Criminal behaviour:Biological explanation

Question 1

Which explanation do you use in the exam

What are the biological explanations of criminal behaviour?

Answer 1

Role of the amygdala (use in exam)
Inherited crimiality

Question 2

What are the three paragraphs in an essay about the role of the amygdala?

Answer 2

1. Amygdala and agression
2. Amygdala and fear conditioning
3. Raine’s finding about amygdala dysfunction and other areas linked to crime

Question 3

Where is the amygdala located and what is its main role?

Answer 3

Located in the medial temporal lobe and part of the limbic system
Influences behaviour involved in emotion and motivated as well as how we receive and respond to threats

Question 4

What does it IED stand for and what is a common symptom?

Answer 4

Intermittent explosive disorder
Outbursts of reactive agression, infrequent and unpredicted

Question 5

What study investigates people with IED and describe its findings

Answer 5

Coccaro (2007): Studied people with IED and compared them to controls
viewed images of faces whilst having a fMRI scan
People with IED had high levels of amygdala activty when shown angry faces in comparisson to controls

Question 6

IED study (role of the amygdala)

Why does Coccaro’s study support the biological explanation of criminal behaviour?

Answer 6

Demonstrates an association between the amygdala and the processing of agressive emotions
Suggests social cues are processed differently by the brain with those who have IED
This dysfunction could explain agressive tendencies which make them more vulnerable to criminal behaviour

Question 7

What is fear conditioning?

Answer 7

Learning that an undesired behaviour leads to punishment or negative outcomes, and no longer showing this undesired behaviour out of fear

Question 8

Fear conditioning

Why does amygdala dysfunction lead to agressive behaviour?

Answer 8

Amygdala plays a major role in how we asses and respond to environmental threats
Fear conditioning process is disrupted so people are more agressive and anti-social
So more likely to commit crimes

Question 9

What research support the link between amygdala dysfunction and fear conditioning and describe its findings

Answer 9

Gao (1795): Ps were assed for fear conditioning at 3yrs. 20yrs later they looked at the same Ps to see if they had showncriminal behaviour
Thos who had shown no fear conditioning at 3yrs had commited crime by 23yrs