Paper 3 - Forensic Psychology - Psychological Approach Flashcards
Define psychotic
someone who is insensitive, unconventional and lacks conscience
Define neurotic
someone who is nervous, anxious and obsessive
Define extrovert
someone who is sociable, impulsive, expressive and risk taking
Define introvert
cautious and happy in their own company
What is the main study in this field?
The Eysenck Personality Inventory
When was Eysenck Personality Inventory created?
1947
What is scaffolding of Eysenck’s personality theory?
the Eysenck personality inventory, a form of psychological test which locates respondents along the E and N dimensions to determine their personality type
He hypothesised that there is a criminal personality
Where on the Eysenck’s inventory would a criminal hypothetically be?
High E and N (not P as p isn’t on the INVENTORY)
What are the 3 different bits of Eysenck’s theory?
Biological basis
Criminal personality
Socialisation
Explain the biological basis of Eysenck’s theory?
The theory suggests that all personality types have an innate biological basis.
Extraverts (underactive nervous system) so constantly seek excitement and risk-taking behaviours
Introverts (overactive nervous system) so withdraw from too much stimulation.
Explain the biological basis with extroverts
Extraverts (underactive nervous system) so constantly seek excitement and risk-taking behaviours
What is neuroticism biologically linked to?
linked to instability in the sympathetic nervous system
What is psychotism linked to?
higher levels of testosterone indicates high levels of aggression and unpredictability (APD) traits, lack of empathy, risky behaviour, flat mood and unpredictability
Explain the criminal personality bit of Eysenck’s theory?
Criminals will score highly in psychoticism
Neurotic-extravert personality type
More likely to commit crimes based on emotion and will seek dangerous activities.
When may the difference in levels of neuroticism and extrorevtism be important?
It was also said in the study that:
- neuroticism= good indicator of criminal behaviour in older people
- Extraversion= younger people
What are the 2 types socialisation when should they occur?
Primary - at home
Secondary at primary school
What is the socialisation process?
The socialisation process is that at home you learn how to socialise (primary) and that as primary school you learn how to socialise with other people (secondary)
What is delayed gratification?
Delayed gratification is when we are able to ignore our urges to get instant gratification in order to get gratification latter (eg marshmallow test)
What was Eysenck’s theory approach to socialisation?
Part of Eyseneck Personality Inventory is that if we aren’t socialised properly (we don’t have proper delayed gratification we are more likely to commit a crime
What type of people did Eysenck say would have poor socialisation?
High N and E people
Why did Eysenck say that some people would have problems in delayed gratification?
Eyensnick said that people with high E and N are more likely to have bad delayed gratification (as they won’t learn to associate antisocial behaviour with negative consequences) gratification and as a result they are more likely tp be more impulsive and commit crime to get what they want straight away
What is the positive evaluation for Eysenck’s personality thoery?
Experimental evidence for
What are the negative evaluations of Eysenck’s personality theory?
Experimental evidence against
Single criminal type
Cultural bias
Methodological issues
Biological basis
Explanation power
Explain the positive evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Experimental evidence for
Eysenck and Eysenck (1977)
Compared 2070 male prisoners scores on EPI with 2422 male controls.
They were sub-divided into age groups ranging from 16-69 years
Across all age groups prisoners recorded higher scores than controls for P, E and N
Rushton and Christjohn (1981) compared E, N and P scores with self-reports of delinquency in children and students.
- High levels of delinquency = higher E, P and N scores
Explain the negative evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Experimental evidence against
Farrington et al. (1982) – meta-analysis
■ Offenders reported high on P measures but not E and N.
■ Little difference in EEG measures between introverts and extroverts.
■ Research depends on the type of measurement used.
■ Official offenders (Hollin, 1989) – high in psychoticism and neuroticism but low in extraversion
■ Putwain and Sammons (2002) suggested that results are inconsistent as extroversion scales measure two things: sociability and impulsiveness. Criminality is associated with impulsiveness but not sociability.
What do extrovert scales measure?
Sociability and impulsivness
Explain the negative evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Single Crime Type
■ Criticised for focusing on a particular criminal personality type.
■ Mofitt (1993) - variations depending upon timing of first offence and how long offending persists (adult male prisoners).
How was Eysenck’s theory improved?
■ Digman (1990) –Five factor model: updated model of personality – included further dimensions of openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
Explain the negative evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Cultural bias
Bartol and Holanchock (1979)
• Studied Hispanic and African-American prisoners in a high-
security prison.
• 6 groups – based on criminal history.
• Compared against a non-criminal control group.
• All found to be less extravert than a non- criminal control
group.
Explain the negative evaluation to Eysenck’s personality theory: Methodological issues
■ Personalities are not stable entities that can be tested.
■ Not reducible to a score
■ Mischel (1988) it can change depending on the situation we are in and who we are with.
Explain the negative evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Biological Basis
■ Suffers from same limitations as genetic and neural explanations.
■ APD: Raine (1997/2000) brain structures and functions
■ Eysenck – nervous system
It is biologically deterministic
(it is a deterministic approach and ignoring other influences)
Explain the negative evaluation of Eysenck’s personality theory: Explanatory power
The theory can identify child abusers and rapist but doesn’t explain why they do these acts
A good theory can explain why so that we can try and help the potential offender to not offend and stop the crime
