Biological Explanation

0.0(0)
studied byStudied by 0 people
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/34

encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no tags are added yet.

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

35 Terms

1
New cards

what was Farr and Gibbons’ categories of criminal behaviors

  • property predatory crime

  • property fraudulent crime

  • interpersonal violence general

  • interpersonal violence sexual

  • transactional vice

  • order disruption

  • folk/mundane crime

2
New cards

property predatory crime

someone may attempt inprope taking someone’s personal property

e.g. robbery or car theft

3
New cards

property fraudulent crime

someone may lie of manipulate to get other’s money or possessions for themselves

e.g. fraud and embezzlement

4
New cards

interpersonal violence general

someone may cause personal harm to someone else

e.g. murder + assault

5
New cards

interpersonal violence sexual

someone may threaten to cause harm that contains a sexual nature

e.g. rape, incest

6
New cards

transactional vice

victimless crime where there is a willing exchange of good or services

e.g. prosecution + drug sales

7
New cards

Order Disruption

there is no direct victim but concerns are raised on potential victims

e.g. resisting arrest + loittering

8
New cards

folk / mudane crime

range from minor to major crimes that the public doesnt take seriously

e.g. fishing without licence

9
New cards

The Stress Diathesis Model

a theoretical that explains how genetic and environmental factors interact to influence the development of criminal behaviour.

individuals with genetic predisposition to criminal behaviorG may only exhibit due to certain environmental stressors

10
New cards

genetic predisposition

increased likelihood of developing a particular trait or behaviors due to inherited genetic factors

11
New cards

environmental stressors

external factors can trigger a particular behaviour of trait in an individual with a genetic predisposition

12
New cards

MAOA gene

  • gene codes for an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters ( seretonin)

  • variation in this gene is linked to increased aggression and violent behaviour

  • especially in males who have experienced chilhood trauma

13
New cards

DRD2 gene

  • gene codes for a dopamine receptor involved in reward seeking behaviors

  • variation in this gene is linked to impulsivity and addictive behavior

14
New cards

Research Evidence

  • Beaver et al has high validity

  • large sample size - result of high MAOA gene linked to violent delinquency isn’t by chance

  • increase validity

15
New cards

Research Limitations

  • cant show cause and effect due to it being a correlational study

  • used court documents as evidence - used self reports

  • reports could be exaggerated → reduce validity

16
New cards

Cultural Limitations

  • culture influences crime

  • St. Thomas + Tortola - geographically close but different culturally

  • 3x murder rates in St Thomas

  • Tortola have traditional ideas - elder role models

17
New cards

Gender Bias

  • arent reliale explanation for women

  • Jordan et al → 805 women felons interviewed, assessing 8 disorder

  • WEAKNESS - higher rates of substance abuse and antisocial and borderline personality disorder

18
New cards

Intervention

  • identifying and targeting those at higher risk

  • gene modification can reduce environmental risk factors that can trigger gene

  • STRENGTH → create utopion society, increase QoL, reduce discrimination against certain genetic makeups

19
New cards

Inherited criminality: Genetic Factors

  • proposes that one or more genes predispose individuals to criminal behaviors

  • twin studies → comparison between MZ + DZ (identical and fraternal twins) show higher concordance rates for criminality in MZ twins, indicating a genetic influence.

  • Adrian Raine

    • research on the delinquent behavior of twins

    • 52% concordance for MZ twin

    • 21% concordance for DZ twin

20
New cards

Inherited Criminality: searching for candidate genes

  • two genes have been especially linked to criminals behaviors - MAOA + DRD2

  • Bunner et al

    • analyzed the DNA of 28 male members of a Dutch family who had histories of impulsive + violent criminal behaviors

    • found that men shared a particular gene that led to abnormally low level of MAOA

21
New cards

what are the genes associated with criminality

  • MAOA - breaks down neurotransmitter, serotonin (variation in this gene is linked to aggression)

  • DRD2 - codes for dopamine receptor which is linked to impulsivity + addictive behaviors

22
New cards

inherited criminality : diathesis - model

  • modern understanding of genetic influence no longer proposes that one or few genes on their own will determine behavior

    • Epigenetics suggests genes are switched on or off by epigenomes, which are influenced by environmental factors.

