Topic 2 biological theories of crime Flashcards
what biological factors influence the way we behave
testosterone levels
physical features
pre birth issues
having no fear
brain development
what is evidence
observations provide evidence for the theory and pieces of evidence support the theory
what are the 2 physiological theories
lombrosso and the criminal man
sheldon and somatotypes
what are the 2 genetic theories
XXY syndrome
twin and adoption studies
what does physiological mean
refers to someones physical appearance and form
what was lombrossos theory
criminals can be identified through physical features
describe atavism in lombrosso
(core knowledge)
used to describe things that are an evolutionary throwback
associated with an ancient ancestor and having ape like feautres
pre social, unable to control impulses, reduced sensitivity to pain
what is the born criminal theory of lombrosso
(expanded knowledge)
features are inherited and passed down meaning people are born criminals
long arms, large teeth, ears lacking lobes, curly hair
what is the evidence for lombrosso
1876 lombrosso studied 3839 alive and 383 dead criminals
studied skull sizes, height, arm span, size of hands
found that 40% of criminals where accounted for by physical characteristics
high cheeckbone, heavy jaw, receding chin
what is sheldon and somatotypes about
how individuals are categorised based on body shapes
what does Sheldon say are the 3 body types
( core knowledge)
endomorph
mesomorph
ectomorph
what body type did Sheldon say are more likely criminals
predicted mesomorphs are more likely criminals due to high testosterone which correlates with high aggression
describe endomorphs
(expanded knowledge)
wide hips, relaxed and comfortable
lots of body fat
lots of fat on upper arms and thighs
slim wrists and ankles
describe ectomorphs
(expanded knowledge)
self conscious, fragile, thoughtful
narrow shoulders and hips
thin face and high forehead
thin legs and arms
little muscle or body fat
what is the evidence for somatotypes and criminality
examined a sample of photos of 200 males college students and 200 male delinquents
split into standard delinquent and criminal delinquent
rated 1-7 on metamorphic builds
criminals and delinquents had a higher average metamorphic build rating(4.6 and 5.4) than college students (3.8)
what does chromosomal abnormalities suggest
XYY syndrome makes people ‘supermales’
describe chromosomal abnormalities
(core knowledge)
there can be a problem with sperm production and a male can end up with an extra y chromosome
this is known as XYY syndrome
describe chromosomal abnormalities
(expanded knowledge)
price et al explained XYY are described as supermales
these males are highly aggressive
males with XYY commit extreme offences
what is the evidence for XYY and criminality and who conducted the results
Results by Jacob et al
men with XYY had higher aggression so there was a link between XYY and criminality
people with XYY are found more in prison than in general population
15 from 1000 men in prison had XYY
1 XYY case from 1000 people in the general public
what does twin research suggest
2 types of twins monozygotic and dizygotic
monozygotic are identical and share 100% of genes
dizygotic are non identical twins and share 50% of genes
describe twin studies
(core knowledge)
concordance is how much agreement there is between 2 factors and this can be used when talking about twins
high concordance- both similar
low concordance-they are different
concordance rate is higher in monozygotic twins
what is the evidence of twin research
3586 sets of twins where studied
main results where 35% concordance rate with Mz twins and a 13% concordance rate with Dz twins
who conducted twin research
Christensen
describe mesomorphs
broad shoulders and narrow hips
large head
muscular body
strong forearms and thighs
very little body fat
