forensic psych lessons 3-8 Flashcards
what is the historical approach to offending
offenders in 1876 were seen as genetic throwbacks and lacked evolutionary development.
what is atavistic form
lambroso argued criminals could be identified by physiological characteristics linked to types of crime
characteristics in atavistic form
narrow sloping brow, strong jawline, high cheekbones, facial symmetry and dark skin
physical characteristics of murderers, sexual deviants and fraudsters respectively
- bloodshot eyes, curly hair and long ears
- glinting eyes, swollen fleshy lips and projecting ears
- thin reedy lips
what did lambroso study to support atavistic form
He examined facial and cranial features of italian convicts. He examined 383 dead and 3839 living and concluded 40% of criminal acts could be found by characteristics
evaluation of atavistic form
ADV: helped shift away from theories based on wickedness and demonic possession and led to biological explanations
DIS: This theory has distinct racist undertones as many of the features such as dark skin and curly hair are of people of African descent and lambroso calls these uncivilised and primitive.
Lambroso did not compare the criminal group to a non criminal control group.
what are genetic explanations for crime
The idea that offenders inherit a gene that leads them to commit crime. psychologist investigated 13 MZ twins and 17 DZ twins and at least one of the twins served prison time. 10 MZ twins both spent time but only 2 DZ twins both spent time
what does polygenic mean in crime
no single gene is responsible for offending, instead many might be responsible which are known as candidate genes
study to support genetic explanations
psychologist conducted genetic analysis of 900 finnish offenders which revealed abnormalities in two genes associated to crime. MAOA which controls dopamine and serotonin. CDH13 which is linked to substance abuse and ADHD. those with this combination of genes were 13 times more likely to be. violent
what is the diathesis stress model
genetics influence criminal behaviour but this is moderated by the effects of the environment. crime can come with genes and biological or psychological triggers such as being raised in a dysfunctional environment
what are neural explanations of crime
there may be neural differences in the brain of criminals compared to non criminals. People with anti social personality disorder is associated with reduced empathy and emotions which criminals also have.
study to support neural explanations of crime
psychologist found 11% reduction of grey matter in pre frontal cortex (which regulate emotional behaviour) of people with APD compared to control group
evaluation of genetic and neural explanations
DIS: concordance rates in MZ twins are not high so there could be other environmental factors. concordance can be due to learning experiences rather than genetics. the term offending behaviour is too vague. These explanations are an example or biological determinism so if people have these criminal genes it is not their fault as they don’t have free will so should they be punished?
what is Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality
the idea that out personality traits come from the type of nervous system we inherit from our parents
according to eysenck what personality traits do offenders have
they are high is neuroticism as they are unstable and unpredictable so difficult to condition.
extroversion as they are impulsive and seek sensation.
psychoticism as they are cold, lack empathy and prone to aggression
evaluation of Eysenck’s theory
DIS: psychologist reviewed several studies and found that offenders tended to score higher in psychoticism but not in extra version and neuroticism when compared to non offenders.
Very simplistic as crime is too complex to be down to a single personality type
what is moral reasoning
the quality of peoples judgement of right and wrong are put into three stages:
pre conventional - person shows concern for self interest and external rewards and punishment
conventional- person does what is expected of them by others
post conventional - person develops more autonomous decision making based on justice
what stage of moral reasoning are offenders at
pre conventional as they are punishment and reward orientated
evaluation of moral reasoning
ADV: psychologists compared moral reasoning
what are the two cognitive distortions
1) hostile attribution bias - when the offender misinterprets social cues and justifies their actions because they feel as though they were provoked.
2) minimalisation - when offenders justify their offence by playing down the significance of their actions
evaluation of cognitive distortions
ADV: understanding the nature of cognitive distortions have proven beneficial in tearing criminal behaviour.
DIS: minimalisation can describe how the offender interprets their actions after the event but doesn’t explain why they offended. cognitive distortions can’t be observed or measured and relies on self report
what is differential association theory
The idea that offending is learnt through socialisation. learning pro criminal behaviours can occur through imitation, vicarious reinforcement, direct reinforcement or direct tuition from criminal peers
evaluation of differential association theory
ADV: DAT offers a more desirable and realistic solution to offending behaviour than eugenics or punishment.
DIS: difficult to test scientifically, most of the evidence to support it is correlational so cause and effect is not established. Not everyone who is exposed to crime commits it so this theory ignored free will
what are the three types of inadequate superego
1) weak superego - if same sex parent is absent in phallic stage then child cannot internalise a fully formed superego as identification can’t occur. as a result offending behaviour is more likely.
2) deviant superego - if the superego that the child internalises has immoral or deviant values then offending behaviour is more likely
3) over harsh superego - a healthy superego has rules but is also forgiving of offending. this person would be crippled by guilt and anxiety so they would perform criminal acts to satisfy the superegos need for punishment
evaluation of inadequate superego
DIS: an assumption is that girls develop a weaker superego than boys so girls should offend more which is not true. There is very little evidence that children without a same sex parent are less law abiding adults. Children raised by deviant parents that commit crime it may be due to genetics rather than deviant superego
