biological explanations - neural

Question 1

neural epxlantiosn

Answer 1

evidence suggest there may be neural differecnes in the brians of offenders and non-offenders

much of the evidence in this area has involed indicusls diagnosed with antisocial perosnality disorder

associated with reduced emotional responses a lack of empathy for the feelings of others

is a conditon that characterises many conviticted offenders

Question 2

prefrontal cortex

Answer 2

Raine

conducted many studies of the APD brain

reporting that here are several doxen brian imaging studies demonstrating thta indicusald with antisocial perosnilites have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex

the part of the brian that regulates emotional behavour

also foudn that 11% reduction in the volume of grey matter in the preforntla cortex of peopele wth APD compared to controls

Question 3

mirror nuerons

Answer 3

recent research suggest that offender with APD can expeirnces empathy but they do so more sporadically than the rest of us

Keysers found that only when offender were asked to emptahise ( with a perosn depicted on film exprincign pain) did their empahty reaction ( cotnroleld by mirror neurons in the brian) activate

this suggest thta APD indiculads are not totslly without emothy but may also have a neural switch that can be turned on anf off unlike the nromal brian which ahs the empthy siwth permanantely on

Question 4

strenght

Answer 4

brian evidence

support for the link between criem and the frontal lobe

Kandel and Freed

reviwed evidnence of frontal lobe damage including the prefrtonal cortex and antiscoial behavioiur

peopelw ith such damage tended ot show impuslibe behaviour emitona instvalisity anf an inabiloty to learn from their mistlaes

the frontal lobe is associated with plannign behavuour

this suports the idea that the brian damage may be a causal factor in offendign behaviour

Question 5

limitation

Answer 5

intervening vairbales

link between neural dfferences and APD may be complex

other factors may contribute to APD and ultimately to offending

farrington et al studied a group of men who scored high on psychopathy APD

these individuals had experinced various risk factros during childhood such as being raised by a convicted paretns and being pshcyially neglected

it could be that these ealry childhood expeirnces cuased APD and also some of the nerual differneces associated with it such as reduced acticity in the frontal lobe due to trauma

suggests that the relationship between neural differences APD and offending is complec and there ,ay be other intervening varibles thta have an impact