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Biological Theories - Coggle Diagram

- - - - two types
        
        autosomal chromosomes
        
        everything BUT gender
        
        pairs of 22 (44)
        
        sex chromosomes
        
        FOCUS OF THIS THEORY!!
        
        determine gender
        
        female= XX
        
        male= XY
    - - number + appearance of chromosomes
    - - jacobs
        
        198 scottish prisoners
        
        measured by karyotyping (blood testing)
        
        7/198 displayed xyykaryotype
        
        3.5% of prison population above 1% of general scottish population
        
        higher % of these males in prison than general scottish public
    - - explosive temper, anti-social behaviour, hyperactivity
    - - strengths
        
        supporting research evidence
        
        adler et all
        
        aggression/violence partly due to genetics
        
        jacob et al
        
        found high number of xyy males in prison
        
        valid
        
        help the criminal justice system to reduce reoffending rates
        
        chromosomal abnormality
        
        need biologically focused interventions
        
        e.g alan turing- chemical castration
        
        useful practical applications
      - weaknesses
        
        reductionist
        
        breaks down criminal behaviour too much
        
        doesn't consider more applicable explainations
        
        need a more holistic approach
        
        invalid
        
        contradictory evidence
        
        theilgaard
        
        researched traits of xyy and xy men
        
        found no association with aggression
        
        limits practicality
        
        androcentric
        
        doesn't consider female criminality
  - - - links criminality w/ genetic inheritance
      - nervous system determines behaviour
      - genetic inheritance determines structure
      - genes must interact w/ environment to influence behaviour
    - - monozygotic
        
        identical
        
        100% of dna
        
        same fertilised egg
      - dizyogotic
        
        non-identical
        
        50% of dna
        
        two fertilised eggs
      - same characteristics= concordance rate
        
        high concordance rate= genetic influence
        
        no difference in concordance rate= environmental influence
    - - christiansen
        
        3,586 danish twins
        
        concordance rates for criminal behaviour
        
        35%/ MZ + 13% DZ for male twins
        
        21% MZ + 8% DZ for female twins
        
        suggests genetic link to criminality
        
        52% concordance rate for MZ- one conviction, other was 52% likely to
    - - strengths
        
        research evidence
        
        christiansen
      - weaknesses
  - - - nature v nuture
    - - hutchings and mednick
        
        14,000 adopted children
        
        high % of boy w/ crim convictions had bio parents w/ them
      - mednick et al
        
        repeated study
        
        different sample of men
        
        400 danish students
        
        no signif correlation w/ adoptive
        
        sign correlation w/biological
        
        property crimes
        
        bio parent w/ crim record= 20%
        
        bio + adoptive parent w/ crim record= 24.5%
        
        bio + adoptive parent w/o crim record= 13.5%
        
        bio parent w/o + adoptive parent w/ criminal record= 14.7%
    - - S
        
        studies effects of nature/nuture
        
        adopted kids exopsed to dif environment
        
        separate genetic/environmental
        
        reliable
        
        correlation between adopted kids + bio parent
        
        mednick
        
        14k adopted kids
        
        more credible
        
        high proportion of boys w/ crim convictions
        
        bio parents had convictions
      - W
        
        adopted kids may be in similar environ. to adoption centres
        
        early life experiences contribute
        
        androcentric
        
        theoretical flaws
        
        findings are correctional
        
        reductionist
- - - - strong, innate disposition
      - behave anti-socially
      - atavism- facial + cranial features
      - criminals aren't fully evolved 'throwbacks'
      - 'homo-delinquents'
        
        physical defects
      - women= 5
        
        men=3
      - insensitive to pain
        
        tattoos/piercings
    - - murderers
        
        sex offenders
        
        thick lips
        
        protruding ears
      - bleached eyes
      - curly hair
    - - 40% had atavistic features
      - could tell what they had committed based on features
    - - strengths
        
        supporting evidence
        
        butcher + taylor
        
        valid
        
        less attractive individuals 50% more likely to be guilty
        
        first person to give crim a scientific credibility
        
        empirical evidence and scientific
        
        away from moral/philisophical discussion
      - weaknesses
        
        didn't use a control group of non-criminals
        
        limits practicality
        
        reductionist
        
        need a more holistic approach
        
        temporal validity
        
        deterministic
  - - - mesomorph
        
        easily build muscle, courageous, dominant, aggressive
        
        more testosterone- violent crimes
        
        "prone to more criminal activity"
      - endomorph
        
        fat, sociable, hedonistic
      - ectomorph
        
        skinny, self conscious, private
      - pure somatotypes are rare
    - - sample of college students/delinquents
      - rated pics on mesomorphy 1-7
      - delinquents had a higher mean mesomorphy
        
        5.4 average
      - 200 crim, 200 college
    - - strengths
        
        research support/strong pt sample
        
        control condition to compare offenders and non offenders
        
        control group of 200 coll stud
        
        credible explaination- methodological considerations
        
        reliable
        
        other researchers have tried this theory
        
        hart et al
        
        found crim had mean mesomorphy of 5.0
        
        mesomorphy is associated with delinquency
      - weaknesses
        
        reductionist
        
        somatotypes are not fixed, can change
        
        e.g limited access to food and gym in prison
        
        impacts criminal somatotypes
        
        not all criminals are mesomorphs
        
        john wayne gacy was an endomorph
        
        sample not representative
        
        war impact (1942)