Criminal behaviour- Biological explanations Flashcards
What does inherited criminality propose?
That certain genetic combinations predispose individuals to criminal behaviour
What is inherited criminality?
Criminal behaviour can be inherited through genes linked to impulsivity and aggression so individuals have an increased risk of showing criminal behaviour
Who conducted research into the family?
Osborne and West
What did Osborne and West find?
13% of sons with non-criminal fathers had criminal records, while 40% of sons of fathers criminal fathers had records
What does Osborne and West’s research suggest?
criminal behaviour may be inherited, higher rates of criminality seen in sons with criminal fathers
How can you evaluate Osborne and West’s study?
X environmental factors, exposed to crime
X upbringing, modelling, socialisation
X cannot say for sure that it is an inherited trait
Who conducted a study into twin research?
Raine
What did Raine find in his research into twins?
Reviewed the literature comparing the delinquent behaviour of twins
- average concordance rate was higher for MZ twins (52%) than DZ twins (21%)
What do concordance rates mean?
Rate of probability that 2 people with shared genes will develop the same conditions
What does Raine’s research siuggest?
There is a genetic influence on criminal behaviour
- higher concordance rate in MZ than DZ
How can we criticise Raine’s research?
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
Is crime caused by genes?
- 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
What do Goldsmith and Gottsman say about crime being caused by genes?
‘may be partially genetically influenced predispositions for basic behavioural tendencies such as impulsivity’
What are the 2 candidate genes?
1- MAOA gene
2- CDH13 (cadherin 13)
What are candidate genes?
Genes identified that could play a role in the development of a disease/disorder
What is the nickname for MAOA?
The warrior gene
What is the role of the MAOA gene?
It breaks down the neurotransmitters, not enough to break down
- increased risk of antisocial behaviour
What neurotransmitters are linked to MAOA?
serotonin and dopamine
What behaviours is MAOA linked to?
Impulsivity and aggression
How does Bruner et al support this?
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
How can we evaluate Bruner et al study?
It cannot be generalised as it is only one family with one shared gene
What is CDH13?
A gene involved in neural connectivity
- how the brain sends messages
How is CDH13 linked to criminal behaviour?
It is unclear how the dysfunction of CDH13 gene leads to violent behaviour
What is CDH13 linked to?
ADHD, depression, substance misuse and Autistic spectrum conditions
Who supports CDH13 with their research?
Tiihoen et al
What does Tiihoen et al find?
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
Why does this research support the genetic explanation of criminal behaviour?
A combination of both candidate genes may lead to criminal behaviour
- inheriting both candidate genes puts you at risk of criminal behaviour
How can we evaluate Tiihoen et al?
Huge sample size, not just one family
- more generalisable
What is the diathesis stress model?
Inherited predisposition to develop the disorder + parental trauma, abuse etc = psychological disorder
Diathesis stress model
MAOA or CDH13 = stress, environmental = criminal behaviour
How does this model explain criminality?
Whilst someone may have the genetic predisposition to criminal behaviour, it would need to be triggered by some form of environmental factor
What does Caspi et al find in relation to the diathesis stress model?
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
Evaluation of Caspi et al
- big sample size
- temporal validity
What is the 1st biological explanation of criminal behaviour?
Inherited criminality
What are the 3 evaluation points for Inherited criminality?
1- Research support
2- Biological determinism
3- Eugenic ideas
Evaluation: Research support for inherited criminality
Raine found higher concordance rates in MZ twins (52%) compared to DZ twins (12%)
- suggests genetics are a strong factor
Evaluation: Biological determinism (inherited criminality)
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
Evaluation: Eugenic ideas (inherited criminality)
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
What is the 2nd Biological Explanation of criminal behaviour?
The role of the amygdala
Facts about the amygdala
- 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
What is an IED?
- features in the DSM
- unpredictable, infrequent
- no anger present
- impulsive and aggressive behaviour
Amygdala and aggression
Coccaro’s research
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
How can we use Coccaro’s research as support for a biological explanation for criminal behaviour?
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
Amygdala and fear conditioning
What is fear conditioning?
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
Amygdala and fear conditioning
Why does this dysfunction of the amygdala lead to aggressive behaviour?
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
Amygdala and fear conditioning
How could this explain criminal behaviour?
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
What is Gao et al research support?
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
Findings from Raine et al
What did Raine find in terms of amygdala function of the murderers in comparison to controls?
HEMISPHERIC ASYMMETRY in amygdala functioning
- reduced left and greater right activity
- differences produce unusual emotional responses such as lack of fear, empathy, remorse, guilt
Findings from Raine et al
How can this explain criminal behaviour?
Lack of fear- not scared of repercussions
Lack of remorse/guilt- nothing stopping the, from committing crimes like murder
Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
- Supporting Evidence
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
Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
X Biological determinism
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
Evaluation: The role of the amygdala
X Does not explain non-violent crimes
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
What is the conclusion for the evaluation of the role of the amygdala?
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
What is the first choice for the biological explanation of criminal beahviour?
INHERITED CRIMINALITY
What is the 2nd choice for the biological explanation of criminal behaviour?
THE ROLE OF THE AMYGDALA
