Criminal topic 1 - What makes a criminal?

Question 1

(Background) biological explanations

Answer 1

focuses on either:
- brain dysfunction - low levels of activity in certain areas
- criminal behaviour can be inherited through our genetics

Question 2

(Background) Brunner

Answer 2

aim: use gene-linkage analysis through a family to trace disorders
sample: dutch family - history of criminal behaviour
method: quasi-experiment: hereditary gene couldn’t be manipulated
procedure:
analysed urine samples from 5 males for a day, for various enzymes that could indicate gene mutation.
results: MAO-A unable to break serotonin - increase linked to higher aggression and deviant behaviour
conclusion: Gene mutation can lead to higher serotonin - higher aggression.
suggests that too many of the same neurotransmitter leads to ‘down regulation’ in the brain - links to hormone production

Question 3

(Background) - Caspi

Answer 3

sample: 500 male children in New Zealand
results: low levels of MAO-A are more likely to grow up to exhibit anti-social behaviour, only if maltreated as a child.
conclusion: interaction between genetics and the environment that determines behaviour, such as aggression

Question 4

(Background) non - biological explanations

Answer 4

could be caused by:
- a disrupted family
- families involved in crime - having anti-establishment attitudes, causing children to have this

Question 5

(Background) Farrington

Answer 5

aim: the link between disrupted families and criminal behaviour
sample: 411 London boys, from 8 years to adulthood (longitudinal, 40 years)
procedure: interview testing with the boys, their mothers and teachers
results: disrupted families linked to criminality - more common in divorced parents, siblings with convictions and if the family was large.
- Malnutrition indirect effect, as boys hadn’t developed adequately
conclusion: disrupted family and criminal behaviour link
- early prevention to try and reduce offending - could reduce problems in aggression, alcohol and relationships, etc

Question 6

(Background) Farrington evaluations

Answer 6

Strengths:
- longitudinal
- large sample, attrition low (11.2%)
Weaknesses:
- androcentric and ethnocentric
- low validity (interviews)
- socially desirable answers - to stop incrimination

Question 7

Key research - Raine - aim, sample, procedure

Answer 7

aim: brain scanning techniques to show brain dysfunction - could link to violent crime.
sample: matched pairs - 41 murderers (NGRI) and 41 non murderers
procedure: injected with glucose tracer, where blood flowed in parts of the brain while doing a continuous performance task.
- detected objects for 32 mins - press button when detected - should employ prefrontal cortex.
- PET scan used to show pattern of activity in different parts of the brain.

Question 8

Key research - Raine - results

Answer 8

Results:
- no difference in performance, but differences in brain activity between murderers and non-murderers
- less activity in the prefrontal cortex - links to loss of self-control
- murderers had less activity in the parietal cortex, links to low verbal activity, education failure causing crime - not being able to obtain resources by logical or legal means
- murderers - less activity in the left side of the amygdala - lack of fear response and inhibition of violent behaviour - no remorse and not being prevented from acting out their thoughts and desires

Question 9

Key research - Raine - conclusions

Answer 9

• supports the ‘fearlessness’ theory of violence - reduced fear enables violence.
• results argue that dysfunction in more than one part of the brain - people engage in criminal behaviour

Question 10

Key research - Raine - evaluation

Answer 10

Strengths:
- high external reliability - standardised PET scan - high levels of consistency
Weaknesses:
- not representative - murderers NGRI aren’t the same as all violent murderers
- murderers weren’t randomly allocated - quasi-experiment

Question 11

Application - summary

Answer 11

• biological side relates to health and nutrition, caused by stimulation of the brain to develop cognitive function

Question 12

Application - Raine (2013) - main study

Answer 12

• tested 1795 children in Mauritius aged 11- those with lower resting heart rates - more antisocial and aggressive behaviour
• then took 100 children with low resting rates and compared them with a control group of children with the same pattern
• those in the experimental group would receive a three-part intervention programme of enrichment

Question 13

Application - Raine (2013) - Enrichment programme

Answer 13

• Nutrition - drink and hot meal a day of fish, chicken was given with salad
• physical exercise - afternoon sessions at the gym - structured games and free play
• cognitive stimulation - went to two schools - multi-modal curriculum - toys, art, drama

Question 14

Application - Raine (2013) - results

Answer 14

• age 11 - focus attention better than controls , also increased level of arousal in the brain
• age 17 - scored significantly lower on conducted disorder rating than controls, less cruel to others

Question 15

Application: Raine 2013 - follow up study

Answer 15

• enrichment intervention reduced crime by 35%
• follow up - to find whether additional fish in the experimental group diet has an impact on omega-3 - 3 to reduce aggression
• further 100 children from main Mauritius study - for six months either drank juice with or without omega-3 supplements.
• self-report, children showed a reduction in aggression, attention problems compared to controls