Raine (classic study)

Question 1

Aim: when did the study take place

Answer 1

1997

Question 2

Aim: what was the aim of the study

Answer 2

to use brain scanning technology to identify brain impairments in people charged with murder who pleaded nit guilty by reason of insanity

Question 3

Aim: what did the researchers hypothesise

Answer 3

that there will be dysfunction in areas liked in previous research to violence

Question 4

Aim: what parts of the brain are liked to violence

Answer 4

prefrontal cortex
angular grus
amygdala
hippocampus
thalamus
corpus callosum

Question 5

Method: in the method what did the study look at

Answer 5

2 groups - 41 murderers and 41 non murderers

Question 6

Method: what was the independent variable

Answer 6

whether the person was a murderer or non murderer

Question 7

Method: how where the participants grouped (what method did they use)

Answer 7

matched pairs design

Question 8

Method: what was the dependent variable

Answer 8

glucose metabolism (activity) in specific brain areas

Question 9

Procedure: how many men where in the experimental group

Answer 9

39 men

Question 10

Procedure: how many women where in the experimental group

Answer 10

2 women

Question 11

Procedure: what had the participants in the experimental group been charged with and where had they been charged

Answer 11

murder or manslaughter in california USA

Question 12

Procedure: what where the participants free of in the 2 weeks up to their brain scan

Answer 12

medication

Question 13

Procedure: what did the control participants have

Answer 13

a physical examination and a psychiatric interview

Question 14

Procedure: what where some of the control participants diagnosed with and how many had this diagnosis

Answer 14

6 participants where diagnosed with schizophrenia

they where matched on this characteristic as well

Question 15

Procedure: what type of scan was used

Answer 15

PET scan

Question 16

Procedure: what where the participants given to help show activity in the scan

Answer 16

they where injected with a radioactive tracer to light up brain metabolism on the scanner

Question 17

Procedure: what was the name of the task that the participants did

Answer 17

a continuous performance task (CPT)

Question 18

Procedure: what did the task involve

Answer 18

identifying targets on a screen and pressing a button

Question 19

Procedure: how long was this task done for after the injection

Answer 19

32 minutes

Question 20

Procedure: how many images did the scan take after the task

Answer 20

10 images through the brain at 10 mm intervals

Question 21

Findings: what where the findings in the cortical regions for the murderers

Answer 21

murderers had significantly lower glucose metabolism than controls in the

• lateral and medial prefrontal areas
• left angular gyrus
• left and right superior parietal areas

showed a higher metabolism than controls in the occipital lobe

Question 22

Findings: what where the findings in the subcortical regions

Answer 22

murderers had lower glucose metabolism in

• corpus callosum
• left amygdala
• left medial temporal lobe (including hippocampus)

murderers had greater activity in

• right amygdala
• right temporal lobe
• right thalamus

Question 23

what did raine et al conclude

Answer 23

• that murderers pleading not guilty by NGRI have different brain activity from people who are non violent offenders