Criminal Psychology Fundamentals Flashcards
what are the 5 types of crime
violent, sexual, acquisitive, anti-social & drug related
what is an anti-social crime
criminal acts that cause harassment, alarm or distress to people who don’t share a home with the perpetrator
what do some people believe about crime, making it hard to define?
that criminal behaviour is subjective rather than objective and that crime is a social construct
what does crime being a social construct mean?
its a concept that exists as the result of interactions between people who make up a society
define deviation from the norms
when an act or behaviour goes against the accepted standards of society
define culture
a collective set of norms and values that determine the way of life of a group of people
how is crime measured
official statistics
whats the problem with official statistics
not all crimes are reported, some take place without being detected. This is why researchers rely on self-report surveys
what is self report
a method that involves participants reporting on themselves through answering questionnaires
whats the definition of the social learning theory
its a theory that explains behaviour in terms of observation and limitation
whats a role model
a person held in esteem by another
whats imitation
a process where people recall behaviours and reproduce them in their own actions
whats observation
the process where people pay attention to behaviours and retain them in memory
whats vicarious reinforcement
when a behaviour is strengthened by an individual observing this same behaviour being rewarded in another
describe the social learning theory.
it starts w/ a role model. we go through a process of identification, where we decide we want to be like these people, we then observe them and try to copy them. this is observation and imitation. We see these people being rewarded for their actions and decide we want the same reward (vicarious reinforcement)
whats direct reinforcement
when a behaviour is strengthened and likely to be repeated due to positive outcomes for the individual
whats internalisation
the process whereby a behaviour becomes an integral part of an individuals personality due to continuous reinforcement
what do some psychologists believe about nature
behaviour and personality is inherited from parents, also part of our behaviour can be attributed to human nature and evolution
what do some psychologists believe about nurture
other psychs such as behaviouralist John Watson (lol) , believe we are born a ‘tabula rasa’ meaning a blank slate and our behaviour and personality is developed through experience and interaction with ourenvironment.
what are the 4 criticisms of the social learning theory
only focuses on the role of nurture, ignoring the role of nature in explaining criminal behaviour.
(some psychs believe in a criminal gene and that w/out it people cannot learn to be criminals)
doesn’t explain how behaviour starts in the first place.
(if everyone is learning from prev gens there must be a starting point)
doesn’t account for people who turn to crime , even though they’ve not been exposed to criminal role models
(evidence shows criminals from good law-abiding families , in some cases this is better explained by nature)
if social learning theories correct it should b easier to reduce crime
(if its strengthened through reinforcement then it should be reduced by being/seeing others be punished however many re-offend / still commit crimes after seeing consequences, suggesting nature)
what was the DESIGN of the Cooper and Mackie study
laboratory experiment using independent measures
what was the INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT VARIABLES of the Cooper and Mackie study
I- the type of game played or observed
D- measured aggression levels after playing or observing the game
what was the SAMPLE of the Cooper and Mackie study
the target population was a set of schools in the suburbs of New Jersey, USA.
the sample was 84 nine -> eleven-year-olds whose parents had given consent to take part in the study.
what were the cooper and mackie children given a week before the experiment
a questionnaire to assess their experience of videogames
for this experiment (c&m) children were put into ____ so they were the same sex. one child would ______ while the other would _____
pairs
play the game
observe
what was the procedure for the Cooper and Mackie study
Condition 1: participants played or observed an aggressive game (missile command) which another group of students had deemed violent
Condition 2: participants played or observed a non-aggressive video game (pac-man)
Condition 3: played or observed paper and pen maze games (control)
all participants played/observed for 8 minutes to avoid extraneous variables. Pairs were split up and one was taken to a playroom while the other was taken to a room to do a test
in play room there was an aggressive toy(figure) , a an active toy (bball set ), a skill toy (building blocks)
in test room each participant performed an activity to measure their level of interpersonal aggression, they were asked how badly theyd punish a child who had behaved badly and how much theyd reward a good child using a buzzer that was timed for how long they pressed it
then the ppts were swapped around , as a control sometimes player was tested first and other times it was obsserver, this is counterbalancing.
they were then given a questionnaire
what were the results of the Cooper and Mackie study ?2
in the pre-experiment questionnaire , 61 percent of all participants reported having a video game system at home (more boys than girls)
participants in the aggressive game condition spent more time playing with the aggressive toy than participants in the other two conditions
girls who played the missile command game spent much more time playing with the aggressive toy than girls in the other conditions, boys spent more time overall playing with the aggressive toy but thus was barely affected by the game.
what were the conclusions of the Cooper and Mackie study
playing or watching an aggressive video game had an impact on the aggressive behaviour of girls, they were more likely to choose an aggressive toy afterwards
what is arousal
activation of the nervous system making individuals awake, alert and attentive
whats disinhibition
when people have a lack of control over their behaviour because they are not concerned about what is expected
what are the criticisms of the cooper and mackie study?
the sample was biased and therefore is difficult to achieve generalisation
(only investigated limited age range + culture bias)
took place in an artificial setting leading to low levels of ecological validity.
aggressive behaviour was measured in a narrow way, leading to low levels of construct validity
(although researchers took 2 measures of aggression they did not match & were v specific)
there were a number of uncontrolled extraneous variables making it difficult to establish cause and effect (no account for videogame experience)
only the immediate effects of aggressive video games were tested
(in reality they influence over time)
what is a criminal personality
a set of relatively fixed traits associated with people who commit crimes
what is genetic inheritance
when genetic information is passed on from parents to child through the pairing of chromosomes at conception
whats extraversion
a trait measuring how out-going an individual is
whats neuroticism
a trait measuring how anxious an individual is
whats psychoticism
a trait measuring how impulsive an aggressive an individual is
whats Eysencks theory
everyone is born with extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism but to varying degrees depending on genetic inheritance . People with a criminal personality will score highly on all 3 traits
what are extraverts likely to be
out-going, sociable, confident
what are neurotics likely to be
anxious, angry and prone to guilt
opposite is stable, (calm, even-tempered and not easily stressed)
what are psychos (lol) likely to be
impulsive, aggressive, selfish. opposite is high impulse control (warm , conscientious, considerate)2
whats the central nervous system
a system consisting of the brain and spinal cord to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out
whats the reticular activation system
a neural network that meditates consciousness and alertness.
