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Criminal Behaviour Flashcards

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1
Q

Characteristics of criminal behaviour

A

-Not categorised as a mental illness
-No set clinical characteristics
-Social issue
-Many criminals suffer from various mental illnesses
-No set definition of what crime is
-Crime is a social construct

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2
Q

Property predatory crime

A

Attempting to or actually taking personal property without permission

-burglary
-robbery
-theft

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3
Q

Property fraudulent crime

A

Deceit or manipulation to gain others property for their own use

-embezzlement
-fraud
-bribery

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4
Q

Interpersonal violence general

A

Threatening or causing harm

-murder
-assault
-kidnapping

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5
Q

Interpersonal violence sexual

A

Threatening or causing harm in a sexual way

-rape
-sexual abuse
-incest

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6
Q

Transactional vice

A

‘Victimless’ offences - willing exchange of goods or services

-prostitution
-illegal gambling
-drug sales

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7
Q

Order disruption

A

No direct victim but concern is raised about potential victims

-resisting arrest
-rioting
-disorderly conduct
-loitering

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8
Q

Folk/mundane crime

A

Minor to major violations - seen as more of an inconvenience or nuisance

-fishing without a license
-load regulation on commercial vehicles

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9
Q

Data on crime - STATISTICS

A

Gives insight into types of crime, victims experience, patterns of crime.
THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS

SEPARATE CRIME - victim based, against society

Only tells us the crime that has been reported
Believed less than half of all crimes reported

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10
Q

Data on crime: WALKER ET AL (2006)

A

UK - 42% of crimes reported to police
US - 40%

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11
Q

Data on crime: VICTIM SURVEYS

A

BRITISH CRIME SURVEY
-Aim to record all crimes
-Including unreported

Random sample of 50,000 households
Everyone above 16 interviewed
Asked about attitudes toward crime
Gives insight into dark figure of crime

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12
Q

Data on crime: ALTERNATIVE

A

SURVEY THE OFFENDERS THEMSELVES
-Gives insight into crime from a criminals perspective
-sample bias
-can only survey those who have been caught

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13
Q

Issues of defining crime: SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

A

What is considered a crime changes from culture to culture and over time

Universal: murder, theft, rape

What is considered crime is a moving target
-cannot generalise
-research goes out of date quick
-wide range of potential acts
-theory unlikely to encompass all criminals

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14
Q

Issues of defining crime: CONTEXT

A

Practically every single person has broken a law (speeding)
Could argue criminal behaviour is actually beneficial
If a law is unjust, then protest against, or wilful breaking of these laws may be considered more moral than obeying them.

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15
Q

Bio 1: CESARE LOMBROSO

A

ATAVISTIC FORM
-Criminals are a throwback to an earlier evolutionary state
-Identified by facial features
-Expressed criminal tendencies

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16
Q

Bio 1: SHELDON (1940)

A

SOMATOTYPES
criminal behaviour came about due to various body types

Mesomorph - muscular (self assertive)
Endomorph - fat
Ectomorph - skinny

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17
Q

Bio 1: Are criminals born or made?

A

THEORIES ARE MOSTLY DEBUNKED
-crime is imprecise
-susceptible to cultural & historical trends
-Theft, murder, rape is universal
-Few modern proponents of a hereditary basis for criminal behaviour
-Claim there are genes for crime

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18
Q

Bio 1: HOLLIN (1992)

A

Some people inherit a biological predisposition to commit crime.
Predisposition for personality make them more likely to commit crime.

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19
Q

Bio 1: Twin Studies: ROSANOFF ET AL (1934)

A

Studied 97 sets of twins

MALE CONCORDANCE RATES: 22/33 MZ (67%)
FEMALE CONCORDANCE RATES: 3/23 DZ (13%)

could be genetic but not full explanation

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20
Q

Bio 1: Twin Studies: RAINE (1993)

A

Reviewed the literature comparing the delinquent behaviour of twins.

CONCORDANCE RATES:
MZ - 52%
DZ - 21%

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21
Q

Bio 1: Twin Studies: DALGARD AND KRINGLEN (1976)

A

Doesn’t support previous viewpoint.

