Classic Evidence Flashcards
Who wrote the classical evidence for the Biological approach?
Raine et al (1997)
What was the methodology of Raine et al (1997) ?
It was a quasi-experiment with a matched pairs design , IV - NGRI or not DV- brain differences
Sample: 41 murders (39 male 2 female) who pleaded NGRI and the control group who were matched on age and gender to partcipants , they even matched 6 scz murderers with 6 scz patients from a local mental hospital , all were medication free
What were Raine et al’s (1997) procedures?
Sample obtained through oppertunity sampling , Pet scans were used
Participants were allowed to practice a continous performance task (CPT) test before receiving an injection of tracer that would be taken up by active areas of the brain
The injection was given to ppts 30 seconds before the CPT began
32 minutes after the injection , each ppt was PET scanned , 10 slides were produced of their brain
What were the findings of Raine et al (1997) ?
Murders have reduced brain activity in areas previously linked to violence
Abnormal asymmetries - reduced activity on the left side of their brain, greater activity on the right in areas previously not linked to violence
No differences - in many brain structures, notably structures associated with notably associated with mental illness
What differences could be seen between NGRI and the control group on CPT performance? (Raine et al) (findings)
None , their results were very similar
What were Raine et als (1997) conclusions?
Research supported that certain areas of the brain are linked to violence, but biology alone does not explain their behaviour , despite that they may be genetically prediposed to violence
What were the 4 evaluation points for Raine et al (1997) ?
A quasi-experiment
the sample
the research technique
the alternative evidence
Why is Raine’s use of PET scans a positive?
It is a scientific method that allowed Riene to measure and observe the actual brain activity of his sample , which allowed him to draw conclusions
Explain the evaluation of the sample - Raine at al (1997) ?
The sample can’t really be generalised as it consisted of 41 NGRI participants , there for it’s not typical of all violent individuals
Why is Raine et als (1997) use of a quasi-experiment significant?
Its a quasi-experimemt as the IV (NGRI or not) and the DV (brain acitivity) are not minipulated at all, meaning that no causal conclusions can be drawn , its very sensitive data and may me misinterpreted as criminal behaviour being purely Biologcial
What is the supporting evidence for Raine et al (1997) ?
Yang and Raine (2009) - a meta analysis of 43 imaging studies that considered violent and antisocial behaviour , found signicantly reduced prefrontal activity in violent and/or antisocial individuals
What are the two ethical issues and social implications of Raine et al (1997) ?
Valid consent and socially sensitive research
Why would gaining valid consent be a potential issue for Raine et al (1997) ?
The main group of participants were murderers who had pled NGRI , which means that they may not be able to valid consent as they arent in the right frame of mind to do so
Why is Raine et als (1997) research being socialy sensitive important?
The findings of Raines study had a massive social implications , linking biology to criminal behaviour , which could make criminal behaviour seem inevitable if findings suggested it
Why is the sample of Reine et al being NGRI significant in terms of the right to withdraw?
They may not understand it
Why is the supporting evidence for Raine et al signicant?
It supports the idea of brain function abornamilties in violent Individuals
What did Raine et al find regarding prefrontal activiety? (Findings)
They found that murderers had signficantly lower levels of prefrontal activity than the control group , identified by lower amounts of the tracer
What did Raine et al find regarding occipital lobe activity in murderers? (Findings)
Significantly higher levels of activety than the control , as shown by the levels of tracer
What were two areas of the brain the had increased activity in murders?
Cerebellum
Hippocampus (right hemisphere)
What were two area’s that had reduced activity in murderers brains?
Prefrontal cortex
Left angular gyrus
