Criminology Studies

Grafman et al. Year

1996

Grafman et al. aim

To investigate the effect of damage to the PFC on aggression

Grafman et al. participants

279 vietnam war veterans

What were the conditions in Grafman et al.?

Damage to the PFC, damage to other areas of the brain, and no brain damage

Grafman et al. method

Veterans and their families were asked to complete evaluations about their level of aggression after returning from the war, family observations were also conducted

Grafman et al. results

Veterans with damage to the PFC were more aggressive than the other conditions

Radke et al. Year

2015

Radke et al. aim

To investigate the effect of testosterone on amygdala activation and aggression

Radke et al. participants

54 healthy female participants

Radke et al. method

• Half received testosterone injection, half received placebo injection.

• Laid in fMRI and viewed different faces (happy and angry)

• Told to approach or avoid using a joystick

Radke et al. Results

Testosterone group had more activation in their amygdala and less activity in their PFC when approaching angry faces.

Passamonti et al. Year

2012

Passamonti et al. aim

To investigate the effect of serotonin level on aggression

Passamonti et al. Participants

30 healthy participants

Passamonti et al. Method

• Diets were altered on alternate days: one day they received a drink lacking tryptophan and regular drink on the other

  • Laid in fMRI and viewed different faces

Passamonti et al. Results

When the serotonin level was lower, there was increased amygdala activity and reduced communication between the amygdala and PFC when viewing angry faces.

Luby et al. Year

2013

Luby et al. Aim

To study the relationship between poverty/socioeconomic class and brain development in children.

Luby et al. Participants

145 children over the span of 10 years

Luby et al. Method

Brain volume and development was measured through MRI

Luby et al. Results

Children from poorer status tend to have smaller cortices on average, and smaller hippocampi and amygdala.

Meyer-Lindenberg et al. Year

2006

Meyer-Lindenberg et al. Aim

To investigate how the MAOA gene variant affects aggression

Meyer-Lindenberg et al. Participants

2 groups of healthy participants, one with MAOA-H and one with MAOA-L variants

Meyer-Lindenberg et al. Method

Both groups laid in fMRI and viewed different faces (angry and fearful)

Meyer-Lindenberg et al. Results

MAOA-L group had higher amygdala activation and lower PFC activity when viewing angry faces.

Raine and Baker year

2007

Raine and Baker Participants

1210 twins in the USA

Raine and Baker Aim

To determine if antisocial behaviour was a result of heritability or environment.

Raine and Baker Method

Gathered identical and fraternal twins

• Had participants and caretakers fill out questionnaires about their behavior

• Results were statistically analyzed

Raine and Baker Results

50% Heritability

Cohen et al. year

1996

Cohen et al. Aim

To study the effect of Culture of Honor on aggression

Cohen et al. Participants

White males from either North and South of the US

Cohen et al. Method

• Participants were asked to fill out a form and place it on a table at the end of a hallway

• confederate pretended to be organizing files in a nearby cabinet, would bump into the participant and call them an *sshole

• Participants' saliva were sampled and measured for testosterone level increase

Cohen et al. Results

Southerners had a 12% increase in testosterone while Northerners had only a 4% increase

System 1 Processing

Spontaneous/impulsive, without consideration of potential consequences

System 2 Processing

Slower, conscious/controlled, considers potential consequences

Bechara et al. Year

2000

Bechara et al. Participants

• 8 participants with damage to the vmPFC

• 17 controls with healthy vmPFCs

Bechara et al. Aim

Investigate the vmPFC's role in decision making

Bechara et al. Method

Participants performed the the Iowa gambling task, an online task with 4 cards. Participants can choose any card, with the goal of trying to gain more money. 2 cards had big wins and big losses and 2 cards had small wins and small losses.

Bechara et al. Results

• Control group chose safer decks and retained more money

• Group with damage to vmPFC chose riskier cards and lost more money

Social Cognitive Theory

Individuals, their behavior, and the environment all interact

Triadic Reciprocal Determinism

The interaction of biology, behavior, and environment

Vicarious learning

Learning through the observation of others’ behavior/actions and how they are rewarded/punished

Bandura date

1963

Bandura participants

48 boys and 48 girls aged 3-5

Bandura Procedure

Participants observed a model playing nicely with the bobo doll or being aggressive with the bobo doll, then their interactions with the bobo doll was observed by researchers

Conditions in Bandura’s study

• Adult model

• Cartoon model

• TV model

• Control - no observation

Bandura results

Children who observed aggressive behavior were more likely to imitate that aggression when interacting with the bobo doll and vice versa