genetic adoption studies

Question 1

Who did the adoption studies?

Answer 1

Mednick et al

Question 2

Overall summary of the adoption studies:

Answer 2

They compared children to their adoptive parents and their biological parents, these tested for a genetic cause of crime. Could be linked to the Cambridge study, which talks about the criminal gene being inherited. The child would share genes with the birth parents but the environment from the adoptive parents.

Question 3

Sample size for adoption study:

Answer 3

Mednick examined data on over 14,000 adopted sons in Denmark

Question 4

Findings for the adoption study:

Answer 4

20% concordance rate for birth parents, more likely to have a criminal record if the birth parents did.
14.7% concordance rate for adopted parents

Question 5

Strength: why is it easy to separate biology to the environment with this study?

Answer 5

Adopted children are exposed to a different environment to their biological family, and the genes will only ever belong to birth parents. Therefore it is easier to separate genetic and environmental factors

Question 6

Weakness: why is being placed in similar environments to birth parents a problem ?

Answer 6

If adopted children are placed in the same environment as their birth family it may produce similar behaviour, making it hard to separate the two factors

Question 7

Weakness: can the age of adoption have an impact?

Answer 7

If they’re adopted later on, it may mean that the adopted children have already been influenced by either their birth parents or any fostered environment. This could affect their behaviour in the sense you can’t figure out which caused it