Neuropsychology of Offending W/3

Question 1

Are people criminals through no fault of their own?

Answer 1

→ People differ in a range of characteristics, some characteristics are associated with criminal behavior and some of these characteristics are more likely to be evident in people with particular anatomical or functional abnormalities in the brain.

Question 2

Can criminality result from physiological differences in the brain?

Answer 2

→ To find someone guilty they must be ‘criminally responsible’ by being proven that the accused committed the offense, and the accused was aware that what they were doing was an offense.

Question 3

What is Psychopathy?

Answer 3

→ Psychopathy, is a disorder characterized in part by shallow emotional responses, lack of empathy, impulsivity, and an increased likelihood for antisocial behavior” (Anderson & Kiehl, 2014).

Question 4

What are the two factors the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), looks at?

Answer 4

1- Interpersonal/Affective

2- Lifestyle/Social Deviance

Question 5

What is Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)?

Answer 5

→ Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others

Question 6

What is Conduct Disorder (CD)?

Answer 6

→ Conduct Disorder (CD), is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate social norms or rules are violated.

Question 7

What are the 3 Psychological Risk Factors?

Answer 7

1- Prenatal risk factors (emerge during pregnancy)

2- Perinatal risk factors (emerge during birth)

3- Postnatal risk factors (emerge throughout life)

Question 8

What causes Prenatal risk factors?

Answer 8

→ Minor Physical Abnormalities (MPAs) (e.g.curved fingers) show evidence of being associated with heightened aggressive behavior (Waldrop et al., 1978).

→ MPAs can be caused by genetic heritability, maternal smoking, or maternal alcoholic consumption

Question 9

What causes Perinatal risk factors?

Answer 9

→ Can be caused by ‘Trauma’ (e.g. premature birth) or, complications at birth that lead to a mother-child relationship being negative (Liu et al,. 2009)

Question 10

What causes Postnatal risk factors?

Answer 10

→ Can be caused by poor nutrition, which can impair brain function and cause externalizing behaviors such as highly active and aggressive behavior.

→ Disorganized attachment can also increase hostility towards children (Lyons-Ruth et al., 1993).

Question 11

What are the 3 areas connected within the Limbic system, that link between the physical composition of the brain and social behavior?

Answer 11

1- Amygdala (part of temporal lobes)

2- Orbital prefrontal cortex (OPFC)

3- Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

Question 12

What is the Amygdala responsible for?

Answer 12

→ It is responsible for the control of response to fear, emotional response to experiences/emotional dimensions of memory, and regulation of sexual drive. (i.e. ‘emotional’)

Question 13

What is the Orbital prefrontal cortex responsible for?

Answer 13

→ It is responsible for Inhibition (knowing when not to harm), analysis of social events (empathy with others) and control of impulsive/repetitive behavior. (i.e. ‘cognitive’)

Question 14

What is the Anterior cingulate cortex responsible for?

Answer 14

→ It is responsible for behavioral planning, error detection, reward-based learning, and control/experience of pain. (i.e. ‘affective’ processing)

Question 15

What is the Fear Dysfunctioning Hypothesis?

Answer 15

→ Fear Dysfunctioning Hypothesis, assumes that punishment is the key to ‘moral socialization.

Question 16

what limits Fear Dysfunctioning Hypothesis

Answer 16

→ Fear Dysfunctioning Hypothesis does not deter, nor reduce recidivism for psychopaths through punishment because it doesn’t tackle underlying problems.