Eysenck-EVAL. Flashcards
one STRENGTH of eysenck theory is that there is research support.
research by eysenck and eysenck pared 2070 MALE prisoners scores on EPI with 2422 MALE control based on ages 16-69 on measures of psychoticism, neuroticism and across ALL age grops the PRISONERS recorded HIGHER sores.
this therefore supports the theory s it does suggests high cores on these 2= criminal
it’s also a LARGE sample which has HIGH pop.validity ad represents support for eysenck very well in MALES.
WEAKNESS: androcentricism, only MALES would be a BETA BIAS if we generalised it back to women.
HOWEVER there is CONTRADICTORY research which suggests offenders score high on PSYCHOICISM but not E or N CONSISTENTLY.
this casts DOUBT on the theory and perhaps psychoticism is MORE important than the others.
one ISSUE with eysenck theory is that it has CULTURE bias.
study on Hispanic and African-american offenders divided into 6 groups based on criminal HISTORY and offence. Found ALL 6 groups were less EXTRAVERT than a NON criminal control group,
this was suggested because sample was of a different CULTURAL group compared to eysencks.
this is therefore ETHONOCENTRIC as he assumes that his theory is the CORRECT one and tries to APPLY it elsewhere. This is an ISSUE as it could lead to an IMPOSED etic if we try to TRANSFER it from one culture to another.
therefore eysencks theory is CULTURE BOUND and may NOT generalise well to other countries co can only explain criminality in his OWN culture but NOT others or it wold create a BETA BIAS.
one LIMITATION of eysencks thoery is that it is BIO reductionist and DETERMINISTIC.
BIO reductionist as it REDUCES criminality down to just BIo drive personality traits which may MISS other important factors e.g. cognitive.
therefore an INTERACTIOIST approach should be used instead.
Bio deterministic because it suggests that we have NO free-will as our criminality will be DETERMINED for us by our biologically driven personality which we have NO control over.
this is PROBLEMATIC as it is at ODDS with out JUDICILAL SYSTEM as we convict people based n the fact we think we’re RESPONSIBLE for our own actions.
one ISSUE is that the way the personality test is MEASURED by eysenck the eysenck personality questionnaire.
this is a QUANTIFIABLE Measure which could be a POSITIVE in terms of being able to measure personality and see ow it DIFFERS from the rest of the population.
HOWEVER, question of whether we can MEASURE personality at all. Some believe that it doesn’t even EXIST and also, would be suggested that it’s too COMPLEX an dynamic to be QUANTIFIED.
therefore this ?’s the VALIDITY of the measure, are we really measuring criminal minds like we intended to. If NOT this questions the ENTIRETY of eysenck’s theory.
