Criminal behaviour- Biological explanations

Question 1

What does inherited criminality propose?

Answer 1

That certain genetic combinations predispose individuals to criminal behaviour

Question 2

What is inherited criminality?

Answer 2

Criminal behaviour can be inherited through genes linked to impulsivity and aggression so individuals have an increased risk of showing criminal behaviour

Question 3

Who conducted research into the family?

Answer 3

Osborne and West

Question 4

What did Osborne and West find?

Answer 4

13% of sons with non-criminal fathers had criminal records, while 40% of sons of fathers criminal fathers had records

Question 5

What does Osborne and West’s research suggest?

Answer 5

criminal behaviour may be inherited, higher rates of criminality seen in sons with criminal fathers

Question 6

How can you evaluate Osborne and West’s study?

Answer 6

X environmental factors, exposed to crime
X upbringing, modelling, socialisation
X cannot say for sure that it is an inherited trait

Question 7

Who conducted a study into twin research?

Answer 7

Raine

Question 8

What did Raine find in his research into twins?

Answer 8

Reviewed the literature comparing the delinquent behaviour of twins
- average concordance rate was higher for MZ twins (52%) than DZ twins (21%)

Question 9

What do concordance rates mean?

Answer 9

Rate of probability that 2 people with shared genes will develop the same conditions

Question 10

What does Raine’s research siuggest?

Answer 10

There is a genetic influence on criminal behaviour
- higher concordance rate in MZ than DZ

Question 11

How can we criticise Raine’s research?

Answer 11

X may have been brought up differently
X not 100% concordance rate so there must be some other factor influencing the development of criminal behaviour
-raised in the same environment, hard to separate nature and nurture influence

Question 12

Is crime caused by genes?

Answer 12

• there isn’t a single gene for crime but there are genes such as impulsivity or aggression
• you could carry the gene but not necessarily act on them

Question 13

What do Goldsmith and Gottsman say about crime being caused by genes?

Answer 13

‘may be partially genetically influenced predispositions for basic behavioural tendencies such as impulsivity’

Question 14

What are the 2 candidate genes?

Answer 14

1- MAOA gene
2- CDH13 (cadherin 13)

Question 15

What are candidate genes?

Answer 15

Genes identified that could play a role in the development of a disease/disorder

Question 16

What is the nickname for MAOA?

Answer 16

The warrior gene

Question 17

What is the role of the MAOA gene?

Answer 17

It breaks down the neurotransmitters, not enough to break down
- increased risk of antisocial behaviour

Question 18

What neurotransmitters are linked to MAOA?

Answer 18

serotonin and dopamine

Question 19

What behaviours is MAOA linked to?

Answer 19

Impulsivity and aggression

Question 20

How does Bruner et al support this?

Answer 20

28 males in a Dutch family, history of impulsive and violent criminal behaviour
- men shared mutation in the MAOA gene = low levels of it
- could be inherited
- families can pass on this gene

Question 21

How can we evaluate Bruner et al study?

Answer 21

It cannot be generalised as it is only one family with one shared gene

Question 22

What is CDH13?

Answer 22

A gene involved in neural connectivity
- how the brain sends messages

Question 23

How is CDH13 linked to criminal behaviour?

Answer 23

It is unclear how the dysfunction of CDH13 gene leads to violent behaviour

Question 24

What is CDH13 linked to?

Answer 24

ADHD, depression, substance misuse and Autistic spectrum conditions

Question 25

Who supports CDH13 with their research?

Answer 25

Tiihoen et al

Question 26

What does Tiihoen et al find?

Answer 26

900 Finnish offenders
- evidence of low MAOA activity and also low activity of CDH13
- ESTIMATED 5-10% of all violent crime in Finland is due to abnormalities in these 2 genes

Question 27

Why does this research support the genetic explanation of criminal behaviour?

Answer 27

A combination of both candidate genes may lead to criminal behaviour
- inheriting both candidate genes puts you at risk of criminal behaviour

Question 28

How can we evaluate Tiihoen et al?

Answer 28

Huge sample size, not just one family
- more generalisable

Question 29

What is the diathesis stress model?

Answer 29

Inherited predisposition to develop the disorder + parental trauma, abuse etc = psychological disorder

Question 30

Diathesis stress model

Answer 30

MAOA or CDH13 = stress, environmental = criminal behaviour

Question 31

How does this model explain criminality?

Answer 31

Whilst someone may have the genetic predisposition to criminal behaviour, it would need to be triggered by some form of environmental factor

Question 32

What does Caspi et al find in relation to the diathesis stress model?

Answer 32

Longitudinal study of 1000 people born in 70s
- Asocial behaviour assessed at 26
- 12% of men who had MAOA gene mutation experienced maltreatment in child hood AND were responsible for 44% of violent convictions

Question 33

Evaluation of Caspi et al

Answer 33

• big sample size
• temporal validity

Question 34

What is the 1st biological explanation of criminal behaviour?

Answer 34

Inherited criminality

Question 35

What are the 3 evaluation points for Inherited criminality?

