Forensic Psychology - 5. Biological Explanations: 3. Neural Explanations Flashcards

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1
Q

What does the neural explanation explain?

A

Explains how structures of the brain may be different in criminals

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2
Q

Example of how differences in neurotransmitter levels can make someone more drawn to criminality

A

High levels of noradrenaline have been linked to violent behaviour

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3
Q

Which psychology is associated with the neural explanation?

A

Adrian Raine

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4
Q

What had most criminals in Raine’s studies been diagnosed with?

A

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)

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5
Q

What did Raine discover about the brains of people with APD?

A

They have reduced brain activity in the prefrontal cortex

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6
Q

What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?

A

The regulation of emotions and behaviour

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7
Q

Characteristics of individuals with APD?

A

They find it difficult to control their impulses and don’t suffer from guilt or remorse

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8
Q

What did Raine et al measure in their 2000 study for the neural explanation of crime?

A

The volume of the prefrontal grey and white matter in the brains of 21 people with ADP and 21 people without it measured using an MRI

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9
Q

How did Raine et al measure the autonomic activity of his 42 participants?

A

Measured autonomic activity through the measuring of their heart rate and skin concordance (associated with fight or flight) while they were put in a stressful situation

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10
Q

Results of Raine et al’s study

A

A reduced amount of grey matter (11%) was found in the prefrontal area for the APD group in comparison to the control group

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11
Q

Autonomic activity

A

Fight or flight response

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12
Q

Other than a reduction of grey matter, what did the APD group in Raine et al’s study show?

A

A reduced autonomic response during the stressful situation in comparison to the control group

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13
Q

Positive evaluation of Raine et al’s study

A

Supports the neural explanation as it shows that some individuals commit violent crimes due to neural conditions

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14
Q

Positive evaluation of the neural explanation

A

Scientific and objective

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15
Q

Negative evaluation of the neural explanation: nature vs. nurture

A

Having different brain activity doesn’t necessarily cause criminal behaviour. There are a number of other factors (E.g. environmental factors) which may increase the chance of criminal behaviour (is crime a result of nature of nurture?)

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16
Q

Negative evaluation of the neural explanation: biological determinism

A

Suggests we don’t have any free will as our behaviour is being determined by the structure of our brain and that we cannot override biology