Biological Theories Flashcards
Define monozygotic
Share 100% DNA aka identical twins
Dizygotic twins
Share 50% of DNA and are not identical
Sheldon’s somatotypes
Criminal behaviour is liked to a persons body type
Adoption theories
Comparing children to biological and adoptive parents
Lombrosos atavistic features
Criminals are primitive, evolutionary throwbacks who can be identified by facial features
Twin studies
Higher concordance rate suggests genetic influence
XYY
Chromosomal disorder where the individual is born with an extra Y chromosome
What is the nickname for someone with XYY
‘supermale’
Who tested for XYY
Jacobs
How did Jacobs test for XYY
Karyotyping
A criminal with XYY
John Wayne Gacy
How many prisoners had XYY and what was the average of population
Criminals :3.5%
Population:1%
Which somatotype is more prone to crime
Mesomorphs
What are the 3 somatotypes
Mesomorphs
Endomorph
Ectomorph
How many atavistic features do women and men need
Women:3+
Men:5+
If a child is more similar to biological parent what does it show
Genetic influence
Sheldon’s mesomorph finding
Criminal :5.4
Non criminal: 3.8
What is a reductionist theory
Reduces the cause to only one factor
Lombrosos findings
Tested 383 dead and 3839 alive criminals and found 40% had the atavistic features
Physiological theories
Lombroso and Sheldon
Genetic theories
XYY
Twin studies
Adoption studies
How many were tested for XYY
198 Scottish prisoners
What is a concordance rate
Characteristics shown are the same
What was the concordance rate of monozygotic twins
52%
