genetic and neural explanation

Question 1

strength research support
Christiansen

Answer 1

Twin studies: over 3500 twin pairs in denmark born between 1880-1910 with ‘offender behavior’ checked against Danish police records.
Findings: Male monozygotic= 35%, dizygotic= 13%
Female monozygotic= 21%, dizygotic= 8%
shows there’s a genetic correlation to some degree.
However, the fact its not 100% in monozygotic suggests there’s other elements involved.

Question 2

strength diathesis stress model
Frazzetto

Answer 2

found a higher level of antisocial aggression and the MAOA-L gene but was only the case in those who had experienced significant trauma before age 15. Those with the gene variant but no trauma did not display the same levels of aggression.

Question 3

weakness twin studies

Answer 3

issues with twin and adoptee evidence identical twins may also be treated the same more than DZ twins. Additionally, many adoptions may have taken place at an older childhood age.

Question 4

strength
Kandel and Freed

Answer 4

Found people with frontal lobe damage tended to show impulsive behavior, emotional instability and an inability to learn from their mistakes.

Question 5

weakness biological determinism

Answer 5

the biological approach suggests that offending behavior is determined by genetic/neural factors which cannot be controlled by the person. So, a person should not be held responsible for a crime. This conflicts with the whole justice system as its punishing people for something they have no control over.