Forensic- Biological explanations- Genetic and Neural- A01

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  • Created by: MollyL20
  • Created on: 28-09-21 08:51
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  • Biological explanations
    • Genetic- Offenders inherit a gene or a combination of genes which can predispose them to commit a crime
      • Twin Studies
        • 1- Lange investigated 13 MZ twins and 17 DZ twins where one in each pair had been to prison
        • 2- He found that 10 of the MZ twins had been to prison, but only 2 of the DZ twins
        • 3- Christiansen studies 87 MZ and 147 DZ twins found a concordance of 33% for the MZ twins and 12% for DZ twins
      • Adoption studies
        • 1- Crowe found that adopted children who had a biological parent with a criminal record by the age of 18
        • 2- Where as, adopted children whose biological parent didn't have a criminal record, only had a 5% risk
      • Candidate genes
        • 1- Tihonen et al carried out a genetic analysis of 900 offenders which revealed abnormalities on two genes: MAOA gene and CDH13 gene
          • MAOA gene- controls dopamine and serotonin- linked to aggressive behaviour. CDH13 gene- linked to substance abuse and attention deficit disorder
        • He found that individuals with a higher risk combination were 13x more likely to have a history of violent behaviour
      • Diathesis-stress model
        • A tendency towards criminal behaviour may come about through the combination of genetic and a biological or psychological trigger
    • Neural- There may be nerual differences in the brains of criminals and non-criminals. Most of the evidence comes from people with antisocial personality disorder
      • Prefrontal cortex
        • 1- Raine used several dozen brain-imaging studies on the ADP brain and that people with the disorder have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex.
        • 2- Raine and his colleagues also found an 11% reduction in the volume of matter found in the prefrontal cortex with people with ADP
      • Mirror neurons
        • 1- Keysers et al found that when criminals were asked to empathise with a person on a film experiencing pain, did their empathy reaction activate?
        • 2- This suggests that people with ADP may have neural switch that can be turned on and off unlike the normal brain
      • Biochemistry
        • Noradrenaline: part of the fight or flight response. High levels are linked to violence and agression
        • Serotonin: Regulates mood and impulse control. Low levels could cause more impulsive behaviour
        • Dopamine: Is linked to addiction and therefore substance abuse.

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