Answer 35

1- Research support
2- Biological determinism
3- Eugenic ideas

Question 36

Evaluation: Research support for inherited criminality

Answer 36

Raine found higher concordance rates in MZ twins (52%) compared to DZ twins (12%)
- suggests genetics are a strong factor

Question 37

Evaluation: Biological determinism (inherited criminality)

Answer 37

Removes responsibility of their own behaviour
X implicates CJS because people could not be guilty by their own actions
X by removing accountability, allows people to have no punishment or consequences
- makes behaviour more predictable, beneficial, spotted early, interventions to prevent
X even though there are repercussions, problems determining guilt
- gives us a method of early intervention, mitigate problem

Question 38

Evaluation: Eugenic ideas (inherited criminality)

Answer 38

Encourage eugenic ideas
X people with genetic variations that leads to criminal behaviour (MAOA/CDH13)encouraged not to reproduce to eradicate these ‘criminal genes’ from the populations
X morally wrong and unethical
X wrong to publish these results is they know the potential harm they could cause
X Scientific research should improve a person’s health etc, not potentially harm, it

Question 39

What is the 2nd Biological Explanation of criminal behaviour?

Answer 39

The role of the amygdala

Question 40

Facts about the amygdala

Answer 40

• located in the medial temporal lobe
• part of the limbic system
• influences behaviour involved in emotion and motivation
• plays a major role in how we perceive and respond to threats in the environment

Question 41

What is an IED?

Answer 41

• features in the DSM
• unpredictable, infrequent
• no anger present
• impulsive and aggressive behaviour

Question 42

Amygdala and aggression
Coccaro’s research

Answer 42

Coccaro studied people with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) in comparison to control
- viewed faces whilst having and fMRI scan, shows active areas
- Ps with IED showed high levels of amygdala activity when they viewed angry faces
- this demonstrates an association between the amygdala and the processing of aggressive emotions

Question 43

How can we use Coccaro’s research as support for a biological explanation for criminal behaviour?

Answer 43

Social cues of aggression are processed differently by then brain in those who have IED
- this dysfunction of the brain could explain aggressive tendencies that make them more vulnerable to criminal behaviour

Question 44

Amygdala and fear conditioning
What is fear conditioning?

Answer 44

We learn that aggressive behaviour leads to punishment or other negative outcomes
- process this fear information in the amygdala
- conditions us to not be aggressive in fear of punishment

Question 45

Amygdala and fear conditioning
Why does this dysfunction of the amygdala lead to aggressive behaviour?

Answer 45

They cannot identify social cues that indicate threat and therefore do not link punishment to their aggressive behaviour
- fear conditioning is disrupted- seem fearless, overly aggressive, antisocial
- more likely to commit crimes

Question 46

Amygdala and fear conditioning
How could this explain criminal behaviour?

Answer 46

Those who had committed crimes at 23 years old, showed no fear conditioning when they were 3 years old
- no fear of punishment meant they showed aggressive behaviour whenever they want

Question 47

What is Gao et al research support?

Answer 47

Longitudinal study- assessed fear conditioning at 3, sweating in response to painful noise
20yrs later- looked to see what Ps had been involved in criminal behaviour
- those who had committed a crime at ages 23 showed no fear conditioning at 3 years old

Question 48

Findings from Raine et al
What did Raine find in terms of amygdala function of the murderers in comparison to controls?

Answer 48

HEMISPHERIC ASYMMETRY in amygdala functioning
- reduced left and greater right activity
- differences produce unusual emotional responses such as lack of fear, empathy, remorse, guilt

Question 49

Findings from Raine et al
How can this explain criminal behaviour?

Answer 49

Lack of fear- not scared of repercussions
Lack of remorse/guilt- nothing stopping the, from committing crimes like murder

Question 50

Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
- Supporting Evidence

Answer 50

Raine used PET scans to study NGRI murderers brain activity in comparison to ‘normal’ non-murderers
- found hemispheric asymmetry
- produced unusual emotional responses
- supports the role of the amygdala
- scan used is highly objective upholding scientific principles
- adds internal validity and reliability as it can be easily replicated due to standardised procedures
- opportunity to undergo falsification

Question 51

Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
X Biological determinism

Answer 51

Implies all criminal behaviour is due to innate factors
X says we have no control over how our amygdala impacts our behaviour
X give excuses for crime and removes personality responsibility
- find treatments targeting amygdala dysfunction e.g. spotting children with poor fear conditioning
- could be seen as a strength as it gives us the opportunity to prevent some developments of criminal behaviour

Question 52

Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
X Does not explain non-violent crimes

Answer 52

Amygdala dysfunction can only explain violent and aggressive crimes
X struggles to explain other crimes such as shoplifting, white collar crimes, fraud where aggression plays no role
X limits the usefulness of the explanation as it is only linked to violent crimes
X limitation as it cannot provide an explanation for any non-violent crimes

Question 53

What is the conclusion for the evaluation of the role of the amygdala?

Answer 53

Even though there seems to be lots of evidence supporting the role of the amygdala in violent criminal behaviour, it fails to consider the role of other factors beyond the biological such as environmental factors like upbringing.
Therefore, this explanation could be said to be incomplete and a more biopsychosocial approach to explaining crime would provide a more comprehensive understanding of criminal behaviour

Question 54

What is the first choice for the biological explanation of criminal beahviour?

Answer 54

INHERITED CRIMINALITY

Question 55

What is the 2nd choice for the biological explanation of criminal behaviour?

Answer 55

THE ROLE OF THE AMYGDALA