born bad workshop my involvement with uniview: free monthly teaching download available from ...

‘Born Bad’ Workshop

My involvement with Uniview:

• Free monthly teaching download available from www.uniview.co.uk e-xtension pages (link on homepage).

• Collaboration on psychology productions such as PsyKits.

Visit the Uniview stand at the ATP conference for:

• High quality teaching resources ranging from posters, models and classroom extras to resource packs, dvds and cd-roms.

• 15% off all resources purchased at the conference.

www.uniview.co.uk

Julia Russell

Born bad?What are the causes of crime?

Is menacing behaviour like

stalking a product of nature or

nurture?

Are some people biologically predisposed to become criminals?

Do psychological factors affect the incidence of criminality?

Is antisocial behaviour a product of social factors?

Biological explanations

Atavism

prominent eyebrow ridges

large ears

protruding chin

narrow sloping

brow

X

?

Facebook group: Worst Passport Photos In the Wrold

Yahoo group

Body build: somatotypes

SOMATOTYPE ACTIVITY

endomorphic fa and soft

sociable, relaxed

ectomorphicthin and fragile

introverted, restrained

mesomorphic muscular and hard

aggressive, adventurous…and criminal

William Sheldon

somatotypes

XYY

Family studies

25%

25%

50%

50%

parents

grandparents

aunts/uncles

siblings

Farrington et al (1991) 6% of families responsible for 50% of crimes

How many of the families would you expect to be responsible for half of all the crimes committed?

Here are 33 familiesHearty, the Captain; Snuffet, the Undertaker; Snoot, the First Class Passenger; Deck, the Swabhand; Stitches, the Sailmaker; Block, the Barber; Bones, the Butcher; Brush, the Artist; Wig the lawyer; Bud, the Florist; Bun, the Baker ; Bung, the Brewer; Chalk, the Teacher; Chip, the Carpenter; Constable, the Policeman; Creep, the Crook; Dose, the Doctor; Dip, the Dyer; Byte the programmer; Field, the Farmer; Flea, the vet; Green, the Greengrocer; Grits, the Grocer; Jumbo, the pilot; Mug, the Milkman; Pipe, the plumber; Sole, the Fisherman; Soot, the Sweep; Stamp, the Postman; Tape, the Tailor; Teeth, the dentist; Tuckin, the Chef; Pots, the Painter.

Here are 33 familiesHearty, the Captain; Snuffet, the Undertaker; Snoot, the First Class Passenger; Deck, the Swabhand; Stitches, the Sailmaker; Block, the Barber; Bones, the Butcher; Brush, the Artist; Wig the lawyer; Bud, the Florist; Bun, the Baker ; Bung, the Brewer; Chalk, the Teacher; Chip, the Carpenter; Constable, the Policeman; Creep, the Crook; Dose, the Doctor; Dip, the Dyer; Byte the programmer; Field, the Farmer; Flea, the vet; Green, the Greengrocer; Grits, the Grocer; Jumbo, the pilot; Mug, the Milkman; Pipe, the plumber; Sole, the Fisherman; Soot, the Sweep; Stamp, the Postman; Tape, the Tailor; Teeth, the dentist; Tuckin, the Chef; Pots, the Painter.

The Creeps and just one other…

How many of the families would you expect to be responsible for half of all the crimes committed?

Here are 33 ‘Happy Families’Hearty, the Captain; Snuffet, the Undertaker; Snoot, the First Class Passenger; Deck, the Swabhand; Stitches, the Sailmaker; Block, the Barber; Bones, the Butcher; Brush, the Artist; Wig the lawyer; Bud, the Florist; Bun, the Baker ; Bung, the Brewer; Chalk, the Teacher; Chip, the Carpenter; Constable, the Policeman; Creep, the Crook; Dose, the Doctor; Dip, the Dyer; Byte the programmer; Field, the Farmer; Flea, the vet; Green, the Greengrocer; Grits, the Grocer; Jumbo, the pilot; Mug, the Milkman; Pipe, the plumber; Sole, the Fisherman; Soot, the Sweep; Stamp, the Postman; Tape, the Tailor; Teeth, the dentist; Tuckin, the Chef; Pots, the Painter.

Here are 33 ‘Happy Families’Hearty, the Captain; Snuffet, the Undertaker; Snoot, the First Class Passenger; Deck, the Swabhand; Stitches, the Sailmaker; Block, the Barber; Bones, the Butcher; Brush, the Artist; Wig the lawyer; Bud, the Florist; Bun, the Baker ; Bung, the Brewer; Chalk, the Teacher; Chip, the Carpenter; Constable, the Policeman; Creep, the Crook; Dose, the Doctor; Dip, the Dyer; Byte the programmer; Field, the Farmer; Flea, the vet; Green, the Greengrocer; Grits, the Grocer; Jumbo, the pilot; Mug, the Milkman; Pipe, the plumber; Sole, the Fisherman; Soot, the Sweep; Stamp, the Postman; Tape, the Tailor; Teeth, the dentist; Tuckin, the Chef; Pots, the Painter.