  • one particular possibility is maltreatment in childhood

  • Capsi et al

    • used data from in the longitudinal study that followed about 1,000 people from when they were babies in the 70s

    • assessed antisocial behavior at 26 and found 12% had low MAOA gene had experienced maltreatment

23
New cards

inherited criminality: differences in the brain

  • criminal genes may cause differences in areas of brain or in key neurotransmitters

  • Raine et al

    • murders has reduced functioning in the prefrontal cortex → area associated with loss of anger

  • researchers suggest that low levels of neurotransmitter serotonin may predispose individuals to impulsive aggression

24
New cards

inherited criminality: inherited personality

according to Eyesenc’s theory of criminal personality - he proposed that some people inherit types of behaviors that predispose them to behave in

25
New cards

Research supporting Inherited Criminality

  • Adoption studies proves element of inheritance in reoffending

  • crowne (1972)

    • adopted children who had a biological parent with a criminal record has a 38% risk of getting a criminal record by 18

    • compared to those who don’t which is 6%

  • Mednick’s study of 14,000 adoptees found that 15% of sons who had been adopted by criminals went on to be criminals compared to the 20% whose biological parents were criminals

26
New cards

evaluating inherited criminality: explaining non violent crimes

  • doesn’t account for all types of crime and only relates association with violent behavior

  • may account for psychopathy

    • a person who lacks empathy for others and so more likely to commit a crime

  • Lynn Finday

    • suggest crime isn’t a natural category and doesn’t exist apart from how we choose to define it

    • makes it difficult to argue that criminality is due genetics and interaction with environment when society created a category of criminal behavior

27
New cards

Evaluating Inherited criminality: cultural limitations

  • genetics aren’t always the cause of crime in some instances it can be as a result of cultural influences

  • St Thomas and Tortola are close geographically but very different culturally

  • st Thomas have a very Americanized gang culture

  • there’s is a 3x higher murder rate in st Thomas

28
New cards

evaluating Inherited criminality : Gender Limitation

  • genetics aren’t a reliable biological explanation of crime for women

  • Jordan et al

    • 805 women felons were interviewed and assessed for 8 disorders

    • found higher rates if substance abuse, dependence and antisocial and borderline personality disorder compared to women in general pop

    • found to have high incidences of lifetime exposure to traumatic events

29
New cards

what can be used as an intervention for inherited criminality

gene modification on targeted genes

30
New cards

role of amygdala: structure + functioning of amygdala

  • a collection of neuron cell bodies clustered together in the medial temporal lobe

  • there is one for each hemisphere

  • neurally linked to hypothalamus, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

  • has widespread influence on brain functioning and ultimately on behaviors associated with emotions

  • plays a major role in how we respond to environmental threats

31
New cards

role of amygdala: amygdala and aggression

Emil Coccaro et al - investigated the effects of amygdala on aggression by studying people with IED

  • IED is a common symptom which is outbursts of reactive aggression

  • each participant viewed images of faces while having a fMRI scan

  • Participants with IED showed high levels of amygdala activity

  • study has high realism as angry faces are everyday signs of threat

32
New cards

role of amygdala: amygdala and fear conditioning

Gao et al

-point out that as children we learn to inhibit our aggressive and antisocial behaviour through fear conditioning

  • learn that aggression leads to punishment

  • amygdala is involed in processing fear info + conditioning

  • dsyfunction in amygdala means child cant identify social cues that indicate threat and so cant link punishment to aggression

33
New cards

role of amygdala: research supports

Raine replicated his study in 2013 with advanced brain imaging techniques (fMRI) to provide more precise evidence

  • this replication of the 1995 study enhances reliability of raine’s finding.

  • consistency on results over time show robustness of conclusions that amygdala is linked

  • advanced imaging techniques also minimize errors and improves validity of study by addressing criticisms of first study

34
New cards

evaluating role of amygdala: Effects are indirect

  • amygdala has a role in regulating fear + anxiety related behaviors

  • damages to amygdala affects the ability to process fear and anxiety relates info normally → affects social functioning

    • this makes aggressive behavior likely but not inevitable

  • amygdala dysfunction isn’t direct cause but can be a risk factor

  • whether individual becomes criminal or not depends on other biological and environmental factors

  • there is a more complex explanation than just amygdala

35
New cards