL CORTEX - this is the part of the brain that regulates emotional behaviour
Raine and his colleagues (2000) also found an 11% reduction in the volume of grey natter in the prefrontal cortex of people with APD compared to controls
what have recent research showed in regards to those suffering with ADP and their extent to showing empathy
offenders with APD can experience APD but they do so more irregularly than others
Christian Keyers found that only when offenders were asked to empathise (with a person on film experiencing pain0 did heir empathy reaction (controlled by mirror neurones in the brain activate)
what does Christian Keyers study show
It suggests that APD criminals are not totally without empathy but may have a neural “switch” that can be turned off and on, unlike the “normal” brain which have empathy permanently switched on