No statistically significant concordance rate difference - broad and strict definition

MZ - Broadly = 22%
Strictly - 26%

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22
Q

Bio 1: Family Studies: OSBORN AND WEST (1979)

A

13% of sons with non-criminal fathers had criminal records

20% of sons with criminal fathers had criminal records

23
Q

Bio 1: Family Studies: FARRINGTON (2002)

A

Investigated the concentration of criminal behaviour in families by looking at three generations of relatives.
parents-grandparents-aunts-uncles-cousins

if one had been arrested, high probability another has been too

MOST IMPORTANT IS FATHER - father arrested, high chance son has too

24
Q

Bio 1: Family Studies: FARRINGTON

A

Initially suggest that genes play a part, cannot rule out the effect of the shared environment.

Young mother in bad neighbourhood adds to probability of father and son arrest.

-confuses the issue of genes and environment

25
Q

Bio 1: Adoption studies: MEDNICK ET AL (1987)

A

Studied over 14,000 adoptees

PARENTS WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD AND % OF SONS WITH ONE:
None - 13.5
Bio only - 20.0
Adop only - 14.7
Bio & adop - 24.5

26
Q

Bio 1: Adoption Studies: BOHMAN (1996)

A

If adoptive parents know of their adopted child’s family of criminality

Has no effect on their later criminal behaviour

27
Q

Which genes?

A

If there is a genetic basis for criminal behaviour then genes should be able to be identified which lead to that behaviour.

The gene would have some effect on the body which leads to the behaviours such as impulsiveness or aggression that would lead to a higher risk of criminal behaviour.

28
Q

Bio 1: Genes: RETZ ET AL (2004)

A

found association between one variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene and violent behaviour

29
Q

Bio 1: Genes: REIF ET AL (2009)

A

Found links between the NOSI and aggression in animals which led him to investigate links between the NOSI gene and impulsivity in humans

30
Q

Bio 1: Genes: SEO ET AL (2008)

A

proposed low levels of serotonin may predispose to impulsive and aggressive behaviour

31
Q

Bio 1: Genes: BRUNNER ET AL (1993)

A

Studied a Dutch family, many of whom were highly aggressive. Behaviour was linked to a mutation in the MAOA gene - had abnormally low levels of serotonin. could account for aggressive behaviour

32
Q

Bio 1: Evaluation

A

-adoption studies strongest for major crimes
-may indentify more genes for criminal behaviour in the future
-most likely to be polygenic (number of genes)
-most research based on heritability studies
-non experiment (no cause & effect relationships)
-reductionistic (genetic explanations ignore the role of society & culture)
-real causes of crime are varied & complicated
-definition of crime constantly shifting target
-gender bias (focuses solely on men)
-genetic theory could be falling for a beta bias

33
Q

Bio 1: Ethical Issues

A

-what happens to people with gene
-evidence could be misused
-used against in court
-caused by biological factors (hold responsibility)
-should punish criminals if out of their control
-place blame inside the offender
-absolves society and government of responsibility
-ignores main reason of crime
-eugenics

34
Q

Bio 2: Role of the amygdala

A

Criminals have variations in their brains. Structural or functional differences between the brains of criminals and non-criminals.

35
Q

Bio 2: RAINE ET AL (brains of murderers)

A

Murderers and non-murderers had functional differences in different parts of the brain.

Further research suggested there are other differences between brains.

36
Q

Bio 2: Amygdala: FEINSTEIN ET AL (2012)

A

Investigated the rare case of a woman who had lesions to both amygdala.

CAUSE HER UNABLE TO EXPERIENCE FEAR

Amygdala’s role is well established. Found an increase in amygdala activity is involved in aggression.

37
Q

Bio 2: Amygdala: GOSPIC ET AL (2011)

A

Created a game

-responder and proposer
-responder offered a split of a sum of money by proposer
-when responders rejected an unfair offer, amygdala activity was heightened.
EG: £6000 of £60000

38
Q

Bio 2: Amygdala: DERNTL ET AL (2009)

A

Used MRI scans to investigate the effect of testosterone on the amygdala activity in healthy male participants.

