eysenck’s theory

• What theory does Eysenck propose regarding criminal personality?

  There is a criminal personality type.
• What was the sample size in Eysenck & Eysenck's study?

  2,070 prisoners and 2,422 controls.
• What personality traits did prisoners score higher in compared to controls?

  Extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
• What did Farrington et al's meta-analysis find regarding psychoticism?

  Offenders scored high on psychoticism measures.
• What inconsistency challenges Eysenck's theory?

  Differences in EEG measures between extraverts and introverts.
• What does the evidence suggest about extraversion and neuroticism in relation to offending behavior?

  They are not consistently linked to offending behavior.
• What criticism is made about the simplicity of Eysenck's theory?

  It oversimplifies criminal behavior to one personality type.
• What distinction did Moffitt make regarding offending behavior?

  Between adolescent offending and adult offending.
• What does Moffitt argue about personality traits and offending behavior?

  They are poor predictors of long-term offending.
• What is the reciprocal process Moffitt describes?

  Interaction between personality traits and environmental reactions.
• What limitation does Eysenck's theory have regarding cultural factors?

  It does not account for cultural variations.
• What did Bartol and Holanchock find in their study of offenders?

  Offenders were less extravert than controls.
• Why do Bartol and Holanchock question Eysenck's findings?

  Their sample was culturally different from Eysenck's.
• What does Bartol and Holanchock's research suggest about the criminal personality?

  It may be a culturally relative concept.