Developmental Differences in Crime

Question 1

Give 2 examples of biological explanations for developmental differences in crime.

Answer 1

1) XYY

2) Freudian theory

Question 2

Define ‘XYY Syndrome’.

Answer 2

The additional ‘Y’ chromosome in men leads to increased aggression, low IQ, and higher physical activity.

Question 3

How does having XYY syndrome lead to criminal behaviour?

Answer 3

The low IQ and increased physical activity may lead to anti-social behaviour due to being outcast from society and so people with XYY may commit crimes as a response to this.

Question 4

Give 2 strengths of XYY syndrome.

Answer 4

1) Jacob supports due to finding a link between XYY and prison population as the norm is 1/1000 but in the prison it as 15/1000
2) Practical application of finding the syndrome early to decrease potential of future criminals by reducing labelling them

Question 5

Give 2 weaknesses of XYY syndrome.

Answer 5

1) Only affects men and so can’t account for female criminals
2) Hard to detect and so putting a label on something that can’t be defined is diffucult

Question 6

Define the ‘id’.

Answer 6

The part of personality that seeks immediate gratification for basic urges.

Question 7

Define the ‘ego’.

Answer 7

The part of personality that aims to satisfy the urges of the id.

Question 8

Define the ‘superego’.

Answer 8

The part of the personality that controls the satisfaction of urges within the constraints of society and morals.

Question 9

According to Freud, how might the development of the different elements of a personality lead to criminality?

Answer 9

• Both boys and girls develop sexual drive for their mother and reject their father due to jealousy
• Boys develop castration anxiety which is solved through taking on their father’s superego
• If this superego is weak in boys then they will be more likely to accept the urges of the id and commit crimes
• Girls’ develop penis envy which leads to weaker superegos
• And so their morals are weaker which means they will be more likely to commit crimes

Question 10

Give 2 strengths of Freudian theory.

Answer 10

1) Freud uses lots of qualitative data and so is more valid
2) Practical application as allowed for methods to treat mental disorders that could apply to the treatments of criminals

Question 11

Give 2 weaknesses of Freudian theory.

Answer 11

1) Lack of scientific evidence and measure for the id, ego, and superego
2) Hoffman’s said female criminals are low and so refutes Freud’s idea of women having no morals due to weaker superegos

Question 12

Give 2 examples of social explanations for developmental differences in crime.

Answer 12

1) Social learning theory

2) Self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 13

Give 2 factors of arole model?

Answer 13

1) Gender

2) Age

Question 14

What does the acronym ‘ARRM’ stand for?

Answer 14

A - attention
R - retention
R - reproduction
M - motivation

Question 15

How might SLT explain how criminality develops over time?

Answer 15

• A child may idolise their parent and see them as a role model who they observe carrying out criminal behaviour
• They may then retain this information if they are often exposed to it and through vicarious reinforcement if their role model doesn’t receive negative consequences
• If the child has low self-esteem and high self-efficacy they will then reproduce the behaviour either through the same crimes or through criminal behaviour in general
• Motivation to continue will arise externally through no negative consequences or internally through the thrill

Question 16

Give 2 strengths of SLT.

Answer 16

1) Bandura supports as found that children are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour when observing a same sex adult role model hitting a Bobo doll
2) Practical application of preventing future criminals by only showing violence after 9pm through the Watershed or showing more positive role models

Question 17

Give 2 weaknesses of SLT.

Answer 17

1) Reductionist as doesn’t account for biological factors that diathesis stress does (having a predispositional vulnerability to stress from the environment that may lead to an outburst)
2) Cannot account for all criminality such as crimes that have not been observed first such as murder

Question 18

What 2 factors determine whether or not your are given a label?

Answer 18

1) Being considered a minority

2) Displaying behaviour going against social norms

Question 19

What are the 4 stages of SFP?

Answer 19

1) False label
2) People outcast
3) Low self-concept
4) Label becomes true

Question 20

How might this label then develop over time and what impact might this have on the individuals behaviour?

Answer 20

Someone may be given the false label of a criminal due to a stereotype that affects their self-concept and so may question their self-identity leading to a feeling that they may as well adhere to what people have been labelling them as and so may go on to commit a crime.

Question 21

Give 2 strengths of SFP.

Answer 21

1) Johoda found that 22% of Wednesday (name meaning aggression) boys in Ashanti were criminals compared to 7% of Monday boys (name meaning placid)
2) Practical application of the ASBO getting abolished due to people being labelled as deviant becoming more deviant due to liking the label and so this highlights how labels are bad

Question 22

Give 2 weaknesses of SFP.

Answer 22

1) The supporting study of Rosenthal and Jacobsen lack generalisability to criminals due to student performance not equating to SFP in criminals
2) Fuller found that black girls in London were labelled as likely to fail and proved them wrong by succeeding

Question 23

Give an example of a biological theory that can be influenced by environmental factors.

Answer 23

Brain injury

Question 24

What is the pre-frontal cortex responsible for?

Answer 24

• Planning
• Self-control
• Knowing right from wrong

Question 25

How might damage to the pre-frontal cortex lead to criminal behaviour?

Answer 25

Someone may not know right from wrong and so may commit a crime such as murder due to not knowing it is wrong and may also lack self-control and so become impulsive and commit violent crimes.

Question 26

What is the amygdala responsible for?

Answer 26

• Perception of emotions

- Storing memories

Question 27

How might damage to the amygdala lead to criminal behaviour?

Answer 27

Someone may exhibit the wrong response to a situation due to perceiving it as a threat or storing the wrong response in their memory and so may commit violent crimes.

Question 28

What is the hypothalamus responsible for?

Answer 28

• Temperature regulation

- Hormone regulation

Question 29

How might damage to the hypothalamus lead to criminal behaviour?

Answer 29

Someone may have an imbalance of hormones and this may lead to outburst due to being over-emotional and so may commit violent crimes.

Question 30

Give 2 strengths of brain injuries.

Answer 30

1) Use of brain scans leads to credible, scientific evidence that has high reliability
2) Charles Whitman supports as he killed 16 people and had a tumour pressed against his amygdala

Question 31

Give 2 weaknesses of brain injuries.

Answer 31

1) Can’t establish cause and effect of brain injury leading to criminality due to studies being correlational and so don’t know what they were like before their BI
2) Deterministic as it says that people who receive a brain injury have no control over their emotions and so doesn’t account for free will