psychological theories

Question 1

Name 3 key studies to explain psychological theories of criminality

Answer 1

Bandura

Freud

Eysenck

Question 2

Assumptions of individualistic Theories of crime

Answer 2

Crime is caused by individual differences based on personality types or experiences that people have

The root of crime is in an individual’s psychological make up or the development processes that they have experienced

Question 3

What was Albert Bandura’s theory of criminality?

Answer 3

Social Learning Theory (SLT)

Question 4

What was Eysenck’s theory of criminality

Answer 4

Personality theory

Question 5

What was Freud’s theory of criminality?

Answer 5

Psychodynamic Theory

Question 6

What is Social Learning theory (SLT)

Answer 6

People learn through watching the behaviour of others. They observe how other behaviour is rewarded or punished. This is called vicarious reinforcement.

Question 7

What did Bandura’s experiment show

Answer 7

If children watch adults gaining pleasure from an activity such as beating up a Bobo doll (or being punished for doing it), they will either repeat or reject their behaviour.

His experiment showed that aggression can be learned from observing others behave in an aggressive manner

Question 8

What is Theory of Criminal personality?

Answer 8

There are 3 dimensions of personality. which have a biological basis

Neuroticism (N): Moody anxious, aggressive
associated with dysfunctional limbic system

Psychoticism (P): Lack of empathy remorse or guilt - associated with higher levels of testosterone

Extrovertism (E): Active, impulsive, outgoing - associated with lower level of arousal

Some personalities are more likely to commit crime than others.

Question 9

How is neuroticism associated with criminal behaviour

Answer 9

Neuroticism has been associated with a dysfunctional limbic system which cannot regulate responses to stress.

This can lead to overreacting with violence in scenarios where it’s not needed.

Therefore people who are high in N are more likely to commit acts such as violent crime due to the moody, aggressive, overreactive behaviour.

Question 10

How is Psychoticism associated with criminal behaviour

Answer 10

Eysenck said the Psychoticism is associated with higher levels of testosterone. He stated that Psychoticism comes with a lack of empathy remorse or guilt which leads to a decrease in resisting factors that would stop the average person from commiting crimes. Therefore these traits enhance the likelihood of committing criminal behaviour.

Question 11

How is Extrovertism associated with criminal behaviour

Answer 11

Extrovertism has been associated with lower levels of arousal. This means that extroverts have to actively seek more energising activities to be on par with introverts level of arousal. Therefore, they tend to be more likely to participate in criminal activity due to low levels of arousal and high levels of impulsivity.

Question 12

What is the psychodynamic theory of criminality?

Answer 12

Freud states that all humans have innate drives (ID) that could lead to criminal tendencies.

Children will automatically have an ego when they are born. If they aren’t brought up with their same sex parent, they will not develop their superego which is responsible for caring about other people’s needs.

This could lead to criminal behaviour because they have a lack empathy and become impulsive when they want something (similar to how children behave).

Question 13

What does genetic theories assume about criminal behaviour

Answer 13

We inherit certain genes that predispose us to criminal behaviour

Question 14

What gene did Brunner research?

Answer 14

The MAOA gene on the Dutch Family

Question 15

What has the MAOA gene been associated with

Answer 15

An increase in aggressive or violent behaviour

Question 16

What did Brunner’s research on the dutch family show?

Answer 16

The behaviours of participants repeated episodes of aggressive and sometimes violent behaviour, sleep disturbances and night terrors, inappropriate sexual behaviour towards sisters and female relatives, arson (setting things on fire)

Question 17

A clinical examination of mentally retarded males ( in the Dutch family) was conducted. Only one of them completed primary education. What did the DNA analysis show of these affected males?

Answer 17

All of them had showed genetic mutilations in the genes producing MAOA

Question 18

MAOA breaks down and removes 3 neurotransmitters

Answer 18

NORADRENALINE - controls arousal

DOPAMINE - emotional arousal

SEROTONIN - mood balance

Question 19

A decreased level of MAOA will lead to excess levels of these transmitters - what could this contribute to?

Answer 19

Anti-social behaviour

Question 20

What is the conclusion of Brunner’s study

Answer 20

Brunner concluded that this deficit resulted in a behavioural phenotype that accounted for the aggression and lack of self control.

Question 21

How would you evaluate Brunner’s study on the Dutch Family

Answer 21

Not all males within the family were affected with violent behaviour; even if the did suffer mental retardation.

