Raine et al. Flashcards
What was the aim of this study?
To see whether criminals who had pleaded NGRI would show brain dysfunctions in areas of the brain associated with violence
What was the sample used?
2 groups of 41 participants (39 men and 2 women in each group). One group was the NGRI group and the other a control group
What were the NGRI and control group matched on?
Age and gender
What was the procedure?
- All participants had to remain medication free for up to 2 weeks prior
- Control group had tests done beforehand (e.g. psychiatric tests)
- Stared at a blurred number for 10 minutes
- Injected with FDG
- Stared for a further 32 minutes
- PET scan carried out to look at brain activity
What were the results?
in the NGRI group compared to the control group there was:
- Lower activity in the prefrontal cortex
- Higher activity in the occipital lobe
- Lower activity in the corpus callosum
What is the conclusion of the study?
Brain dysfunction in the NGRI group were in areas associated with violent behaviours
What did damage to the hippocampus reveal in terms of retribution?
That criminals cannot learn from punishment so should receive an alternative sentence
Is Raine generalisable?
Yes because:
- Large sample for criminals
- Men and women used
- Two groups matched based on characteristics
However, it was still a relatively small sample
Is Raine reliable?
Yes because:
- Simple repeatable task
- PET scans = reliable
However, the exact same sample could not be gathered again
Is Raine applicable?
Yes because it can be applied to the criminal justice system
Is Raine valid?
Yes because it was a lab experiment = high internal validity
However:
- Lab experiment = low ecological validity
- Unsure whether findings are due to biology or extraneous variables (e.g. upbringing)
Is Raine ethical?
Yes because no harm came to anybody, however it could be argued criminals were not fit to give informed consent
