Deck 12: Growing up Criminal: Trait and Biological Theories of Crime

Question 1

Regarding sociological theories of crime, which of the following statements is true?

A) They are exemplified by the work of Cesare Lombroso.
B) They are not used in modern-day criminology.
C) They argue that there are not individual differences between criminals and noncriminals.
D) They argue that there are no differences in the social environments of criminals and noncriminals.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Regarding modern-day biological theories of crime, which of the following statements is true?

A) Biological and environmental factors influence the development of traits conducive to crime.
B) Biological factors, but not environmental factors, influence the development of traits conducive to crime.
C) The environment can influence the development of traits conducive to crime, but traits cannot influence the environment.
D) Environmental factors, but not biological factors, influence the development of traits conducive to crime.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is true of Glueck and Glueck's Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency?

A) Sociologists rejected the Gluecks' work, suggesting that it portrayed offenders as biologically deficient.
B) The Gluecks argued in favor of macro-level theory, emphasizing social disorganization as a primary cause of crime.
C) The Gluecks argued in favor of a single-factor approach to understanding crime.
D) The Gluecks argued that most people subject to poor social conditions end up engaging in crime.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Glueck and Glueck concluded that

A) A poor family life-including the poor health, erratic discipline, and poor educational background of parents of delinquents-was the primary cause of juvenile delinquency.
B) The disorganized neighborhoods in which delinquents tended to live was the primary cause of juvenile delinquency.
C) Biological and psychological factors, as opposed to social factors, were the most important causal factors in delinquency.
D) Poor school environment was the most important causal factor in delinquency.

Question 5

Glueck and Glueck's methodology involved

A) A randomized experiment with five hundred total participants.
B) A sample of delinquent boys and girls.
C) A matched sample of five hundred delinquent girls and five hundred nondelinquent girls.
D) A matched sample of five hundred delinquent boys and five hundred nondelinquent boys.

Question 6

Twins that are 100 percent genetically similar are referred to as

A) Dizygotic.
B) Monozygotic.
C) Single embryotic.
D) Solo embryotic.

Question 7

Genetic influences on crime may be most relevant to

A) Life-course-persistent offenders.
B) Adolescence-limited offenders.
C) Adult-onset offenders.
D) Childhood-selective offenders.

Question 8

The autonomic nervous system controls

A) Brain and spinal cord.
B) Heart rate, gland secretion, and emotional reaction to stimuli.
C) Long-term thinking and decision making.
D) Movement of the body.

Question 9

This form of IQ has been to be shown to be most associated with criminal behavior.

A) Emotional.
B) Mathematical.
C) Verbal.
D) Performance.

Question 10

Research showing that monozygotic twins are more similar to one another in terms of criminal behavior than are dizygotic twins is supportive of which perspective?

A) Negative emotionality and crime.
B) Genetic influences on crime.
C) Biological harms and crime.
D) Cognitive deficits and crime.

Question 11

When examining genetic influences on criminal behavior, crime is most likely when

A) Biological parents are criminal and adoptive parents are noncriminal.
B) Adoptive parents are criminal and biological parents are noncriminal.
C) Neither biological nor adoptive parents are criminal.
D) Both biological and adoptive parents are criminal.

Question 12

This hormone, which is associated with criminal behavior in adults, may explain gender differences in antisocial behavior.

A) Cortisol.
B) Testosterone.
C) Dopamine.
D) Serotonin.

Question 13

A criminologist who suggests that criminal behavior is affected by head injuries is subscribing to which perspective?

A) Gene-based evolutionary theory.
B) The biological harms perspective.
C) Sociological theory.
D) Atavistic theory.

Question 14

Which of the following are considered biosocial markers for fetal maldevelopment during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy?

A) Minor physical anomalies.
B) Major fetal indicators.
C) Major physiological distinguishers.
D) Minor psychological abnormalities.

Question 15

Research on how the central nervous system and the autonomic nervous system can affect individual traits conducive to crime shows that, for instance,

A) Crime and antisocial behavior are more likely among those with low levels of testosterone, especially among adults.
B) Aggression and crime are more likely among those with high heart rates.
C) Crime, especially crimes that harm others, is more likely among those with low levels of serotonin.
D) Criminal disposition is associated with high skin conductance.

Question 16

Psychophysiological research has shown that criminals

A) Are overaroused when compared to the general population.
B) Are underaroused when compared to the general population.
C) Are no different when compared to the general population.
D) Cannot be distinguished from the general population.

Question 17

Neuroimaging has shown that antisocial behavior is associated with

A) Reduced volume of frontotemporal gray matter.
B) Increased volume of hippocampal gray matter.
C) Increased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex.
D) Reduced skull size.

Question 18

Age moderates the relationship of genetics on crime with

A) Lower heritability estimates and higher shared environmental influences for childhood than for adulthood.
B) Higher heritability estimates and lower shared environmental influences for childhood than for adulthood.
C) Equal genetic and shared environmental influences in childhood.
D) Equal genetic and shared environmental influences in adulthood.

Question 19

According to Caspi et al.'s research, human personality consists of three supertraits, including

A) Negative emotionality, psychopathy, and cad.
B) Cad, r, and psychopathy.
C) Negative emotionality, positive emotionality, and constraint.
D) Negative emotionality, constraint, and pushiness.

Question 20

According to Caspi et al.'s research, which two personality traits were robust predictors of criminal/delinquent behavior?

A) Negative emotionality and constraint.
B) Negative emotionality and psychopathy.
C) Psychopathy and cad.
D) Positive emotionality and constraint.

Question 21

Why is the modern-day study of biological factors in crime important? How do modern-day biological theories depart from the work of Cesare Lombroso?

Question 22

Describe the research findings and conclusions of Glueck and Glueck.

Question 23

Describe the roles of hormones and neurotransmitters in criminal behavior.

Question 24

List two biological factors discussed by Peskin et al. (e.g., serotonin level, heart rate, skin conductance, brain cortex damage) and describe how they might increase the likelihood of crime.

Question 25

Describe the supertraits of negative emotionality and constraint. Next, describe all the ways that negative emotionality and low constraint might increase the likelihood of crime.