This was a unique case study focused on one family, there results cannot be easily generalised

Question 22

Who did Crowe study?

Answer 22

Adopted children who had biological criminal parent

Question 23

What crowe’s study conclude?

Answer 23

50% more likely to have a criminal record by 18.

Those adopted whose biological mother was not a criminal had a 5% percent risk.

Question 24

What was Lombroso’s theory about

Answer 24

The Atavistic Form

Question 25

What is the Atavistic Form

Answer 25

An early biological explanation which proposed that criminals are a subhuman species of genetic throwbacks that cannot conform to the rules of modern society. Such individuals are distinguishable by particular facial and cranial characteristics. (nature not nurture explanation)

Question 26

What did lombroso claim there a physical difference between (specialist terminology)

Answer 26

Homo delinquents (criminals)

and Homo Sapiens (non-criminals)

Question 27

What list of physical atavistic stigmata where there?

Answer 27

Large jaws, forward projection of jaw

Low sloping forehead

High cheekbones

Flattened upturned nose (thieves)

Hawk like nose (murderers)

Dark curly hair

Dark skin

Question 28

What was lombroso’s assumption on criminality

Answer 28

It’s innate physiological characteristics can cause someone to be a criminal

Question 29

How did lombroso conduct his experiments

Answer 29

Lombroso based his theory using post-mortem examinations of criminals and studying the faces of living criminals

Anthropometry: the measurement of humans

Question 30

What was lombroso’s evidence

Answer 30

Over the course of his career, 50,000 bodies were examined

In one study of 383 convicted italian criminals

21% had 1 atavistic trait

43% had at least 5

Question 31

What was Kretshmer’s theory of criminality

Answer 31

Somatotypes (body types)

Question 32

what were the 4 somatotypes that Kretshmer identified

Answer 32

Leptosome (tall and thin) - petty thieves

Athletic (tall and muscular) - violent crime

Pyknic (short and fat) - deception

Dysplastic (more than one type) - crimes against mortality

Question 33

What was Sheldon’s 3 Body shapes about criminality?

Answer 33

Endomorphic - (fat and soft) tend to be sociable and relaxed

Ectomorphic - (thin and fragile) are introverted and restrained

Mesomorphic (muscular and hard) tend to be aggressive and adventurous.

Question 34

What were Sheldon’s findings for mesomorphic and ectomorphic

Answer 34

Many convicts were mesomorphic, and they were least likely to be ectomorphic.

Question 35

How would you positively evaluate Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 35

He effectively found forensic psychology/criminology

He rejected the classical view of criminal behaviour was due to free will of the individual

Development of a more scientific and deterministic approach to studying criminal behaviour

Question 36

How would you negatively evaluate Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 36

1 No control group, therefore he couldn’t compare his results to non-criminals. If he did, he may have found no significant difference

E.G. Goring (1913) compared 3000 criminals with non-criminals found no significant differences

2 Early misunderstanding of evolution. It’s about adaptation, not progress to higher forms of life. These views were held by social darwinists that eventuaally developed into certain aspects of Hitler’s Narzi Ideology

Question 37

What is neural explanations for criminality

Answer 37

The role of brain abnormalities and neurotransmitters

Question 38

What happened with Phineas Gage

Answer 38

He ended up with a pole through his skull resulting in brain damage. This lead a number of behavioural and personality changes.

Question 39

What did Adrian Raine find with psychopaths and murderers in terms of neural explanations.

Answer 39

71 brain imaging studies showed that murderers and psychopaths have reduced functioning in the prefrontal cortex involved in emotional responses, attention and behaviour and judgment. This resulted in activity associated with impulsiveness and loss of control.

Question 40

What did Raine (1977) find with murderers who were found guilty due to insanity

Answer 40

They found that they had asymmetries in their limbic systems particularly in the amygdala

Question 41

What is Raine’s theory about the prefrontal lobe and male teenages

Answer 41

Prefrontal lobe develops relatively late, sometimes not fully developed until early 20s. This may explain peak in antisocial behaviour by male teenagers.

There is a correlation between teenagers with antisocial tendencies and either slow maturation of frontal lobe or damage to prefrontal lobe.

Question 42

What were Seo et al (2008) findings with serotonin?

Answer 42

Low levels can lead to aggression

Question 43

What can very high or low levels of Noradrenaline

Answer 43

High or low levels of noradrenaline can be associated with aggression.

High levels activate the fight or flight response

Low levels reduce ability to perceive threats.