Farrington et al (1991) 6% of families responsible for 50% of crimes

Osborn & West (1979) Only 13% of sons of non-criminal fathers had convictions, but 40% of sons of criminal fathers had convictions…

But what about the other 60%?

13% criminal sons 40% criminal sons

Non-criminal families (the Blocks, the Tapes and the Boneses)

Criminal families (the Crooks)

Twin and adoption studies

Adoption studies Mednick et al. (1987) surveyed court convictions in Denmark

which included 14,427 adoptees. The criminal records of their biological and adoptive parents showed that many of these adoptees had criminal biological parents (especially for those with chronic offender parents and for father/sons) – supporting the biological explanation (although the type of crime was unrelated).

Where there was an improvement in social conditions there was a reduction in crime – contradicting the biological explanation.

However, if the biological parents’ conviction occurred before adoption, the adoptive parents were informed. This might have had and effect…

adopted before

conviction

adopted after conviction

sons

daughters

adopted before

conviction

adopted after conviction

sons 15.6 16.1

daughters

Percentage of offspring convicted

adopted before

conviction

adopted after conviction

sons 15.6 16.1

daughters 4 4

…but we aren’t saying that environment doesn’t matter

biological parents have criminal record

adoptive parents have criminal record

% of sons with criminal record (Mednick, 1987)

% of sons with criminal record (Bohman, 1995)

no no 13.5 3

no yes 14.7 7

…but environmental and biological factors together…

biological parents have criminal record

adoptive parents have criminal record

% of sons with criminal record (Mednick, 1987)

% of sons with criminal record (Bohman, 1995)

no no 13.5 3yes no 20.0 12no yes 14.7 7yes yes 24.5 40

Genes

neurotransmission

Potentiation by nitric oxide

Nelson et al. (1995) found that male mice with the nNOS2/2 gene deleted were more aggressive than normal.

Demas et al. (1999) found that deleting eNOS2/2 eliminated aggression in male mice – even though they had extra-strong front legs!

Test yourself

Test yourself: ImpulsivenessNON-PLANNING MOTOR

IMPULSIVENESSCOGNITIVE

IMPULSIVENESSTOTAL IMPULSIVENESS PERCENTILE

35 25 22 75 85

30 23 20 70 70

27 21 18 65 50

24 19 16 60 30

21 17 14 55 15

Reif et al. (2009) impulsivity in humans is linked to NOS1. One variant in participants from psychiatric clinics (including 182 criminals) was more frequent in adults with ADHD, some personality disorders, and aggressive behaviour. In these individuals, the gene variant also reduced activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (which processes information about emotion and reward).

Impulsive behaviour and criminal behaviour appear to be linkedimpulsivity

Brains and neurotransmitters

prefrontal cortex

amygdala

hypothalamus

Psychological explanations

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Monday’s child is fair of face,Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,Thursday’s child has far to go,

Friday’s child is loving and giving,Saturday’s child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath dayIs bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

Sally Jenny Kevin

Dave Betty Belinda

Angela Mike Jade

Tracey Alan Valerie

Sandra Yasmin Karen

Monday Monday Monday

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday

Wednesday

Wednesday

Wednesday

Thursday Thursday Thursday

Friday Friday Friday

Saturday Saturday Saturday

Sunday Sunday Sunday

Signs of the zodiacAries 20 March – 20 April

Taurus 20 April – 21 May

Gemini 21 May – 21 June

Cancer 21 June – 22 July

Leo 22 July – 23 August

Virgo 23 August – 23 September

Libra 23 September – 23 October

Scorpio 23 October – 22 November

Sagittarius 22 November – 22 December

Capricorn 22 December – 20 January

Aquarius 20 January – 18 February

Pisces 18 February – 20 March

Jahoda (1954) boys’ names

Children in Ashanti and other Akan areas of Ghana, West Africa are given ‘soul names’ which relate to a day of the week:

Monday: KwadowoWednesday: Kwaku

mild-mannered and peace-lovingaggressive and violent

13.5% of boys referred to the courts had Wednesday as part of their name...but they were responsible for much more (22%) of the violent crimes.

Only 6.9% of juvenile delinquents were Monday boys, although Monday boys were 13% of the population

Madon et al. (2003)

communitypayback

communitypayback

Psychoticism

Hans Eysenck

Social explanations

Social learning

Children See, Children Do

video

St Helena Island

St Helena Island