OCR Psychology - Biological explanations of criminality

What are physiological explanations of crime?

Biological explanations for criminal behaviour

What system is linked to criminal behaviour?

Limbic system

Where is the amygdala located?

In the limbic system

What have imbalances in the amygdala been linked to?

Aggression + crime

What behaviours are linked to a dysfunctional prefrontal cortex?

Being unable to regulate emotions, like anger + controlling impulses

What did Brunner et al. find? (Small study)

The warrior gene is linked to aggressive behaviour when mutated

What did Dabbs et al. find?

A positive correlation between testosterone amount + violent criminal behaviour

What was the sample in Dabbs et al.’s study?

692 males, 1 / 3 white + 2 / 3 African Americans

How was Dabbs et al.’s study standardised?

Testosterone was measured with saliva samples + behaviour was coded from prison records

Why can’t Dabbs et al. establish cause and effect?

It is a correlational study

What explanation of criminality does Bandura’s study support?

Non-physiological

What was the sample in Farrington et al.’s study?

411 white working class males aged 8-9, all from state schools

What kind of study did Farrington et al. conduct?

Longitudinal, boys + parents interviewed periodically from ages 8 - 48

How was Farrington et al.’s study standardised?

Participants were tested at school for intelligence, data on their aggression was collected from teachers, criminal records + self reports on aggression

What were the results of Farrington et al.’s study?

161 / 404 had criminal records at 48

What were the conclusions of Farrington et al.’s study?

Family criminality, low school attainment + poverty increase the likelihood of criminality

How was Farrington et al.’s study androcentric + ethnocentric?

Only white males from south london used

Why did Farrington et al.’s study have a temporal bias?

Participants were born between 1953 - 1954, results may be difficult to replicate

What % dropped out of Farrington et al.’s study?

11.2%

What did Raine et al. find out about diet and exercising?

Out of the 100 children in Mauritius, the intervention group was less aggressive + committed less crimes by 23 years old

How can diets and exercise reduce criminality?

Reduces aggression

What supplement can reduce criminality?

Omega-3

How can prisoners take omega-3 supplements?

They can have the 4 times a day + they come in blister packs

What did Gesch et al. find about omega-3 supplements?

Prisoners reported a 26% improvement in disciplinary records

What was the aim of Raine et al.’s study?

To see if murderers who plead NGRI have localised brain impairments

What was the sample in Raine et al.’s study?

82 participants, 41 NGRIs (39 males + 2 females) + 41 non-murderers matched on age + sex

What research method did Raine et al. use?

Quasi experiment

What experimental design did Raine et al. use?

Matched participants design

How was the procedure in Raine et al.’s study standardised?

32 min CPT (continuous performance task) in a PET scanner, radioactive tracer injected into blood + looked for targets on screen and pushed button when detected

What were the results for activity in the prefrontal cortex?

NGRIs had less activity than controls

What were the results for activity in the corpus callosum?

NGRIs had significantly lower activity than controls

What were the results for activity in the right amygdala?

NGRIs had more activity than controls

What were the results for activity in the hippocampi?

NGRIs showed imbalanced activity

What is the interpretation of the activity in the corpus callosum?

It is associated with long term planning - less activity means less planning + logical thinking

What is a conclusion of Raine et al.’s study?

Damage to the prefrontal cortex is associated with impulsivity, loss of self-control + ability to modify behaviour

What did Raine warn?

Results do not show that violent behaviour is only determined by biology

What lowers the validity in Raine et al.’s study?

Sometimes the results from the PET scan were unclear + had to be interpreted

What lowers the ecological validity in Raine et al.’s study?

Artificial CPT task

What does Bufkin and Luttrell’s meta-analysis results suggest about Raine et al.’s results?

Studies produce similar results - increases concurrent validity

How was informed consent gained in Raine et al.’s study?

The NGRIs were told it could help with their cases + if they could not provide consent themselves their lawyers / carers gave presumptive consent

What raises an ethical issue in Raine et al.’s study?

Use of radioactive tracer - not dangerous but an unnecessary procedure

What reduces participant variables in Raine et al.’s study?

6 schizophrenic NGRIs were matched with 6 schizophrenic non-murderers

How many of the NGRIs in Raine et al.’s study had brain injuries?

23

Some of the NGRIs had brain injuries, what does this suggest?

Their criminality was a result their experiences

Why are biological explanations socially sensitive?

Certain genes / hormones could be discriminated against + better understanding of the causes of criminality

Why does Brunner’s study (warrior gene) have a sampling bias?

5 members of one family used - not representative

What is an application of Raine et al.’s study?

People with brain injuries could be offered counselling to manage their aggression

What is an application of Bandura’s study?

Social workers could support children who have witnessed domestic violence