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Alevel Criminology YR1 > Biological theories > Flashcards

Biological theories Flashcards

key points, evidence & evaluation

1
Q

what are the 4 types of biological theories

A

Physiological
Genetic
Brain injuries + disorders
Biochemical explanations

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2
Q

what do physiological theories argue

A

physical features of criminals differ from those of non-criminals

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3
Q

what is lombroso’s theory called

A

Born criminal

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4
Q

when was Born Criminal, Lombroso put forward

A

1876

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5
Q

what is the key point of Born Criminal

A

criminals have different facial features to non-criminals

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6
Q

Name the 7 features Lombroso argued criminals had

A

1.prominent eyebrow arches
2.high cheekbones
3.acquiline nose
4.exceptionally long arms
5.enormous jaw
6.handle shaped arms
7.large eyebrow sockets

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7
Q

what is atavism

A

Earlier primitive stage of evolution -> pre-social, unable to control impulses, reduced sensitivity to pain. This is how Lombroso saw criminals

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8
Q

tell me about lombroso’s research

A

measured & recorded details of heads and faces of thousands of prisoners.
in a study he found 40% had atavistic features

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9
Q

When was Sheldon’s Somatotypes theory put forward?

A

1940

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10
Q

what is the key point in sheldons somatotypes theory

A

mesomorphs are most likely to commit crime due to their love of risk and their imposing physique (necessary for crime)

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11
Q

what are the 3 body types (sheldon)

A

endomorph
ectomorph
mesomorph

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12
Q

tell me about sheldons view on endomorphs

A

short + round
barrell of fun, sociable, tolerant, even-tempered etc

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13
Q

tell me about sheldons view on ectomorphs

A

tall + thin
self-conscious, private, introverted, socially anxious etc

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14
Q

tell me about sheldons view on mesomorphs

A

strong + muscly
adventurous, love of risk, zest of physical activity, competitive, desire for power etc

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15
Q

what are the 3 genetic theories

A

Twin Studies, Christiansen
Adoption studies, Mednick
XYY, Jacob

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16
Q

what are the 2 physiological theories

A

Sheldon Somatotypes
Lombroso, Born Criminal

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17
Q

what is the key point of Twin studies

A

if one twin is criminal, the other will be

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18
Q

what is the evidence for the twin studies theory

A

52% concordance rate between identical twins
22% concordance rate between non-identical twins

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19
Q

who created the twin studies theory

A

christiansen

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20
Q

what is the main argument of adoption studies theory

A

child is more likely to be criminal if their biological parent is, rather than their adoptive

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21
Q

when was adoption studies theory studied

A

1924-1947

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22
Q

what is the evidence for adoption studies theory

A

sons 20% more likely to have a criminal record if their biological parent had a criminal record
14.7% if their adoptive parent had a criminal record

23
Q

who created the adoption studies theory

A

mednick et al

24
Q

when was the XYY theory put forward

A

1965

25
Q

what is the key argument for the XYY theory

A

men with extra Y chromosome are more violent + aggressive -> more likely to commit crime

26
Q

what is the evidence for the XYY theory

A

study of criminals in a psychiatric hospital showed higher than average of males with XYY syndrome
many had histories of aggression
15 in 1000 prisoners had an extra Y chromosome compared to 1 in 1000 outside the prison

27
Q

who created the XYY theory

A

Jacob

28
Q

what is the case study that relates to the XYY theory

A

John Wayne Gacy:
American serial killer who totured,raped and murdered at least 33 young men and boys
-> extra Y chromosome

29
Q

what do genetic theories argue

A

if a crime is inbron, it has been passed down from parent to child, may explain why crime often runs in the family

30
Q

tell me about brain diseases being liked with criminal/anti-social behaviour

A

-1920s an epidemic of sleeping sickness in children linked with destructiveness, impulses, arson and abnormal sexual behaviour
-Senile dementia, Huntington’s disease and brain tumours have been linked to forms of deviant or anti-social behaviour
-EEGs shown abnormal readings among clearly insane murders and criminals

31
Q

what is the case study of Phineas Gage, 1848

A

man was clearing rocks from a path by placing gunpowder through the cracks of rocks
the rock exploded causing a metal rod to go through his skull, causing brain damage

32
Q

how was Phineas Gage affected after the accident

A

took his wound 10 weeks to heal, he could still count, sing, feed himself and make sense of information
HOWEVER
his personality changed, he had a temper which led to him being fired
he was also kept away from women and children as he was too vulgar

33
Q

what is the vital force theory (Phineas Gage)

A

-brain is connected by a vital force which explains why Gage could still act the same as others
-Localisers thought the brain had different parts for different functions- Gage’s personality was the same until after the accident
Impact of the frontal lobe damage caused behavioural spontaneity

34
Q

what are the 3 biochemical explanations

A

1.blood sugar levels
2.substance abuse
3.sex hormones

35
Q

how do blood sugar levels link to crime

A

LBS can trigger aggressive reactions
-studies show the link between LBS and alcohol abuse
-drinking large quantities of alcohol can cause depression
-alcohol consumption can link to violent crimes