It is the part of the brain stem that links the brain and spinal cord and regulates the stimuli sent to the cerebral cortex
whats the cerebral cortex
the outer layer of the brain which is important for conscious awareness
whats the dopamine reward system
a neural network that is responsible for people experiencing pleasure
whats the limbic system
a neural network that controls emotional expressions
what are dopaminergic neurons
nerve cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine
what is synaptic transmission
the process where neurotransmitters are released by a presynaptic neuron and bind to and activate the receptors of postsynaptic neurons
what is early socialisation
the process where young children are conditioned to accept the norms and values of their family and wider society
according to eysenck, criminal personality traits can be linked to what ?
under-arousal in the CNS.
why are extraverts likely to commit crimes according to Eysenck?
the RAS is restricting stimuli so the cerebral cortex is ‘hungry’ for stimulation which can be gained via risky , lawless behaviour .
Extraverts have a stronger dopamine reward system
why are neurotics likely to commit crimes according to Eysenck?
related to activity of the ANS which is activated during emotion-inducing situations and regulates limbic system.
ANS become OVER aroused leading to higher levels of violence
why are psychos likely to commit crimes according to Eysenck?
an excess of dopaminergic neurons which causes the over production of dopamine by the nervous system. This excess leads to less inhibition of impulses in the brain during synaptic transmission
what does eysenck suggest about those who are naturally stable and introverted?
they learn the association between performing a criminal or anti-social act and its negative outcome more easily so avoid committing crimes in the future
what does eysenck suggest about those who are extraverted and neurotic?
they’re difficult to condition and may be more resistant to early socialisation
What are the criticisms of Eysencks theory
His theory is accused of ignoring individual differences (rather than emphasising the uniqueness of people hes placing them into broad categories)
Too large a range of crimes for all criminals to have a similar personality
(cant compare someone who spontaneously robs on the street to someone who carefully plans to defraud some1)
too deterministic
(suggests crime is out of the control of the individual which doesn’t help w/ taking responsibility for their actions)
concept of psychoticism is not useful
(some argue psychoticism doesn’t cause criminal behaviour its just a definition)
although he considers both nurture & nature, for some critics there’s not enough emphasis on nurture
(we should focus on HOW we try to condition high E+ N scores rather than saying they’re hard to condition)
What are individual differences?
How people are unique and different from one another
What was the Hypothesis for the HEAVEN study
measures of psychoticism , extraversion and self-esteem would significant predictors for self-reported delinquency
What was the SAMPLE in HEAVENS study
282 adolescents (146 females;136 female) from two catholic independent schools in new south wales Australia. Ages ranged from 13-15 yrs old , all were tested and none withdrew.
What was the PROCEDURE for HEAVENS study
At times 1 & 2 they were provided with:
- a set of questions from Eysenck measuring psychoticism and extraversion
-a 10 item questionnaire measuring self esteem
-a questionnaire for self-reported delinquency that assessed two forms of delinquency:interpersonal violence and valdalism/ theft
2 years later 20% of ppts dropped out of study
questionnaires were completed anonymously and all 3 questionnaires were checked for internal reliability
What were the results of the HEAVEN study?
positive correlation between psychoticism and delinquency at time 1 and time 2.
extraversion correlated with delinquency at only time 2 and was weaker.
Generally this study supported previous cross-sectional studies which had shown association w psychoticism and various ant social behaviour
What are the criticisms of HEAVENS study?
it was culturally biased for many reasons
(only used children from Roman Catholic schools, ignoring other religions or children without religon + was fee paying school meaning theyre better off so less link to crime)
the results may have been affected by age bias.
(average ages were fourteen at time 1 and sixteen at time 2, they may have been too old to establish factors that lead to delinquency. Interpersonal violence and vandalism start much younger in kids.
The 20% dropout may have biased the results
(the ones that dropped out may have represented certain types of people)
use of self-report can lead to invalid data
(due to social desirability bias they may have lied abt how much delinquency they’re involved in)
the use of closed questions can be criticised for lack of construct validity
(simple options and rating scales to measure complex constructs like personality and delinquency isn’t appropriate)
whats a deterrent
something that reduces the likelihood of crimes being committed
whats a community sentence
time that must be given back to the community in the form of unpaid work (publicity of it acts as a deterrent)
whats rehabilitation
the process of reintegrating a convicted person back into society, with the aim that they will no longer want to commit crimes, it’s about promoting pro-social behaviour
what is restorative justice
actively involving the victim of the crime, often the victim with meet the offender so theyre held accountable, its a way of rehabilitating offenders by giving them the choice to be aware of the consequences of their actions
how else can you rehabilitate offenders?
use of positive role models , observing others behaving in pro-social ways gives them something to imitate. They must see this behaviour as rewarding and believe they can be ‘good citizens’. E.G the role model themself may be a reformed criminal but have found success.
