Save
Forensic Psychology
Biological explanations
Neural explanations
Save
Share
Learn
Content
Leaderboard
Share
Learn
Created by
Jay
Visit profile
Cards (33)
What do
neural explanations
refer to?
Explanations in terms of
(dys)function
of the brain and nervous system
View source
What is included in
neural
explanations
?
The activity of
brain structures
and
neurotransmitters
View source
What percentage of the general US population has had a brain injury?
5%
View source
What percentage of individuals in
US
prisons have reported a brain injury?
60%
View source
Where is the
prefrontal cortex
located?
Above the eyebrows at the very front of the
brain
View source
What did
Raine
(
2004
) find regarding murderers and psychopaths?
They have reduced functioning in the
prefrontal cortex
View source
What is the role of the
prefrontal cortex
?
Regulating
emotion
and controlling moral behaviour
View source
What is associated with lowered activity in the
prefrontal cortex
?
Impulsiveness
and loss of control
View source
What does the
limbic system
control?
Emotions
and motivations
View source
How do criminal
psychopaths
process
emotions
?
They have problems processing emotions and empathy
View source
What is suggested about the
limbic system
in criminal
psychopaths
?
A fault in their limbic system leads to lack of emotional reactions
View source
What can lack of
emotional reactions
lead to in criminal
psychopaths
?
Planned and organised offending behaviour
View source
What did
Raine
(
2009
) find regarding
psychopaths
and the
amygdala
?
Psychopaths had an
18%
volume reduction in the amygdala
View source
What reduction in grey matter of the
PFC
did
Raine
(
2009
) find in people with anti-social personality disorder?
11%
View source
What do
case studies
support regarding
brain dysfunction
?
The link between brain dysfunction and
offending/anti-social behaviour
View source
Who was
Charles Whitman
and what did he do?
He shot
16
people at a university campus
View source
What was found in
Charles Whitman's
post mortem?
He had a large tumour in the
amygdala
View source
Who was
Phineas Gage
?
A railway worker who had catastrophic
brain
damage
View source
What happened to
Phineas Gage
after his accident?
He became a violent drunk despite recovering physically
View source
What does the
prefrontal
area do according to
Phineas Gage's
case?
It keeps behaviour in check and moderates
impulses
View source
What are
mirror neurons
?
Neurons that fire in response to
personal
actions and actions of others
View source
How do
mirror neurons
relate to interpreting emotions?
They allow us to interpret emotion in others
View source
How can
mirror neurons
affect criminality?
If we do not experience someone else's emotion, we cannot
empathise
with them
View source
What is suggested about criminal types and
mirror neurons
?
They can
'switch off'
these mirror neurons
View source
What did
Keysers et al.
(
2011
) find regarding criminals and empathy?
Criminals'
mirror neurons
activated only when asked to empathise
View source
What does the
activation
of
mirror neurons
suggest about criminals?
They may have a neural 'switch' for
empathy
View source
What is
serotonin
?
A
neurotransmitter
that exerts a calming, inhibitory effect
View source
What effect does low
serotonin
have on behaviour?
It removes the
inhibitory
effect, leading to impulsive behaviour
View source
What
gene
regulates the metabolism of serotonin?
The
MAOA
gene
View source
What does animal research suggest about
serotonin
and
aggression
?
Lowering serotonin increases aggression, while raising it reduces aggression
View source
What was found in aggressive dogs compared to a control group?
Aggressive dogs had lower
average
serotonin
levels
View source
What is a limitation of the
research
on
serotonin
and
aggression
?
Much of the research has been conducted using
non-human animals
View source
Why is the relevance of animal research on
serotonin
and
aggression
questioned?
It measures aggression rather than
offending behaviours
View source