Criminal Behaviour (Inherited Criminality) Flashcards
What did early theories suggest about criminals?
That they were biologically different from non-criminals.
Who proposed the idea of the atavistic form in the 1870s?
Cesare Lombroso – criminals were evolutionary throwbacks.
What did Sheldon (1940) suggest about criminal behaviour?
It is linked to body types, especially mesomorphs.
How do mesomorphs compare to ectomorphs and endomorphs in criminal likelihood?
More likely to engage in crime due to assertive, muscular build.
What did Hollin (1992) suggest about crime?
Some people inherit a biological predisposition to commit crime.
What did Goldsmith & Gottesman (1996) propose?
Predispositions influenced by genes can increase crime probability in certain contexts.
What did Rosanoff et al. (1934) find in twin studies?
67% concordance in MZ twins, 13% in DZ twins.
What did Raine (1993) conclude from his review on twins?
Higher average concordance in MZ twins (52%) than DZ (21%).
What did Ishikawa & Raine (2002) find in their meta-analysis?
MZ twins had 44% concordance vs. 21.6% for DZ twins.
What did Dalgard & Kringlen (1976) find?
No significant difference in concordance between MZ and DZ twins.
What does this suggest about heredity and crime?
Hereditary factors may not be significant due to shared environments.
What is a strength of twin studies?
They investigate the genetic basis of behaviour.
What are weaknesses of twin studies?
Can’t determine cause and effect, generalizability, nature vs nurture confusion.
What did Joseph (2004) say about twin studies?
Identical twins are treated the same, which can affect findings.
What did Osborn & West (1979) find in family studies?
13% of sons of non-criminals vs 20% of sons of criminals had records.
What did Farrington (2002) find in family studies?
Criminality concentrated across generations, especially involving the father.
What other factors increased crime likelihood in family studies?
Young mother, bad neighbourhood, normalised criminality.
What’s a limitation of family studies?
Cannot determine cause and effect due to shared genes and environment.
What did Bohman (1996) find in adoption studies?
Knowledge of biological family’s criminality did not influence adoptive child’s behaviour.
What are methodological issues in adoption studies?
Adopted at birth vs later, prenatal issues, stress, selective placement.
What gene did Retz et al. (2004) link to violence?
5-HTTLPR gene.
What gene did Reif et al. (2009) link to aggression?
NOS1 gene (in animals).
What does MAOA do?
Recycles serotonin in the brain.
What did Seo et al. (2008) suggest about serotonin?
Low levels may predispose people to impulsive and aggressive behaviour.
