Psycholgical Explanations: Eysenck's

Question 1

What are the 3 dimensions personality/ behaviour can be represented on

Answer 1

E: introversion/ extraversion 
N: neuroticism/ stability 
P: psychoticism 
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These all combine to form a variety of personality traits

Question 2

Biological basis

Answer 2

1. Personality comes through nervous system we inherit
2. So criminal personality has an innate biological basis

Extroverts: under-active NS so seek stimulation by risk taking

Neurotic: nervous and jumpy, instability makes hard to predict

Question 3

Criminal personality

Answer 3

1. Neurotic-extravert

2. Also high score on psychotism: unemotional and prone to aggression

Question 4

The role of high E and N on learnt behaviour

Answer 4

1. Crim behaviour demands immediate gratification
2. Normal people taught to delay gratification to be more social
3. High E and N had NS that meant hard to condition antisocial impulses with anxiety

Question 5

How is personality measured

Answer 5

Locates people along E and N as well as P(later on)

Question 6

3 Ao3 points

Answer 6

X

Question 7

Evidence to support from prisoners

Answer 7

1. 2070 male prisoners scores on EPI compared with 2422 controls
2. Prisoners scored higher on all crim dimensions (ENP), prediction of theory

Counter: review of 3 studies found offenders only scored P measure

Question 8

Evidence against biological basis

Answer 8

Against biological basis

Question 9

Cultural bias

Answer 9

1. Studied Hispanic and Afro-America’s in max security prison in NY
2. Found significantly less extroverted than non-criminal controls
3. Cannot generalise Eysencks theory to other cultures