Intro- Theories of crime

What is forensic and investigative psychology?

The application of psychology within the legal and criminal justice system to understand crime, assist investigations, and help create safer communities.

What are the three levels of crime explanation?

Micro (individual), Meso (group/community), and Macro (societal).

What are Lombroso's three categories of criminals?

Born criminals, insane criminals, and criminaloids.

What physical characteristics did Lombroso associate with criminals?

Narrow forehead, low skull, drooped eyelids, large ears, absent incisors, abnormal ribs, and long arms.

What is a major criticism of Lombroso's theory?

It lacked scientific rigour and was highly deterministic.

What do twin studies suggest about criminal behaviour?

Genetics may contribute to criminality because identical twins show higher concordance rates than non-identical twins.

What did Cloninger et al. (1978) find?

Concordance rates of 0.70 for monozygotic twins and 0.40 for dizygotic twins.

Why are adoption studies useful in criminality research?

They help separate genetic influences from shared environmental influences.

What did Mednick et al. (1994) find?

Adopted children's criminal convictions were related to biological parents but not adoptive parents.

What limitation did Mednick et al. identify?

The genetic relationship was mainly found for property crime rather than violent crime.

What is the XYY chromosome hypothesis?

The idea that males with an extra Y chromosome may be more prone to criminal behaviour because the Y chromosome was associated with masculinity and aggression.

What is a criticism of the XYY hypothesis?

Any relationship may be due to lower intelligence and increased likelihood of detection rather than aggression itself.

What did Wolf et al. (2015) find in psychopaths?

Reduced fractional anisotropy in the right uncinate fasciculus.

What aspects of psychopathy were linked to brain abnormalities?

Superficial charm, grandiosity, pathological lying, and manipulation.

How can frontal lobe damage affect behaviour?

It can cause disinhibition, irritability, grandiosity, and antisocial behaviour.

What did Williams et al. (2015) find about traumatic brain injury?

It is approximately three times more common in violent offenders.

What is a limitation of brain injury research?

Correlation does not prove causation.

According to Freud, what are the three parts of personality?

Id, Ego, and Superego.

What is the Id?

The unconscious part of personality driven by basic impulses.

What is the Ego?

The rational part that mediates between the Id and Superego.

What is the Superego?

The moral component of personality.

According to Freud, what causes criminal behaviour?

A faulty superego.

What are the three types of faulty superego?

Weak superego, deviant superego, and strong/over-harsh superego.

Who developed attachment theory?

John Bowlby.

What did Bowlby argue about early attachment?

Secure attachment is essential for healthy emotional and social development.

What did Bowlby's 44 Juvenile Thieves study investigate?

The relationship between early maternal separation and delinquency.

What did Bowlby find in the 44 Juvenile Thieves study?

Many affectionless psychopaths had experienced maternal separation before age three.

What is a criticism of Bowlby's study?

It relied on retrospective reports and cannot establish causality.

What is behaviourism?

The theory that behaviour is learned through conditioning.

Who is associated with behaviourism in explanations of crime?

John Watson.

According to behaviourism, how is criminal behaviour acquired?

Through learning, reinforcement, and conditioning.

Who proposed Differential Association Theory?

Edwin Sutherland.

What is the central idea of Differential Association Theory?

Crime is learned through interaction with others.

According to Sutherland, what is learned through interaction?

Values, attitudes, motives, and techniques for criminal behaviour.

What are the four factors influencing differential association?

Frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.

What is a criticism of Differential Association Theory?

It does not explain why some people exposed to criminal influences do not become criminals.

Who developed Strain Theory?

Robert Merton.

What is the main idea of Strain Theory?

Crime occurs when people are blocked from achieving socially valued goals through legitimate means.

What is an example of crime explained by strain theory?

Theft or fraud committed to achieve financial success.

Who developed Relative Deprivation Theory?

Blau and Blau.

What is relative deprivation?

Feeling deprived compared to a reference group rather than in absolute terms.

Why is relative deprivation important?

People's perceptions of inequality may encourage criminal behaviour.

Who proposed General Strain Theory?

Robert Agnew.

What does General Strain Theory suggest?

Negative experiences and distress can lead to crime and aggression.

Who proposed the interactionist personality theory of crime?

Hans Eysenck.

What did Eysenck argue about criminality?

People learn not to be criminal through socialisation.

Which three personality traits are central to Eysenck's theory?

Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism.

Why are extraverts more prone to crime according to Eysenck?

They are harder to condition and seek stimulation.

Why are highly neurotic individuals more prone to crime?

Their emotional instability makes socialisation more difficult.

Why are highly psychotic individuals more prone to crime?

They have low empathy, guilt, and responsiveness to punishment.

Why is Eysenck's theory considered interactionist?

It combines biological personality traits with social learning processes.

What is the key conclusion from the lecture on theories of crime?

No single theory can explain all criminal behaviour.

What should be remembered when evaluating crime theories?

Always consider their limitations and avoid assuming one theory explains everything.