Deck 3: Biological Positivist Theories

Question 1

Which of the following did not directly influence positivist criminology?

A) Phrenology
B) Evolutionary theory
C) The classical school
D) Physiognomy
E) All of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Biological positivists assume that humans are:

A) naturally self-interested and hedonistic.
B) influenced by factors beyond their control.
C) primal and instinctive creatures.
D) both a and c
E) all of the above.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Biological positivists assume that the law:

A) emerged through conflicts between different competing groups in society.
B) was capable of distinguishing between "normal" people and criminals.
C) represents consensus in society with regard to laws and norms.
D) is intended to maintain the status quo in society.
E) is manipulating by elites to maintain their power.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The theory of the atavistic man:

A) relied on research that involved correlating physical characteristics to criminal behavior.
B) claimed that criminality was the result of free will interacting with psychological factors.
C) suggested that incarceration be used to deal with crime.
D) is an early example of psychoanalytic theory in criminology.
E) all of the above.

Question 5

According to William Sheldon's work on somatotyping:

A) mesomorphs tend to be withdrawn and introverted.
B) criminals tend to have ectomorphic body types.
C) body type determines one's temperament, which influences behavior.
D) endomorphs tend to have lower IQ scores.
E) all of the above.

Question 6

Which of the following is false with regard to the early research on genetics and criminal behavior?

A) It consisted of genealogical studies of families with many criminals.
B) It laid the groundwork for later work on IQ and criminality.
C) It had difficulties determining whether nature or nurture accounted for criminal behavior.
D) It consistently found that criminality was inherited and that criminals were born, not made.
E) None of the above.

Question 7

Research examining Lombroso's theory of the atavistic man:

A) concluded that the theory was correct (i.e., Lombrosian indicators can accurately predict criminality).
B) suggested that chronic offenders were less evolved than other criminals and noncriminals.
C) found that violent criminals had ape-like features and were prone to mental illness.
D) was extremely rigorous, carefully conducted, and scientific.
E) none of the above.

Question 8

Twins studies:

A) emerged to disentangle the effects of biology and environment.
B) indicated that identical (or MZ) twins are three times as likely to commit crime as fraternal (or DZ) twins.
C) were undertaken to address shortcomings of adoption studies.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Question 9

Concordance rate:

A) is a tool for comparing behavior among twins.
B) refers to the likelihood that one twin will develop similarly to another twin.
C) is expressed as a percentage.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Question 10

Early criminological positivists were typically sociological theorists who sought to explain crime through social structural and cultural factors.

Question 11

Phrenologists were some of the earliest proponents of treatment and rehabilitation.

Question 12

Early biological positivists assumed that the criminal law was capable of distinguishing between "normal" people and criminals.

Question 13

Biological positivists seek to explain criminality, criminal behavior, crime rates, and the emergence of the criminal law in their theories.

Question 14

Studies indicate that genetic links to violent crime (e.g., murder and assault) are much stronger than links to other forms of petty crime (e.g., theft and burglary).

Question 15

Enrico Ferri's theory was ahead of its time because it focused on how criminality was shaped by interactions between biological and environmental variables.

Question 16

According to Lombroso, criminal behavior is the result of free will and people use a "hedonistic calculus" to make decisions.

Question 17

Structural brain abnormalities have been found in violent offenders and psychopaths.

Question 18

List the assumptions made by biological positivist theories.

Question 19

How did the historical period in which these theories emerged shape their early development?

Question 20

What are the problem focus, scope, and level of explanation of these theories?

Question 21

What social and historical factors gave rise to these theories?

Question 22

What practical ramifications did these theories have?