A03 Eysenck Theory

• Evidence supporting Eysenck's theory


  Eysenck compared 2070 male prisoners' scores on the EPI with 2422 male control ppts. Groups were subdivided into age groups, ranging from 16-69 years. There was a measure of E, N, P across all age groups. Prisoners scored higher on those than control.
• Farrington et al (Evidence supporting Eysenck's theory)


  Reviewed several studies and reported offenders tended to score high on P, but not on N and E. Also, there is very little evidence of consistent differences in EEG measures between E and I casting physiological basis on theory. But nomothetic.
• The idea of a single criminal type


  A single gene causing criminality has been criticised. Mofitt et al proposed several distinct types of adult male offenders based on timing of first offence and how long the offending persists.
• Out of step with modern personality theories (The idea of a single criminal type)


  Digman's Five Factor Model of personality suggests that alongside E and N, there are additional dimensions of openness, agreableness and conscientiousness. Thus, high E and N scores do not mean offedning is inevitable.
• Cultural bias


  Holanchok and Bartol studies hispanic and african american offenders in a maximum security prison in New York and divided them into 6 groups based on their criminal history and nature of offence.
• Holanchok and Bartol findings (Cultural bias)


  It was revealed that all 6 groups were gounf to be less exravert than the control group. This was due to their sample as it was a very different cultural group than imposed by Eysenck. Thus, lack of generalisability.
• The Mismeasurement of personality


  The EPI may not be valid as personality may not be reducible to a score as it is not a stable entity. This leads to different parts and personality chages depending on who we investigate.
• Biological basis


  Eysenck' theory recognises that personality has a biological basis and fits well into other genetic explanations. Overlap with research into Antisocial personality disorder and suggestion that offenders are cold, uncaring and incapable of felling empathy.
• Real-life application and determinsim


  This has real-life implications for the judicial process in court as the idea of determinsim (bio approach) from biological basis raises the question whether criminals should be pardoned for their crimes.