chapter 5

Question 1

• Importance of the Kalilkak family

Answer 1

o Martin Kalikak, a solider had sexual relationship with “feebleminded” barmaid and from this union came an illegitimate son
o A total of 480 descendants of this union
o 143 were feebleminded, 36 illegitimate, 33 sexually immoral, 24 confirmed alcoholics, 3 epileptics, 3 criminals, and 8 keepers
o He later married a righteous Quaker woman
o A total of 496 normal descendants who married into the best of families in their state
o Goddard concluded criminality and feeblemindedness were two aspects of the same degenerate state, so that all feebleminded people were criminals
o Feeblemindedness could be eliminated through selective breeding
o His recommendation was that the feebleminded be institutionalized and not allowed to reproduced.

Question 2

Alfred Binet

Answer 2

 IQ tests originated from the work of French psychologist Alfred Binet
 Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence
 Designed the test to identify children who were doing poorly in school so that they could receive special help.
 Revised in 1908, which introduced the concept of “mental age”

Question 3

HH Goddard

Answer 3

 Concluded that mental age 12 (IQ 75 on the then commonly held assumption that full mental ability is reached at chronological age 16) marked the upper limit of feeblemindedness.
 Conducted various studies using inmates of prisons, jails, hospitals, and various other public institutions.
 Criminals who were diagnosed as feebleminded ranged from 28% to 89% with the median study finding that 70% of criminals were feebleminded.
 He therefore concluded that most criminals were feebleminded

Question 4

William Stern

Answer 4

William Stern (1912): Mental Age/Chronological Age*100=Intelligence Quotient
Children with mental ages greater than their chronological ages would have IQs above 100
Children with mental ages less than their chronological ages would have IQs below 100

Question 5

The Association Between Delinquency and IQ

Answer 5

o Three approaches
o Three approaches to explaining why people with low IQ scores are more likely to commit crimes than those with high IQ scores.
o IQ measures some form of innate ability
o Ex: Goddard suggested that ineffective parenting skills by low IQ parents may be the cause of delinquency among their children
o Hirschi and Hindelang argued that IQ influences delinquency through its effect on school performance ‘
o Gottfredson and Hirschi suggested that youths with intelligence seek short-term immediate gratification that turn out to be criminal
o Wilson and Herrnstein suggested that those with low IQs are inclined to commit impulsive crimes with immediate rewards
o IQ does not measure innate ability, but measures qualities related to the dominant culture
o Ex: Cultural bias
o IQ measures general abilities, but that these abilities are largely determined by a person’s environment

Question 6

The Flynn Effect

Answer 6

IQ measures abstract problem-ability, rather than intelligence, and that increases in this ability are explained by changes in the environment

Question 7

Personality

Answer 7

Refers to the emotional and behavioral attributes that tend to remain stable as an individual moves from situation to situation

Question 8

• Gluecks Study

Answer 8

o 500 delinquent boys and 500 nondelinquent boys
o Findings
o The delinquent personality= A matter of interrelatedness of characteristics rather than a matter of presence or absence of certain characteristics.
o Delinquents are more:
o Extroverted Hostile Less concerned about meeting conventional expectations
o Vivacious Resentful Less fearful of defeat or failure
o Impulsive Defiant More ambivalent toward authority
o Less self-controlled Suspicious Less submissive to authority
o Destructive Socially Assertive Express feelings of not being recognized or appreciated

Question 9

o Waldo and Dinitz

Answer 9

 Examined 94 personality studies conducted between 1950 and 1965
 Found that 80% of these studies reported statistically significant differences between criminals and non-criminals.

Question 10

o Miller and Lynam

Answer 10

o Examined the relationship between four different multidimensional personality models and antisocial behavior
o Concluded that personality characteristics that characterize individuals who commit crimes are best understood in terms of two dimensions: agreeableness and conscientiousness
o Offenders tend to be low in agreeableness- they tend to be more hostile, self-centered, spiteful, jealous, and indifferent to others
o Offenders are also low in conscientiousness- they tend to lack motivation, ambition, and perseverance; have difficulty controlling their impulses; and hold nontraditional and unconventional values and beliefs
o Added two qualifications
o Personality characteristics may not cause crime, but both crime and personality may be caused by some 3rd variable, such as early childhood experiences or parenting style
o Personality characteristics on antisocial behavior may be moderated by the environment, such as school or neighborhood conditions

Question 11

• Agreeableness and Conscientiousness

Answer 11

o Offenders tend to be low in agreeableness- they tend to be more hostile, self-centered, spiteful, jealous, and indifferent to others
o Offenders are also low in conscientiousness- they tend to lack motivation, ambition, and perseverance; have difficulty controlling their impulses; and hold nontraditional and unconventional values and beliefs

Question 12

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Answer 12

 Pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others, that begins in childhood or early adolescence and comes into adulthood.

Question 13

7 Characteristics of Antisocial Personality disorder

Answer 13

 Repeated violations of the law that are grounds for arrest
 Repeated lying, use of aliases or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
 Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
 Repeated physical fights or assaults
 Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
 Repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
 Lack of remorse

Question 14

Psychopath vs. Sociopath

Answer 14

o Antisocial personality disorder is synonymous with sociopath and psychopath.
o Others have argued that psychopaths are a much more difficult group
o The crucial aspect of psychopathy is the emotional impairment, which is biologically based
o Recommended that treatment of psychopathic individuals can only be successful if it utilizes their own focus or self-interest
o teach them basic pro-social life skills to help them avoid the needless troubles that their behaviors cause
o Others recommended that these people be locked up until they reach middle age or even that they be executed

Question 15

Depression and Delinquency

Answer 15

o Depression can lead to delinquency
o Delinquency can lead to depression
o The other factor is both depression and delinquency together

Question 16

Impuslivity

Answer 16

 Impulsivity is the key personality feature associated with antisocial behavior.
 It is a tendency to become impatient and seek immediate gratification, and a tendency to become distracted.

Question 17

life course persistent offenders

Answer 17

 Moffitt’s theory of “life course-persistent offenders”
 A small group of people who engage in antisocial behavior of one sort or another at every stage of life
 She argued that these behaviors begin with early neuropsychological problems that are caused by factors such as drug use or poor nutrition by the mother while she is pregnant, complications at birth resulting in minor brain damage, or deprivation of affection or child abuse and neglect after birth.
 This generates a cycle that results in an “impulsive personality style