Biological Explanations - Neural

Question 1

What are neural explanations what 2 key neurotransmitters play a role in offending behaviour?

Answer 1

-It’s an alternative way of looking at the biological causes of offending behaviour by examining
neurochemical and neurophysiological underpinnings.
Two key neurotransmitters are seen to have a role in offending behaviour:

1. Serotonin – low levels of the neurotransmitter Serotonin has been linked to mood and
   impulsiveness.
2. Dopamine – has been identified as it is linked to the dopaminergic pathway, which results in pleasure, which is a rewarding feeling and a desire to repeat certain behaviours.
   -This is why dopamine has been linked to addiction and substance abuse, and therefore through this it has an indirect link to criminal behaviour.

Question 2

What specific parts of the brain have been highlighted as important in terms of criminal behaviour?

Answer 2

1. Amygdala – the amygdala is part of the limbic system, which is regarded as an older
   region of the brain in an evolutionary sense; therefore, it comes as no surprise that
   many of the structures within the limbic system are seen to have some sort of survival
   benefit.
   -It has been identified as a structure with links to
   emotion regulation and aggression.
2. Frontal lobes – the frontal lobe abnormality/damage has been linked to emotional
   instability, a failure to consider the consequences of their actions or to adapt their behaviour in response to external cues.

Question 3

A03 - Research studies - Neurotransmitters

Answer 3

• Scerbo and Raine (1993) conducted a meta-analysis on 29 pieces of research into anti- social adults and children finding, in all cases, low levels of serotonin.

-Likewise, Buitelaar (2003) found that juvenile delinquents given dopamine antagonists
which reduce levels of dopamine, showed a decrease in aggressive behaviour.

• Couppis (2008) argues that some individuals who engage in certain criminal behaviours
  may experience an increase in dopamine and as a result seek out such experiences again due to the rewarding feeling.
• Whilst studies indicate that an abnormal level of serotonin and/or dopamine may correlate with criminality, the lack of consideration about upbringing/experiences means that the theory is only correlational and doesn’t conclusively account for cause and effect as experience may have led to a decrease

Question 4

A03 - Research - Raine et al

Answer 4

• Raine et al (1997) used a ) PET scanning method to
  highlight areas of brain activity in 41 participants accused of murder.
• They found reduced activity for the offender group in areas such as the prefrontal cortex
  and corpus callosum.
• Additionally, there were abnormalities in the activity of the limbic system, including the amygdala and thalamus.
• This supports the neural explanation for criminal activity. However, not all participants
  produced identical PET results and therefore, the research can be criticised for not
  taking account of individual differences and the potential effects that these results could
  have on criminals accused of a crime, who are innocent.
• These findings must therefore be treated with caution.

Question 5

A03 - Potential Treatments

Answer 5

• One potential benefit of research on neural abnormalities is that it could lead to
  possible methods of treatment.
• If low levels of e.g. serotonin cause increased aggressiveness in criminals, then
  people in prison could be given diets that would enhance their serotonin levels and
  hopefully decrease their aggression.
• This application to treatment however is biologically deterministic and doesn’t
  account for other causes of criminal behaviour.
• If such treatments led to the early release of offenders, it could also lead to recidivism as criminals may comply with serotonin treatment in order to gain early release.
  -This application, therefore, should be treated with caution.