genetic + neural explanation

• What are the different genetic explantions?

  1. MAOA gene (could also be neural)
  2. XYY syndrome
• What are the different neural explanations?

  1. Pre-frontal cortex
  2. Amygdala
• What is the MAOA warrior gene theory?

  • Brunner conducted a case study on a Dutch family whose males had abnormal and violent behaviour, and found through their urine samples a mutation on the X chromosome.
  • Brunner found this mutation affected the MAOA gene which is an enzyme that breaks down different neurotransmitters.
  • When the MAOA isn't function properly, it cause excess neurotransmitters to interfere with communication among neurons leading to abnormal aggressive and antisocial behaviour.
• What is XYY syndrome?

  • men have XY chromosome pairings but there is a possibility that men can have an extra Y chromosome.
  • Y chromosome determines a male gender and so by having an extra one it can lead to higher levels of testosterone which is linked to aggressive behaviour and thus offender behaviour.
  • Males with XYY syndrome are often taller, low muscle tone and widely spaced eyes.
• What is the role in pre-frontal cortex in offender behaviour?

  The pre-frontal cortex is associated with emotional processing and control. People with a damaged pre-frontal cortex can be more aggressive and find it hard to deal with their emotions which could lead to them lashing out at others.
• What is the role in amygdala in offender behaviour?

  The amygdala is part of the limbic system and damage to this area has been linked with aggression, memory problems, learning and attention issues. This can explain why criminals fail to learn from their mistakes seen in the high reoffending rates in the UK.
• Evaluation of Genetic and Neural Explanations for Offending Behaviour:

  1.Freewill vs determinism.

  • the genetic and neural theories challenge the idea that criminals have control over their actions. This highlights a lack of freewill which was not reflected in the current legal system.
  • This led to criminal defence lawyers using certain arguments suggesting that criminals don’t have the freewill to choose their actions, they are determined by their biology.

   
• Evaluation of Genetic and Neural Explanations for Offending Behaviour:

  2.Reductionist.

  • criminal behaviour is extremely complicated and unique to the individual and so the view that certain genetic or neural features leads to criminal behaviour is an extremely simplistic view.
  • As a result, it doesn’t consider individual difference such as a person’s childhood or their social environment.
• Evaluation of Genetic and Neural Explanations for Offending Behaviour:

  3.Supporting research.

  • Raine's PET scanning research showed murderer's had a reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex leading to a loss in self-control.
  • Additionally, Dabb's study found that the saliva of violent inmates had a higher level of testosterone than non-violent inmates supporting the XYY theory.
• Evaluation of Genetic and Neural Explanations for Offending Behaviour:

  4.Validity

  • Raine conducted several pieces of research which highlights difference in neural activity of criminals compared to non-criminals.
  • This supports the credibility of the neural explanations as cause and effect was established using control groups and empirical methods.