Biopsychosocial Crim Readings
War of Worlds Continues in Violence Research. Main findings of Raine's study: Danish children who
experienced both early birth complications and early maternal rejection - (correct Answer) - -3.9% of
children met criteria, but they were found to be responsible for a disproportionate 22% of all violent
crime
-neither birth complications nor early rejection was independently associated with higher rates of violent
crime; only when both occurred simultaneously
-central controversy: research into a biological underpinning to crime may support/fuel eugenicist/racist
perspectives
Life Histories, Blood Revenge, and Warfare in a Tribal Population. Chagnon - (correct Answer) - -
Yanomamo Indians of Amazonas, Southern Venezuela and northern Brazil
-44% of males age 25 or older have participated in the killing of someone
-70% aged 40 and older have lost at least one close genetic kin
-males who have murdered have higher marriage and reproduction rates
-swift retaliation serves as a long-term deterrent
-unokais: those who have killed
-villages are biologically related kin groups
"the higher the kinship density in a certain community, the greater is the likelihood that a large number
of mutually supportive individuals will take such life-threatening risks and that retaliation will occur if
one of the members of the group is killed"
Killer Instincts. Jones. - (correct Answer) - -the 'by-product' argument
-homicide as an evolutionary mechanism: violence occurs more often in men. the death of a mother has
an impact on child survival, but death of father often does not
-same level of anger across men and women, but women show greater behavioral inhibition of anger
(more empathy, more fearful, more behavioral control)
-Raine et al found among 41 murderers pleading not guilty, lower glucose metabolism in prefrontal
cortex and greater limbic activity (thought to drive aggression)
-suggests they don't have braking system to regulate emotional output
-Raine also found lower gray matter in orbitofrontal cortex was linked to more aggressive/antisocial
behavior
, -men are more likely to murder in groups; similar behavior seen in male chimpanzees by Goodall
-difference: chimps display much greater rates of in-group killing
-homicide rates have declined since the 15th century, which can be best explained by greater resource
accessibility
-societal specifics likely outweigh evolutionary explanations
-in societies with recent histories of war, children are socialized to tolerate pain and react aggressively
Role of Genotype in the Cycle of Violence in Maltreated Children. Caspi et al. - (correct Answer) - -
maltreated children with a genotype conferring high levels of MAOA were less likely to develop antisocial
behavior
-MAOA gene is located on the X chromosome
-codes for MAOA enzyme, which metabolizes neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine,
dopamine
-found "the effect of childhood maltreatment on antisocial behavior was significantly weaker among
males with high MAOA activity
-on all accounts, children with low MAOA who had also been maltreated were more likely to develop
antisocial behavior, signifying a G x E interaction
-on the other hand, children with high MAOA who had been maltreated were not more likely to be
antisocial
-although individuals with low MAOA and maltreatment only accounted for 12% of the cohort, they
represented 44% of the cohort's violent convictions
From Genes to Brain to Antisocial Behavior. Raine - (correct Answer) - -twin/adoption studies indicate
that about 50% of variance in antisocial behavior can be attributed to genetic influences
-genes thought to be associated with antisocial/aggressive behavior: MAOA, 5HTT, BDNF, NOCTH4,
NCAM, tlx, Pet-1-ETS
-boys with MAOA variant have 8% reduction in volume of amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior
cingulate
-strong evidence for impairments in prefrontal cortex
-MRI shows that those with APD have 11% reduction in prefrontal gray matter
-reduced glucose metabolism in prefrontal cortex during continuous performance task
-also impairments to the cingulate, temporal cortex, angular gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus
-genes account for 90% of variation in prefrontal gray matter in humans
-neural moral theory of antisocial behavior: antisocial individuals have a breakdown in the neural circuits
War of Worlds Continues in Violence Research. Main findings of Raine's study: Danish children who
experienced both early birth complications and early maternal rejection - (correct Answer) - -3.9% of
children met criteria, but they were found to be responsible for a disproportionate 22% of all violent
crime
-neither birth complications nor early rejection was independently associated with higher rates of violent
crime; only when both occurred simultaneously
-central controversy: research into a biological underpinning to crime may support/fuel eugenicist/racist
perspectives
Life Histories, Blood Revenge, and Warfare in a Tribal Population. Chagnon - (correct Answer) - -
Yanomamo Indians of Amazonas, Southern Venezuela and northern Brazil
-44% of males age 25 or older have participated in the killing of someone
-70% aged 40 and older have lost at least one close genetic kin
-males who have murdered have higher marriage and reproduction rates
-swift retaliation serves as a long-term deterrent
-unokais: those who have killed
-villages are biologically related kin groups
"the higher the kinship density in a certain community, the greater is the likelihood that a large number
of mutually supportive individuals will take such life-threatening risks and that retaliation will occur if
one of the members of the group is killed"
Killer Instincts. Jones. - (correct Answer) - -the 'by-product' argument
-homicide as an evolutionary mechanism: violence occurs more often in men. the death of a mother has
an impact on child survival, but death of father often does not
-same level of anger across men and women, but women show greater behavioral inhibition of anger
(more empathy, more fearful, more behavioral control)
-Raine et al found among 41 murderers pleading not guilty, lower glucose metabolism in prefrontal
cortex and greater limbic activity (thought to drive aggression)
-suggests they don't have braking system to regulate emotional output
-Raine also found lower gray matter in orbitofrontal cortex was linked to more aggressive/antisocial
behavior
, -men are more likely to murder in groups; similar behavior seen in male chimpanzees by Goodall
-difference: chimps display much greater rates of in-group killing
-homicide rates have declined since the 15th century, which can be best explained by greater resource
accessibility
-societal specifics likely outweigh evolutionary explanations
-in societies with recent histories of war, children are socialized to tolerate pain and react aggressively
Role of Genotype in the Cycle of Violence in Maltreated Children. Caspi et al. - (correct Answer) - -
maltreated children with a genotype conferring high levels of MAOA were less likely to develop antisocial
behavior
-MAOA gene is located on the X chromosome
-codes for MAOA enzyme, which metabolizes neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine,
dopamine
-found "the effect of childhood maltreatment on antisocial behavior was significantly weaker among
males with high MAOA activity
-on all accounts, children with low MAOA who had also been maltreated were more likely to develop
antisocial behavior, signifying a G x E interaction
-on the other hand, children with high MAOA who had been maltreated were not more likely to be
antisocial
-although individuals with low MAOA and maltreatment only accounted for 12% of the cohort, they
represented 44% of the cohort's violent convictions
From Genes to Brain to Antisocial Behavior. Raine - (correct Answer) - -twin/adoption studies indicate
that about 50% of variance in antisocial behavior can be attributed to genetic influences
-genes thought to be associated with antisocial/aggressive behavior: MAOA, 5HTT, BDNF, NOCTH4,
NCAM, tlx, Pet-1-ETS
-boys with MAOA variant have 8% reduction in volume of amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior
cingulate
-strong evidence for impairments in prefrontal cortex
-MRI shows that those with APD have 11% reduction in prefrontal gray matter
-reduced glucose metabolism in prefrontal cortex during continuous performance task
-also impairments to the cingulate, temporal cortex, angular gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus
-genes account for 90% of variation in prefrontal gray matter in humans
-neural moral theory of antisocial behavior: antisocial individuals have a breakdown in the neural circuits