Increased levels of testosterone improved the amygdala’s ability to process threat
-related stimuli (fearful and angry facial
expressions)

39
Q

Bio 2: Amygdala: EVALUATION

A

-can’t draw cause and effect
-remains an incomplete theory
-cannot account for all criminal behaviour
-reductionist (Ignores society and culture)
-crime is not a set phenomenon
-gender bias (men)

40
Q

Bio 2: Amygdala: Ethical Issues

A

-what happens to people with dysfunctional amygdala
-could be used against them in court
-can we hold people responsible
-places the blame for offending inside offender
-argued that it absolves society & government of any responsibility
-argues main reason for crime is social inequality & poverty
-ignores real reasons for crime

41
Q

Ind 1: Eysenck’s criminal personality

A

-theory argues that criminals have a particular personality type
-criminals and non-criminals differ on certain aspects of personality
-criminals and non criminals differ on certain aspects of personality
-argues these differences have a biological bases, but are also moderated by our environment
-may be able to bridge the gap between biological and psychological explanations of criminality

42
Q

Ind 1: Theory of Personality

A

didn’t initially do it for criminals - intending on creating a universal test of personality that could applied to all people.

EXTRAVERSION - opposite to introversion
NEUROTICISN - opposite to stable
PSYCHOTICISM - opposite to normality

43
Q

Ind 1: Biological Basis

A

-argued that the cause of these personality traits is our biology
-each aspect of biology could be traced back to a different biological cause
-criminals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and to adapt to the environment

44
Q

Ind 1: Extraversion/Introversion

A

EXTRAVERTS:
-seek ctimulation
-outgoing, sociable
-more likely to take risks
-thrill seekers
Under Aroused nervous system
-seek stimulation to restore the level of
optimum stimulation

INTROVERTS:
-quiet and reserved
-over aroused
-shun sensation
-stimulation

45
Q

Ind 1: Neuroticism/Stability

A

A persons level of neuroticism is determined by the reactivity of their sympathetic nervous system.

STABLE: generally less reactive to stressful situations, remaining calm and level headed

NEUROTIC: much more unstable, prone to overreacting to stimuli and may be quick to anger or fear

46
Q

Ind 1: Psychoticism/Normality

A

RELATED TO HIGH LEVELS OF TESTOSTERONE

high levels testosterone = high psychoticism

lower levels related to more normal balanced behaviour

47
Q

Ind 1: Link to criminal behaviour: INTROVERSION & EXTRAVERSION

A

-brought out by a failure in socialisation
-our ability to fear from conditioning and therefore be socialised is influenced by the three dimensions of personality

INTROVERTS: learn quick through conditioning
EXTRAVERTS: condition much more slowly
- lack of conditioning results in poor
socialisation
- increases likelihood of criminal behaviour

EYSENCK: high scores in neuroticism increases the strength of the other aspects of personality
-high neuroticism increases the extent to
which someone is extraverted or introverted

48
Q

Ind 1: Link to criminal behaviour: NEUROTICISM & STABILITY

A

EYSENCK: people who score high on extraversion and neuroticism do not condition well
-don’t learn society’s rules and norms easily
-don’t respond well to punishment
-personality common with criminal populations

49
Q

Ind 1: Link to criminal behaviour: PSYCHOTICISM

A

Easiest to relate to crime
-well documented relationship between crime and psychosis
-aggression, rule breaking, impulsivity
*A criminal would lie at high neuroticism and high extraversion

50
Q

Ind 1: Evaluation: McGURK & McDOUGALL (1981)

A

Personality questionnaire based on Eysenck’s theory
- administered to 100 college students identified as delinquent and 100 not

DELINQUENT: cluster of students with both high neuroticism and high extraversion
-sub group scored high on neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism

NON DELINQUENT: significant amount with low neuroticism and extraversion scores

51
Q

Ind 1: Evaluation: DUNLOP ET AL (2001)

A

Found extraversion and psychoticism, and lie scales, were good predictors of delinquency
- participants were students and their friends
- 15 - 75 years
- delinquency was an assessment of minor offences in previous 12 months

52
Q

Ind 1: Overall Evaluation

A
  1. Takes into account both nature and nurture
  2. Interactionist
  3. Links with diathesis stress model
  4. Validity potential issue
  5. Cause and effects
  6. Little longitudinal research
  7. Sample bias
53
Q
A

Psychology (1 decks)

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