Eysenck

Cards (25)

  • What genes are involved in criminal behaviour?
    Genes linked to aggression
  • What examples of the criminal personality type can be found in films?
    Characters like the Joker and Hannibal Lecter
  • What are the two methods described in research methods?
    Interviews and questionnaires
  • What are the stages to top-down profiling?
    Stages of profiling process
  • What is Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality focused on?
    The relationship between personality and offending
  • What does Eysenck suggest about extraverts' nervous systems?
    They are chronically under-aroused
  • How might an extravert's under-aroused nervous system influence their behavior?
    They seek excitement and take risks
  • How do neurotics respond to threats according to Eysenck?
    They have greater responses to threats
  • What might explain the offending behavior of neurotics?
    They overreact to situations of threat
  • What characteristics are associated with psychotics in Eysenck’s theory?
    They are aggressive and lack empathy
  • How does Eysenck link socialization to offending behavior?
    • Innate personality traits influence behavior
    • Socialization teaches delay of gratification
    • Conditioning punishes anti-social behaviors
  • What does Eysenck believe about children and gratification?
    They learn to delay gratification through conditioning
  • How does Eysenck view offending behavior in terms of development?
    As developmentally immature and selfish
  • Why might individuals with high extraversion and neuroticism struggle with conditioning?
    They have nervous systems that are difficult to condition
  • What is the implication of Eysenck's theory for individuals with a criminal personality?
    They may act on antisocial impulses
  • What is a key characteristic of the criminal personality according to Eysenck?
    It is extraverted and neurotic
  • What did Farrington et al. (1982) find regarding offenders' personality traits?
    Offenders score high on psychoticism, not extraversion
  • What limitation does Bartol & Holanchock (1979) highlight about Eysenck's theory?
    Offending behavior can't be explained by personality alone
  • What did Bartol & Holanchock find about the extraversion of offenders?
    They were less extraverted than non-offenders
  • How does the use of lie scales affect Eysenck's theory?
    It may discard honest responses
  • What cultural limitation does Eysenck's theory face?
    It does not account for cultural factors
  • What did Eysenck & Eysenck (1977) find regarding prisoners' personality scores?
    Prisoners scored higher on all personality traits
  • What does Bartol & Holanchock suggest about Eysenck's sample?
    It was a culturally different group
  • What does Mischel and Peake's (1982) study suggest about personality traits?
    Traits may vary across different situations
  • What does Mischel and Peake's study imply for Eysenck's theory?
    It questions the generalizability of the criminal personality