Criminal Behaviour Flashcards
What are five common characteristics of criminals?
Impulsiveness
Lacking in guilt
Pleasure seeking
Over optimistic
Self importance
What does the biological theory argue?
Criminal behaviour is inherited
Three criticisms of the biological theory
There cannot be one criminal gene that accounts for all criminal behaviour.
Ignores social environment.
Brain dysfunction is only evident in some criminals.
What are five different features of a criminal?
Asymmetrical face
Fleshy lips
Glassy eyes
Large ears
Prominent jaw
What is vicarious reinforcement?
We are more likely to imitate the behaviour of our role models of we see it being rewarded.
What is the case study and when did it happen?
Mednick et al in 1984
What was the aim of the research for the case study?
The research aimed to find out whether nature or nurture had a greater influence on the likelihood of an individual turning to crime.
What type of study was used to investigate the aim?
Adoption study
Where the participants from?
Denmark
Whose criminal records were analysed in the research?
The criminal records of the adopted men, their biological parents and their adoptive parents.
What were the results of the study?
If an individual’s biological parents had been convicted of a crime they themselves were nearly twice as likely to be convicted.
What are three limitations of the case study?
Cultural bias
Gender bias
Criminal records are not always accurate
