PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIMINAL AND VIOLENT
BEHAVIOUR 1ST EDITION LYON FINAL PAPER
EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GUARANTEED TO PASS
◉ Atavistic feature (atavistic theory lombroso)
Answer: Sloping forehead
Bumps on head - particularly the "destructiveness center" above left
ear
Bushy eyebrows tending to meet across nose (uni-brow)
Twisted nose
Excessive cheekbones
Large chin and jaw
Excessive wrinkles on the skin
Long arms
Large, handle shaped ears
Large lips
Blood shot and shifty eyes
◉ How did Lombroso conduct his research?
,Answer: He examined criminals and made correlations about
characteristics he found (ex;Different features associated with
different crimes, Murders - bloodshot eyes, curly hair)
Today, this theory is laughable (and it is deeply flawed)
No control group
No non-criminal controls used to establish is atavistic features were
confined to criminal population
His sample likely contained large numbers of individuals with
psychological disorders and/or chromosomal abnormalities
He did not distinguish pathology and criminality
Crime is not a natural or homogenous category of behaviour, it is a
social construct, so what is "inherited"?
Given our current understanding, crime - a complex behaviour - is
not controlled by single genes
Correlation ≠ causation
◉ Why was Lombroso theory revolutionary?
Answer: However, he shifted his focus from moral to empirical, and
shaped the modern focus of biological and social factors on criminal
behaviour.
◉ Sheldon's Theory of Somatotypes (physiological theory)
, Answer: -Advanced the idea of criminality linked to physical form
-Believed body build was linked to personality and temperament
-Sheldon distinguished three basic body types:
Ectomorph (thin, fragile, introvert, restrained...)
Endomorph(rough and soft, happy and relaxed, sociable...)
Mesomorph(muscular and hard, broad,square,adventurous and
aggressive...) --> claimed that mesomorph were more likely to do
crime
◉ How did Sheldon (theory of somatotypes) conduct his research?
Answer: -Assessed somatotypes of college students and delinquents
from photographs - Each photo given a mesomorphy rating
1 (low) - 7(high)
-Finding: Delinquents had higher average mesomorphy ratings than
college students (4.6 vs. 3.8) The most seriously delinquent of
Sheldon's sample had a mean mesomorphy rating of 5
Correlation data supported his claim
BUT CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION and this theory
was deeply flawed
◉ What might explained sheldon theory of somatotypes (Blackburn
(1993) explanations)
Answer: -Mesomorphs may have higher testosterone levels, which
may result in higher levels of aggressiveness
BEHAVIOUR 1ST EDITION LYON FINAL PAPER
EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GUARANTEED TO PASS
◉ Atavistic feature (atavistic theory lombroso)
Answer: Sloping forehead
Bumps on head - particularly the "destructiveness center" above left
ear
Bushy eyebrows tending to meet across nose (uni-brow)
Twisted nose
Excessive cheekbones
Large chin and jaw
Excessive wrinkles on the skin
Long arms
Large, handle shaped ears
Large lips
Blood shot and shifty eyes
◉ How did Lombroso conduct his research?
,Answer: He examined criminals and made correlations about
characteristics he found (ex;Different features associated with
different crimes, Murders - bloodshot eyes, curly hair)
Today, this theory is laughable (and it is deeply flawed)
No control group
No non-criminal controls used to establish is atavistic features were
confined to criminal population
His sample likely contained large numbers of individuals with
psychological disorders and/or chromosomal abnormalities
He did not distinguish pathology and criminality
Crime is not a natural or homogenous category of behaviour, it is a
social construct, so what is "inherited"?
Given our current understanding, crime - a complex behaviour - is
not controlled by single genes
Correlation ≠ causation
◉ Why was Lombroso theory revolutionary?
Answer: However, he shifted his focus from moral to empirical, and
shaped the modern focus of biological and social factors on criminal
behaviour.
◉ Sheldon's Theory of Somatotypes (physiological theory)
, Answer: -Advanced the idea of criminality linked to physical form
-Believed body build was linked to personality and temperament
-Sheldon distinguished three basic body types:
Ectomorph (thin, fragile, introvert, restrained...)
Endomorph(rough and soft, happy and relaxed, sociable...)
Mesomorph(muscular and hard, broad,square,adventurous and
aggressive...) --> claimed that mesomorph were more likely to do
crime
◉ How did Sheldon (theory of somatotypes) conduct his research?
Answer: -Assessed somatotypes of college students and delinquents
from photographs - Each photo given a mesomorphy rating
1 (low) - 7(high)
-Finding: Delinquents had higher average mesomorphy ratings than
college students (4.6 vs. 3.8) The most seriously delinquent of
Sheldon's sample had a mean mesomorphy rating of 5
Correlation data supported his claim
BUT CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION and this theory
was deeply flawed
◉ What might explained sheldon theory of somatotypes (Blackburn
(1993) explanations)
Answer: -Mesomorphs may have higher testosterone levels, which
may result in higher levels of aggressiveness
