causes of criminal behaviour Flashcards
How can brain injury cause criminal behaviour
caused by various factors, brain localisation- different areas of the brain are linked to different functions. damage to one area linked to rationality or controlling impulse may make this function less affective leading to criminal behaviour
studies supporting brain injury as an explanation
williams et al
what did Williams et al find
60% of prisoners had some traumatic brain injury, those with them tended to enter prison younger and had a higher rate of recidivism
studies/ideas against brain injury as an explanation
correlational search not causation, Kreutzer et al
what did Kreutzer et al find
they were unable to prove or disprove a connection, out of 74 prisoners, 20% had been arrested pre-injury, and 10% after so must be other factors at play
how can the amygdala provide an explanation for criminal behaviour
amygdala is responsible for controlling emotion so damage or improper functioning of this area may affect emotion driven behaviour such as aggression, for example psychopaths are known to have smaller than average amygdalas
studies supporting the amygdala as an explanation
Charles Whitman, Raine et al
what does Charles Whitman show us
had a tumour pushed against his amygdala committed a mass shooting at a university in America. went to many doctors saying he felt he was getting more aggressive but had no idea why
studies/ideas against amygdala as an explanation
James Fellon, Robert Hare
What does James Fellon show us
has a psychopaths brain, e.g has a small amygdala but has not committed any crimes and is a leading psychologist
What does Robert Hare tell us
lots of psychopaths are in high management positions, also 1-2% of the population are psychopaths and a third of men have a criminal conviction so must be other explanations
how does XYY syndrome act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
extra Y chromosome on the 23rd pair, occurs randomly at conception, causes defects in IQ, ,language and speech delays and are usually very tall
what studies/ ideas go against XYY syndrome as an explanation
Alice and Theilgard, women can commit crimes too
What did Alice and Theilguard find
only a very small difference of percentage in population and prison population however this is more likely due to common symptoms of the disorder such as being high,. higher testosterone and lower IQ than the chromosome itself
how can the MAOA gene provide an explanation for criminal behaviour
MAOA gene breaks down neurotransmitters such as dopamine, noradrenalin and serotonin at the synapse, there are 2 versions of the gene a high activity version and low activity version and it is thought the low activity version has a link to crime as you don’t properly break down the neurotransmitters
what did Mednick find out
85.7% of male adoptees who had a criminal record had a father who had a criminal record compared to 31.1% who didn’t have a criminal record. shows there must be a genetic cause to crime
what did Brunner find out
looked at the family who had very bad criminal records, were all found to have this gene. in the Netherlands
what did Capsi find out
80% of people with the MAOA gene show antisocial behaviour, but when they’re brought up in a loving home this goes down to 20%
How can personality act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
eysneck personality theory- PEN personality, psychotic- lack of empathy, extrovert- need for constant stimulation and excitement, neurotic- emotionally charged and driven behaviour, arousal theory- individuals are motivated in a way that maintains a certain level of psychological arousal, will do things to stay that level psych as criminal behaviours
what studies support personality as an explanation
Ruston and ohrisjohn, Bodusuzek et al
what did Ruston and ohrisjohn find
found a link between high delinquency and high extrovert and psychotic scores
what did boduseuzek find
if more extroverted more likely to reoffend
what studies go against personality as an explanation
barlot et al
what did barlot et al
found that people in prison tend to be less extroverted than those that arent
how can personality disorders act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
Antisocial personality disorder- extreme callousness manifested in truancy, aggressive, ignore rules
psychopaths- poverty of emotion, no sense of shame, manipulation, won’t learn from mistakes
paranoid personality disorder- suspicious, distrustful, expect to be mistreated or exploited, unjustifiably jealous
Narcissistic personality disorder- self-obsessed, self centred, exploit others, require constant attention, excessive arrogance
what did Hare et al find
for diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder as well as the other you need to recall events that took place many years ago and are relying on the answer of a person who is a habitual liar
how can neurotransmitters act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
seretonin- regulating mood, lower levels–> aggression
dopamine- learning and reward system, higher levels–> aggression
what did lavine find
increased levels of dopamine through amphetamine use causes increased levels of aggression
what did virlkuken find
people who have a history of violence tend to have lower than average levels of seretonin
how can testosterone act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
testosterone- linked with higher levels of aggression
the age at which men are most likely to be engaged in criminal behaviour is between 15-25 when men have higher levels of testosterone
what did dabbs et al find
took saliva samples from prisoners, those with the highest levels of testosterone had more violent crimes, lower levels were with non-violent offences
what did Goldstein find
castrated male rats and young male rats fought much less than other male rats
ideas against testosterone as an explanation
issues with research into animals, Edwards with rats also found that age was a factor, women also commit crimes and t levels vary less amongst females, correlational not causation
how can self fulfilling prophecy act as an explanation for criminal behaviour
a prediction about behaviour based on stereotypes that his made true as a result of ones actions due to this stereotype
self identity- characteristics and qualities that people use to define themselves
a stigma is a powerful label that affects someones self concept- beliefs about themselves based upon the views of others
projective label- using a label to say or predict a future behaviour
studies supporting self fulfilling prophecy as an explanation
jahoda, madon
what did jahoda find
looked at the shanti tribe in west Africa, boys were named based on days of the week, Wednesday boys were said to be aggressive and Monday boys placid, 22% of crimes were committed by Wednesday boys but only 6.9% by Monday
what did mason find
when both parents overestimated a Childs alcohol use there was a positive correlation to the Childs alcohol use a year later
studies against self fulfilling prophecy as an explanation
copeland et al, zebowritz et al
what did copeland et al find
those in low positions of power may try and defy labels
what did zebowritz et al find
looked at baby faced boys, usually labelled nice but weak, found had higher crime levels
studies/ ideas for social learning theory
bandura, bastian- video games causes dehumanisation of themselves and others, Parke et al- in a juvenile detention centre, split into two groups one watched violent films and the other didn’t, those who watched the violent films had higher violence levels in the following days
studies/ideas against social learning theory
catharsis- stops people doing violent acts themselves by watching others do it, based on correlational research not causational
