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forensic psychology > What makes a criminal? > Flashcards

What makes a criminal? Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two types of explanations of criminal behavior?

A

Non- physiological explanations and physiological explanations

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2
Q

What is a non- physiological explanation?

A

Self-fulfilling prophecy

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3
Q

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A

Based on the assumption that criminal behaviors are acquired through the social environment.

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4
Q

What does a SFP suggest about labeling?

A

Society labels the deviant as a criminal

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5
Q

What happens when a criminal is labelled?

A

The individual is treated by society as a criminal and it becomes a part of their identity.

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6
Q

Who researched into a SFP?

A

Jahoda

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7
Q

Who did Jahoda research into?

A

Ashanti tribe in West Africa.

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8
Q

What did the tribe believe believe?

A

The day the child is born on is thought to determine the boy’s temperament.

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9
Q

Example of names?

A

Boys born on Monday are expected to be placid (not easily upset) and boys born on Wednesday are suppose to be aggressive.

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10
Q

Findings of Jahoda’s study?

A

police records show there are higher numbers of arrests of boys born on Wednesday compared to a low number for those born on a Monday.

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11
Q

Another non-physiological explanation is…

A

Social cognition.

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12
Q

What is a key concept of social cognition and what does it mean?

A

Attribution- explanation of behavior.

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13
Q

What is a self-serving Bias?

A

A persons tendency to attribute their successes to themselves and their failings to something else.

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14
Q

What are criminals therefore more likely to make and what is this?

A

Make situational attributions for their own behavior like blaming rape on what a women was wearing.

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15
Q

Who researched into a self serving bias?

A

Scully and Marolla.

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16
Q

Who did Scully and Marolla research?

A

Interviewed 114 convicted rapists

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17
Q

What did Scully and Marolla found?

A

40% of offenders blamed the victim, portraying her as a willing seductress. 60% blamed it on alcohol or drugs, shifting the blame elsewhere.

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18
Q

What is a Physiological explanation of Criminal Behavior?

A

Chemical imbalances.

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19
Q

What was there a link between? (chemically)

A

A link between hormones such as testosterone and offending behavior.

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20
Q

Who looked into chemical imbalances?

A

Dabbs

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21
Q

Who did Dabbs study?

A

692 adult male prison inmates, who had their testosterone levels measured by a saliva sample.

22
Q

What did Dabbs find?

A

Inmates who had committed personal crimes of sex and violence had higher levels of testosterone than inmates who committed property crimes of theft, burglary or drugs. They also violated more rules in prison.

23
Q

What is another physiological explanation of criminal behaviors?

A

Brain dysfunctions.

24
Q

What is brain dysfunction?

A

Where there is an abnormality within the brain that encourages criminal behaviors.

25
Q

Who researched into brain abnormalities and is the key piece of research?

A

Raine

26
Q

What was the aim of Raine’s research?

A

To use PET scans to investigate whether there are brain abnormalities in murderers who plead NGRI in comparison to non murderers.

27
Q

What was Raine’s sample?

A

41(39 males and 2 females) charged with murder in the state of California who are pleading guilty due to reasons of insanity.

28
Q

Who were Raine’s sample compared to?

A

A control group of 41, matched on age, gender and mental illness who had no criminal history. 6 had schizophrenia in the both the control group and the sample.

29
Q

Why were Raine’s sample referred to the imaging centre?

A

For legal reasons to obtain evidence for defense that they did not have the capacity to understand the judicial process.

30
Q

What was a control and standardised prior to the scan? (Raine)

A

Kept medication free for two weeks before

31
Q

What happened during Raine’s investigation?

A

Ppts were injected with a glucose tracer and worked in continuous performance tasks based around target recognition for 32 minuets.

32
Q

What was found about the Prefrontal and Parietal areas?

A

NGRI had low levels of activity in these areas.

33
Q

What are the prefrontal and parietal areas associated with?

A

Having a loss of self-control and altered emotions as well as lower verbal ability leading to educational failures earlier on in life.

34
Q

What was found in the Limbic system ( amygdala and hippocampus)

A

NGRI had less activity on the left side and more activity on the right side, compared to the control group.

35
Q

What is the Limbic system associated with?

A

Causes a lack of inhibition for violent behaviors, fearlessness and a failure to learn the negative effects of violence.

36
Q

What conclusions can be made from Raine’s findings?

A

Some specific physiological processes may pre-dispose some criminals to violent behaviors. Although, it is not biology alone that causes criminal behaviors and it can be considered as part of an upbringing or an experience.

37
Q

What is the medication used which is used to treat sex offenders and prevent recidivism?

A

Pharmacotherapy.

38
Q

What does pharmacotherapy chemically do?

A

Chemically it castrates someone which is not permanent and less invasive.

39
Q

What do the drugs do? (pharmacotherapy)

A

They reduce abnormally excessive sex drives and sexual desires which affects levels of testosterone.

40
Q

An example of a Pharmacotherapy and what it does?

A

MPA, it prevents the production of testosterone, which leads to a reduction in sexual arousal and prevents sexual assaults or rapes.

41
Q

What does MPA’s also impact which can lead to the benefit of further treatment down the line.

A

The medication reduces anger levels making the criminals more likely to concentrate and take part in CBT or psychotherapy.

42
Q

Who was the researcher into pharmacotherapy?

A

Maletzky.

43
Q

What did Maletzky investigate into?

A

The first 4 years of a program involving the use of MPA with sexual offenders.

44
Q

Who was Maletzky’s sample?

A

Of 134 sexual offenders from Oregan USA, 79 were deemed as suitable to have the treatment.

45
Q

What was found in Maletzky’s study?

A

Those receiving the treatment were significantly less likely to re offend sexually and non of the 79 men returned to prison.

46
Q

What is a second biological strategy to prevent criminal behavior?

A

Using Pet scans and Omega 3 supplements.

47
Q

Why is Omega 3 so important for criminals to take especially?

A

Our body cannot produce our own essential fatty acids and O3 helps with the elasticity of the nerve cell membranes to help signals pass through, which can reduce anger and aggression levels.

48
Q

Who looked into Omega 3 and the effects it has on prisoners?

A

Aylesbury Youth Offends Prison.

49
Q

Who did Aylesbury youth offenders prison study?

A

231 prisoners taking a supplement for 3 months or a placebo, which was blind for all.

50
Q

What were the prisons findings?

A

Saw violence within the prison fall by 37%, whereas those in the placebo group remained substantially unchanged.

forensic psychology (3 decks)

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