2.3 An Integrative look at criminal behavior
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Transcript 2.3 An Integrative look at criminal behavior
2.3 AN INTEGRATIVE LOOK AT
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL LEVEL OF ANALYSIS
Are some people born to be criminals?
Is crime specific to ethnic groups, gender,
physical characteristics?
What is the biological, cognitive and sociocultural
aspect of criminal behavior?
ARE SOME PEOPLE BORN TO BE
CRIMINALS?
3 biological theories
Genetics
Brain abnormalities
Neurochemical imbalances
GENETICS
Crime runs in the family? Is this all genetic?
Christiansen (1977)
Twin study, (n=3586 sets)
Found concordance (i.e. criminal activity)
35% MZ males twins
13% DZ male twins
21% MZ female twins
8% DZ female twins
Are these concordance rates high or low?
How would you evaluate the findings? (pg61)
GENETICS CONT.,
Hutchings and Mednick (1975)
If both the biological and adaptive fathers had a
criminal record, then
If only the biological father had a criminal record
11.5% sons had criminal record
When neither father had a criminal record
21.4% sons had criminal record
If only the adoptive father had a criminal record
36.2% sons also had criminal record
10.5 % of sons had criminal record
What does this study demonstrate?
2 LIMITATIONS OF GENETIC ARGUMENTS
What is the probability that there is a gene
specific for criminal behavior? How do you
evaluate criminal behavior?
Criminal behavior follows age patterns, reaching
peak when age 20 and declining at age 30.
genetically speaking, why does this change over a
lifetime?
THE BRAIN
Interrelationships
between emotions and
decision making.
Emotions: controlled by
limbic system
Decisions: frontal lobe
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer
/limbicsystem.html
http://www.stanford.edu/gr
oup/hopes/cgibin/wordpress/2010/06/thehopes-brain-tutorial-textversion/#limbic-system
INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMOTIONS
AND DECISION MAKING.
Blair et al. (1999): [key study sheet]
Subject: brains of psychopath
Method: Natural
Procedure: PET
Results: impairment of pathways between the
amygdala and frontal lobe
Conclusion: impairment makes it difficult for
individuals to moderate their behavior.
Frontal Brain Hypothesis
A malfunctioning of the relationship between the
frontal brain and the limbic system may cause
criminal behavior.
What about Brain Trauma?
NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND HORMONES
Is there a gender difference regarding criminal
behavior?
90.1 % of apprehended murderers were male
82.1 % violent crimes committed by males
(2004 US FBI report)
What is the relationship with neurotransmitters?
Low levels 5-HT
Antisocial behavior
impulsive
Testosterone
James Dabbs demonstrated higher levels of testosterone
associated with increased violence.
*note: these are correlations – does that show a cause
and effect?
ARE BIOLOGICAL FACTORS ALONE, ENOUGH TO
ESTABLISH CAUSES FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR?
What if psychologist could determine that
criminals have a biological predisposition
towards their behavior? Should the courts be
more lenient in enacting penalties?
How would that affect the government view on
the thought of punishment as a deterrent to
crime?
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR:
COGNITIVE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
YOCHELSON AND SAMENOW (1976)
HOW DO CRIMINALS THINK?
Cognitive distortions: an error in the way we
process information.
Blaming others fro your own failures
Super-optomistism: extremely wishful or magical
thinking.
“I think, therefore it is” : not being able to accept
mistakes
Minimizing: limit the significance of a behavior to
prevent taking responsibility for ones actions.
Build up: exaggerating ones accomplishments to
make ourselves look better in the eyes of others.
This study only addressed criminal, i.e. it did not
look at the non-criminal population.
CORNISH AND CLARK (1987)
Rational choice theory: criminal behavior is
the outcome of a reasoned decision-making
process.
Criminals seek to benefit from their crimes.
Cost to benefit analysis:
Risk
Financial reward
Ease of breaking in
* The results of this study were from burglars.
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR:
THE SOCIOCULTURAL LEVELS OF
ANALYSIS
Social and culture expectations that people have
on individuals.
Economic and political realities
POVERTY: MESSNER (1988)
Are those who earn less more likely to commit
crime?
Messner found a high correlation between
structural poverty and crime rate as opposed to
income level and crime rate.
Structural poverty – a holistic view of
addressing criminal behavior and socioeconomic
status.
Single parent families
Low levels of education
High infant mortality
Low social mobility
POVERTY CONT.,
Unemployment and Crime?
Social factors may interact with biological factors
and lead to criminal behavior?
Poverty and stress
Stress and brain development
LABELING AND SELF-FULFILLING
PROPHECIES
Self-fulfilling prophecy: we live up to the
expectations or label that we are given.
“Troublemaker” “rebel” “gangbanger” – does
giving a person a label begin to hardwire them
toward that characteristic?
Jahoda’s (1954): Study on the Ashanti people of
Ghana
Ashanti custom of naming boys according to the day of the
week they are born.
A day of the week predicts a future temperament
Monday = calm, reserved & peaceful
Wednesday = problematic, aggressive.
Boys born on Wednesday had a higher arrest record
relative to boys born on Monday
CRITICAL THINKING:
Is criminal behavior primarily biologically based?
To what extend do biological and sociocultural
factors determine criminal behavior?
What factors contribute most to criminal
behavior – biological, sociocultural or cognitive?
Article: Self Fulfilling Prophecy
What other study did we address that looks at the
self-fulfilling prophecy?