Criminal psychology: Explanations of Antisocial Behaviour

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to criminal psychology and explanations of antisocial behavior.

Antisocial behaviour

Acting in a way that is likely to cause distress to one or more persons outside the household.

Criminal behaviour

An act that is against the law and requires punishment or treatment.

Brain injury

A condition that investigates the relationship between brain damage and criminal behaviour, potentially caused by trauma, illness, or substance use.

Amygdala

A brain region linked to impulsive behaviour, aggression, and emotion regulation.

Frontal lobe

Brain area affecting decision-making, impulse control, and aggression.

Striatum

A brain area involved in reward and emotional processing, dysfunction may underpin impulsive/antisocial behaviour.

TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

Injuries affecting social judgement and impulsivity, found in a significant percentage of prisoners.

Social learning theory

Theory suggesting criminal acts are results of observation and imitation of criminal behaviour.

Charles Whitman

An individual with a brain tumour linked to aggressive behaviours, including murder.

Phineas Gage

A historical case study demonstrating the effects of frontal lobe damage on behaviour.

XYY syndrome

A genetic condition where males have an extra Y chromosome, associated with increased height and potential learning difficulties.

Eysenck’s personality theory

Theory proposing that neuroticism and other personality traits are linked to criminality.

Labelling theory

Concept suggesting that labelling individuals can lead to the reinforcement of deviant behaviour.

Self fulfilling prophecy

The phenomenon where an individual's belief about their future behaviour influences their actual behaviour.

Cognitive interview

A technique that aids recall by helping witnesses mentally recreate the scene of a crime.

Flashbulb memory

Vivid memories of significant events encoded in great detail due to the emotional impact.

Yuille and Cutshall study

A field study showing that eyewitness testimony can be accurate even after experiencing misleading questions.

Misinformation effect

The phenomenon where post-event information alters a witness's memory of an event.

Weapon focus

The tendency for a witness to concentrate on a weapon and miss other important details of the event.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

A treatment method aimed at changing distorted thinking patterns to prevent reoffending.

Anti-androgens

Hormonal treatments that reduce sex drive and sexual fantasies in sex offenders.

Maletzky study

A study evaluating the effectiveness of MPA treatment on reducing reoffending in sex offenders.

Valentine and Mesout study

Research demonstrating that high anxiety negatively impacts eyewitness recall.