36
Q

how does substance abuse link to crime

A

-Saunders calculated that alcohol played significant role in about 1,000 arrests per day
-Flanzer estimated that 80% family violence involves alcohol
-cocaine and crack are closely linked with violence, whereas cannabis and MDMA tend to reduce aggression
-food additives, diet, allergens and vitamins have been linked to behaviour
-tartrazines have been linked with hyperactivity
-vitamin b deficiency has been linked to erratic and aggressive behaviour
LINK BETWEEN SUBSTANCES + CRIMINALITY IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAR

37
Q

How do sex hormones in MALES link to crime

A

-over/under production of hormones may cause emotional disturbances that lead to criminal behaviour, testosterone has been linked to crime
-Ellis and Coontz point out that testosterone levels peak from puberty-early 20s, correlates with the highest male crime rates

38
Q

how do sex hormones in FEMALES link to crime

A

PMT, post-natal depression and breastfeeding have all been accepted as partial defences on the ground that hormones affected D’s judgement and actions, including mood

39
Q

What are the strengths of Lombroso’s Born Criminal (4)

A

-1st to study crime scientifically
2.research shows importance of examining clinical and historical records
3.later work took some limited amount of social and environmental factors
4.by arguing that offenders were not freely choosing to commit crime, Lombroso helps us focus on how to prevent offending rather than punishment

40
Q

what are the limitations of born criminal (lombroso) (3)

A

1.research since lombroso has failed to show link between facial features and crime
2.he failed to compare his findings with a controlled group
3.by describing criminals as “primate savages”, equates non-western societies with criminals- forms of racism

41
Q

what are the strengths of sheldon’s theory (2)

A

1.other studies have replicated sheldon’s findings . Gleuk & Gleuk found that 60% of offenders in the study were mesomorphs
2.most serious deliquents in sheldon’s sample were the ones with the most extreme mesomorph body shapes

42
Q

what are the limitations of sheldons theory (6)

A

1.Gleuk & Gleuk found criminality is best explored by a combination of psychological and environmental factors
2.criminals may develop mesomorph body type
3.social class may be cause of offending + body type, working class ->manual jobs
4.labelling may play a part -> mesomorphs attract police attention
5. sheldon doesn’t account for other body types who commit crime
6.does not explain if mesomorphs commit crimes other than violence

43
Q

what are the 2 strengths of twin studies

A

1.because MZ twins are genetically identical, it is logical to examine if their offending behaviour is identical
2.twin studies support genetic theories, higher concordance rate for identical than non-identical

44
Q

what are the 5 limitations for twin studies

A
  1. if genes were the only cause of criminality the concordance rate would be 100%
  2. high concordance rate may be due to shared environment
    3.identical twins are treated the same- one twin may be influenced by the other
    4.impossible to isolate and measure the effect of genes seperately from environmental factors
    5.in earlier studies, no way of knowing for certain if twins were identical- DNA testing did not exist
45
Q

what are strengths of adoption studies (3)

A

1.adoption studies overcome the problem faced with twin studies, where biological twins are brought in the same household
2.research is logical- Nature v Nurture
3. findings give some support to genetic studies

46
Q

what are the limitations of adoption studies (3)

A
  1. Gottfredson + Hirschi argue genetics have little effect on criminality
  2. Adopted children are often placed in environments similar to their birth family
  3. not all children are adopted immediately after birth, early environment may have an impact
47
Q

strengths of XYY theory (2)

A
  1. Jacob et al found an assocation between xyy syndrome and offenders imprisoned for violent behaviour
  2. price + Whitmore found some link between the syndrome and property crime
48
Q

what are the 5 limitations of XYY

A

1.even if some violent offenders have this syndrome, it doesn’t prove this is the cause of violence
2.xyy over-represented in samples, overstates importance of syndrome
3.xyy over-represented in prison because of low-intelligence
4.prison sampled skewed
5.syndrome is rare- cannot explain crime

49
Q

what are the 3 strengths of brain injuries and disorders

A

1.in a few extreme cases, brain injury/disease has led to major changes in individuals
2. some correlation between abnormal EEG readings and psychopathic criminality
3. prisoners are more likely to have brain injuries

50
Q

what are the 3 limitations of brain injuries and disorders

A

1.crimes caused by brain injuries/diseases are rare. suffers original personality is more important
2.not clear that abnormal brainwave activity causes psychopathic criminality
3.prisoners’ higher likelihood of brain injury could be a result of criminality rather than the cause of it (eg:ex-fight)

51
Q

what are the 5 strengths of biochemical explanations

A

1.sexual hormones, blood sugar levels and substance abuse affect mood, judgement + aggression
2.testosterone + male offending peak at the same age
3.crack cocaine strongly linked to violent crime
4.alcohol produces disinhibition reducing self-control
5.biochemical factors are recognised by court

52
Q

what are 4 limitations of biochemical explanations

A

1.may not cause criminal behaviour, may require an environmetal factor to trigger behaviour
2.Scarmella + Brown found testosterone levels do not greatly affect aggression
3.Schalling found testosterone leads to verbal not physical aggression
4.Infanticide may be due to isolation + responsibility for caring for a new baby rather than hormones

53
Q

what are some general criticisms of biological theories

A

-environmental factors: only consider biological -> may need environmetal trigger
-sample bias -> use studies of convicted criminals, not truly representative
-gender bias -> most research focuses on males, not female criminality
-crime is a social cotrast, what counts as crime varies between cultures + over time, no universal explanation

Alevel Criminology YR1 (11 decks)

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