Biological Theories Flashcards
Lombroso is physiological part of the physiological theories but what did he believe in
Born criminals
Lombroso explained his ideas by saying what
The criminals have an different type of facial features (an enormous jaw, high cheek bone, handle-shaped ears, prominent eyebrows arches, exceptionally long arms, large eye sockets and acute eyesight.)
What animal did Lombroso compare murders to
“aquiline nose like the beak of an eagle”
Lombroso thought that thieves
“whereas thieves had flatten noses”
Lombroso saw criminals as atavistic. What does that mean
That they fallen behind on evolution and so struggle to control their impulses and also have an reduce to pain
What are some examples of atavism behaviour
Historically women were see as less feminine and more masculine
What did Lombroso think society would be like if it was ‘primitive’ towards Atavism
That it would be normal but due to todays society its abnormal
Sheldon is a physiological theory. Comes up with 3 different somatypes what are they called
Endomorphs, ectomorphs, mesomorphs
In Sheldon somatotypes theories what is an endomorph
round, fat or tending to, lack of muscles or tone with wide hips.
Personality is sociable, relaxed, comfortable and outgoing
Sheldon’s somatotypes what is an Ectomorphs
Thin, fraagile, lacks both muscles and fat. Flat chested, narrow hip and shoulders, thin face and high forehead.
Personality is self-conscious, fragile, inward looking emotionally restrained and thoughtful
What is a mesomorphs in Sheldon’s somatotype theory
Muscular, hard bodies with little flat and strong limbs, broad shoulders and a narrow waist
Personality adventurous, sensation seeking, assertive and domineering, they enjoy physical activity
Out of all the somatypes which one did Sheldon believe to be criminal
Mesomorphs. Due to them being adventurous and risk taking and so crime frills them. the physique and assertiveness helps with crime
Twin studies are part of the genetic theories but how does this prove criminality in families
Due to being criminal is from birth it must mean it runs in the genes so if a parent commits crime so will the kids are more likely to. A study from 1961 showed 397 families half of criminal convictions came in 23 families. Furthermore if a farther committed crime the son would as well.
How does adoption studies prove criminality for genetic theories
That if the child goes criminal after their biological parents were criminal it proves that its genetic
Whats the percentage of kids who go to crime if their adopted parents have
14.7%
What does it mean to have XYY chromosome
That the extra Y chromosome means that its extra mascaline and less smart. They might also be more keen to fight people
What evidence do we have that XYY causes criminality
Due to the extra violence they are more likely to do criminal activities due to them being more violent
How are brainwaves activity measured and what does it show
Measured in Electroencephalograph (EEG) Studies show abnormal EEG reading among “clearly insane” murders and psychopathic criminals
Male sex hormones can cause what
Overproduction or underproduction of hormones can cause emotional disturbance that lead criminal behaviour. Males are thought to be aggressive and their testosterone has linked with crime such as murder or rape.
What did Ellis and Coontx point our about male hormones
It peaks in puberty to early 20’s which also links to higher crime rate in males
Female Sex hormones may affect criminality how?
Pre-Menstrual tension (PMT)
Post-natal depression and lactation (breast feeding) have all been accepted as partial defences for women charged with crimes ranging for shoplifting to infanticide due to the affected the defenders judgement, mood or self-control
How could blood sugar level affect criminality
Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) can trigger aggressive reactions. Studies show a link between low blood sugar and alcohol abuse. Drinking large quantities of alcohol can induce hypoglycaemia and increase aggression
How would substance abuse affect why people might commit crime
Involves the taking of drugs and other substance. Legal (alcohol and glue) or medically prescribed (barbiturates) while others are illegal (e.g. cannabis, MDMA, LSD, Heroin and cocaine)
How many people got arrested for taking alcohol
1,000 `
Which other substances can be linked to anti-social or criminal behaviour
Includes food additives and diet, allergens, vitamin deficiencies and lead pollution. They affected various biochemical process in the body and this turn can be affected behaviour
