Deck 4: Biological Factors and Criminal Behavior

Question 1

Most biological criminological theories advocate for biological determinism.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Biosocial theories support an interaction between biological and social factors.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Physiognomy is the study of the shape of the skull.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Lombroso coined the term atavistic to describe criminals.

Question 5

Twin studies aid the understanding of biological versus environmental theories of criminal behavior.

Question 6

Monoamine oxidase (MAOA) is known as the criminal gene.

Question 7

Castration is effective to reduce all violent crimes.

Question 8

Brain imaging techniques are useful tools for examining abnormalities among violent offenders.

Question 9

Environmental exposures to toxins may alter human biology and contribute to criminal behavior.

Question 10

Epigenics argues that criminality is inherited.

Question 11

Phrenology is a biologically based theory. This theory is based on the:

A) Assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance
B) Shape of a person's skull which predicts criminality
C) Understanding that criminality is based on testosterone levels
D) Misconception that criminality is inherited

Question 12

Biosocial theories support the ideology that crime is a function of:

A) Nature only
B) Nurture only
C) Nature and nurture
D) Environment

Question 13

One method of examining biological trait theories of crime is to examine twins. Such studies, however, suffer from the following limitation(s):

A) Inability to control for biological determinants of behavior
B) Large sample sizes
C) Assumption of environmental equality
D) There are not enough twins

Question 14

The theory related to XYY chromosomes among males supports the belief that:

A) An extra "Y" chromosome increases criminality among males
B) An extra "Y" chromosome decreases criminality among males
C) An extra "Y" chromosome has no effect on crime among males
D) None of the above

Question 15

The theory that increased hormone levels (i.e., testosterone) are associated with criminal behavior suffers from the following problem:

A) Parsimony
B) Reliability
C) Direction of causality
D) Logical consistency

Question 16

Many theories have policy implications. One biology based policy is chemical castration to reduce hormone levels. This type of policy would be applicable for what type of criminal behavior?

A) Larceny
B) Sex offenders
C) Kidnapping
D) Homicide

Question 17

One explanation of crime discussed in the readings examines the relationship between physical attributes and crime. This theory suggests that criminals are more likely to have the following features: long arms, wrinkles, protruding lips, extra fingers/toes and excessive hair. This theory was the put forth by:

A) Darwin
B) Lombroso
C) Goring
D) Gall

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a common problem shared by early biological positivistic theories?

A) They suggest that one can genetically inherit a trait or propensity that is socially defined and culturally relative
B) Most of their analyses are plagued by weak operationalization of key concepts such as "feebleminded," "inferior," and "crime"
C) Many of these studies are based on large, unbiased samples
D) Not all biological differences are inherited; many may be due to prenatal environment, injury, and inadequate diet

Question 19

Which is NOT a methodological limitation of adoption studies?

A) Some children are adopted after spending time with their biological parents
B) It is difficult to separate environmental from genetic influences
C) Adoptive parents are not representative of the population
D) Birth mothers cannot influence the child

Question 20

Design a study to test the biological versus environmental explanations of criminal behavior. Who would be in the sample? How would they be selected? What type of data/information would you want to collect and analyze?

Question 21

What are some of the main barriers to testing biological explanations of crime? Be sure to include ethical and logistic concerns.

Question 22

Some research suggests that the environment can influence biological changes which can lead to crime. Name two of these environmental influences and describe how they are believed to influence behavior. Are these viable explanations of crime?

Question 23

Historic biological explanations of crime included physical features. Why did these explanations fall out of favor? What biological explanations replaced them and why?

Question 24

Lombroso identified three major types of criminals. Name these criminal types, describe their purported features, and how they contributed to criminal behavior. What led to the demise of Lombroso's categorization?

Question 25

Sheldon identified three body types among criminals: endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic. What are the characteristics of each body type? Which one was believed to be more prevalent among criminals?

Question 26

How can genetic explanations of crime add to the already vast field of criminological theory? What do the more contemporary studies contribute beyond what we already know from more established theories such as classical deterrence?

Question 27

What are the major considerations in testing biological explanations of crime? What is necessary for a full biological explanation of crime?

Question 28

What policies could be enacted based on results from biological explanations of crime? Which biological factors are dynamic and could be altered using ethical policies; which biological factors are less amenable to change or intervention?

Question 29

How can biological factors be used to explain changes in crime rates in the United States? What other factors may also contribute to changes in crime rates? Which is the most probable explanation?