Evaluation

Bandura Strengths

Study showed children copied their parents behaviour when presented with the Bobo doll
Variables and experiment were controlled ensuring it was accurate and reliable
Other similar studies have found the same results

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Bandura Weaknesses

The toy is intended to be hit, if a child was given a toy gun they would shoot it even if they were told not to
Lacks ecological valitidy as it was done in a lab
Exposes the child to aggressive behaviour which could have been distressing raising ethical i

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Cumberbatch 1990

Children who had never played with Bobo dolls were five times more likely to be aggressive toward it

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Freud Strengths

First individual to investigate mental health, even though many people were and are critical of it
Though weird many things are not incorrect
A large contributor to further research into crime and behaviour in connection with childhood experiences
Id, ego

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Freud Weaknesses

Self-report so difficult to verify
Further research no longer explains criminality as being caused by the unconscious mind
Unscientific and lacks of objective interpretation
Based off Freud's own childhood and dreams
Deterministic
Research is on case stud

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Personality Strengths

High levels of testosterone has been linked to aggressive/criminal behaviour
Research completed on soldiers in hospitals supported this theory
Detectable in childhood meaning that interventions could be developed to reduce crime rates
Formed the basis for

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Personality Weaknesses

Not all people with high levels of testosterone develop psychoticism
Some criminals do not score high on extraversion as it relates to sociability and impulse
Lacks reliability due to social desirabily and varying moods
Theory talks about a genetic elemen

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Lombroso Strengths

Cross cultural study which collated extensive data, meaning it was scientific for the time giving it sceintific credability
Challenged the idea of criminal in the respect of them being evil or choosing to commit crime
Influended modern day criminal profil

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Goring 1913

Found intelligence rate of convicts to be less evolved

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Lombroso Weaknesses

Did not explain fully the link between criminality and facial structure
Lacks a control group, credibility and accuracy as it does not take into consideration facial disfigurement
Only 40% of criminals had atavistic features, meaning a majority did not
Pe

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DeLisi 2012

Scientific racism as most atavistic features were in people of African descent

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Sheldon Strengths

Study did find that the majority of criminals had a mesomorphic somotype
Large sample (200) and a control group

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Putwain and Sammons 2002

Small association with bodily build and criminality

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Glueck and Glueck 1956

60% of theur delinquent sample were mesomorphs with only 31% in their non-delinquent sample

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Sheldon Weaknesses

Someone's body type may change over time
Ectomorphs and endomorphs can also be criminals contradicting Sheldon's theory
Could lead to mesomorphs being labelled causing them to become criminals due to self-fulfilling prophecy

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XYY Strengths

A study was conducted using prison in-mates and found a significant number of them had an extra Y chromosome

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Alder 2007

Found that it could cause aggressive and violent behaviour

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Stockholm et al. 2012

Showed an increase in some areas like sexual abuse and arson

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Sheldon Weaknesses

Having an extra Y chromosome does not pre-determine criminality and it does not mean that a person will become a criminal
Genetic abnormalities have been found to be widespread in general population
Ingnores behaviourist approach

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Witkin et al. 1976

Studied 5492 Danish men and found only 12 cases of XYY and found no difference between XYY and XXY in terms of significance

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Twin Studies Strengths

Correlation rates seem to support tha fact that there is a genetic component to criminality
Natural experiments
Helped to prevent vulnerable disorder
High cross-cultural reliability of concordance levels

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Christiansen 1977

Supported twin study finding

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Twin Studies Weaknesses

The study sample is usually quite small and may not be as reliable
They were raised in the same environment, thus it ignores nurture
Many early studies were not properly controlled and lacked validity

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Marxism Strengths

Explains how crime could be a result of the proletariat rebelling against the bourgeoisie
Highlights the impact of selective law enforcement
Law reflects differences in power between social classes
Capitalism encourages competiveness and therefore competi

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Marxism Weaknesses

Many disagree that social class and status exists and believe that it is just an ideology rather than a proven theory
Ignored inequalities that are no related to social class
Overstates that amount of crime in working class communities
There are several p

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Right Realism Strengths

Encouraged to create victim surveys so that more can be found out about crime
More measure to prevent those crimes were able to be put in place
Offers a more practical approach to tackling crime

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Flood Page et al. 2000

Supports the view of the decline of the family

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Right Realism Weaknesses

Accepys ONS figures of crime and does not take into account the dark figure of crime
Does not consider wider structural causes of crime
Ignores the increasing gap between rich and poor so resentment

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Left Realism Strengths

Accepts crime happens and that it is real and linked with relative deprivation - uses statistics to highlight this
Explores the role of the victim
Recognises multiple causes of crime
Avoids excesses of both right and left wing

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Left Realism Weaknesses

Relative deprivation cannot fully explain crime as not all those who experience it commit crime
Made of a mixture of other theories pulled together
Failes to explain white-collar or coporate crime

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Adoption Studies Strengths

They were exposed to different environment to biological
It is objective
Can get a larger sample size than you can with twins
Easier to generalise to the general public

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Adoption Studies Weaknesses

Depending on the age of the adoption means the could be influenced by family or they mayy not be able to find information of family
Selectice placement
There could have been extraneous variables such as life events

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Cognitive Theories Strengths

Uses scientific methods during the study
Easily applied
Takes into consideration other approaches

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Cognitive Theories Weaknesses

The approach could be considered too simplistic
Human functioning is quite complex which has been largely ignored
Does not consider biological influences of human functioning
Ignores consciousness, emotions and free will

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Functionalism Strengths

Explains crime by society rather than biological/psychological explanantions
Argued that crime is needed for society to function
The nature of society generates crime and deviance therefore it can be changed to reduce crime

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Functionalism Weaknesses

Fail to acknowledge what causes the presence of crime in the first place
Interactionists wouold say that agents of social control cause crime
Feminists argue that its patriarchal powers that cause crime
Does not consider the biological and psychological a

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Evaluation

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