Deck 6: Trait Theories

Question 1

What type of transportation was Vince Li on when he killed his seat companion?

A) bus
B) train
C) airplane
D) car

Answer 1

bus

Question 2

What psychological condition was Vince Li believed to suffer from before he committed his notorious murder in 2008?

A) paranoid schizophrenia
B) depression
C) bipolar disorder
D) kleptomania

Answer 2

paranoid schizophrenia

Question 3

What was the outcome of the trial of Vince Li for murder?

A) Li was found guilty.
B) Li was found not guilty.
C) Li was found not criminally responsible.
D) Li killed himself before a verdict was reached.

Answer 3

Li was found not criminally responsible.

Question 4

What present-at-birth condition has research shown to be connected with lower educational achievement later in life?

A) high blood pressure
B) length of the infant
C) low birth weight
D) jaundice

Question 5

What is the main concern of trait theorists?

A) legal definitions of crime
B) explaining why people violate particular statutory laws
C) police responses to crime and criminality
D) basic human drives linked to antisocial behaviour

Question 6

Which of the following is related to environmental factors in the same way that intelligence is related to personal traits?

A) genetic makeup
B) brain chemistry
C) educational attainment
D) personality

Question 7

What school is the foundation of the biological and psychological explanations of crime?

A) classical criminology
B) humanism
C) utilitarianism
D) positivism

Question 8

How did Cesare Lombroso describe individuals with physical characteristics that indicated a criminal nature?

A) atavistic criminals
B) born criminals
C) physical degenerates
D) somatype degenerates

Question 9

What term did Cesare Lombroso use to describe the physical anomalies indicative of a person's criminal nature?

A) neanderthalinization
B) Lombrosian adaptations
C) atavistic
D) somatype deformities

Question 10

Who added a social dimension to Cesare Lombroso's work and was a pioneer in the view that criminals should not be held personally or morally responsible for their actions because forces outside their control cause criminality?

A) William Sheldon
B) Richard Speck
C) Henry Maudsley
D) Raffaele Garofalo

Question 11

What practice did Raffaele Garofalo believe highlighted a criminal's different physical characteristics?

A) tattooing
B) piercings
C) disregard for stab wounds
D) comfortability with invasive medical procedures

Question 12

How did Raffaele Garofalo explain his observation that many criminals had tattoos?

A) It was an example of how criminals refuse to obey norms.
B) It was evidence of criminals' higher pain tolerance.
C) Tattoos showed gang allegiance in prison.
D) Tattoos themselves were illegal, and so getting one was a permanent way of declaring oneself a criminal.

Question 13

What was the name of the "degenerate family" Richard Dugdale studied and wrote a book about in 1875?

A) the Kallikaks
B) the Wilsons
C) the Jukes
D) the Aldersons

Question 14

What term did Richard Dugdale use to describe the family profiled in his 1875 book, The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease, and Heredity?

A) somatype family
B) vice clan
C) atavistic family
D) degenerate family

Question 15

According to your text, which somatotype is most likely to become criminal?

A) mesomorph
B) endomorph
C) somatomorph
D) ectomorph

Question 16

According to your text, which somatotype is tall, thin, and intellectual?

A) mesomorph
B) endomorph
C) somatomorph
D) ectomorph

Question 17

What term refers to the body-type classification system developed by William Sheldon?

A) endomorphy
B) atavistic
C) ectomorph
D) somatype

Question 18

Why was the publication of Sociobiology by E.O. Wilson in the early 1970s significant?

A) It announced new research proving some criminal tendencies are, in fact, inherited.
B) It resurrected new interest in the biological perspective of crime.
C) It confirmed earlier findings regarding the link between nutrition and offending.
D) It is the research with which schizophrenia was discovered.

Question 19

What was a major shortcoming of the work done by Lombroso and his contemporaries?

A) Lombroso contaminated his autopsies with dirty instruments.
B) They did not use a large enough sample size.
C) They believed some traits were the product of genetics when they were in fact the product of a person's environmental conditions.
D) They lacked the high-resolution medical imaging devices needed to identify more subtle physical traits possessed by criminals.

Question 20

According to a sociobiologist, what is the "real" motive behind your act of aiding someone else in need?

A) ensuring your own survival
B) true selflessness
C) cognitive dissonance
D) universal relativism

Question 21

What is a defining characteristic of what sociobiology believes genes affect?

A) intelligence
B) violent tendencies
C) criminality
D) learning social behaviour

Question 22

Who proposed the idea that body types were associated with personality characteristics?

A) William Ackerley
B) Cesare Lombroso
C) Edmund Wilson
D) William Sheldon

Question 23

According to sociobiology, what motivates human behaviour?

A) biological urges
B) learned social responses
C) greed
D) economic systems

Question 24

According to biological trait theory, what is the most important factor affecting human behaviour?

A) genetic makeup
B) social upbringing
C) family rearing practices
D) an individual's IQ

Question 25

According to modern biological theories, what effect does the environment have on antisocial behaviour in people already predisposed to deviance?

A) They assume an environment-deviance duality; they are not related.
B) They assume that environmental factors can "trigger" antisocial behaviour in people predisposed to deviance.
C) They assume that the environment is what causes deviance, and not the person's traits that predispose them to deviance.
D) They assume that the environment only alleviates deviant predispositions in people.

Question 26

What does the term "equipotentiality" refer to?

A) All humans are born with an equal potential to learn and achieve.
B) The ability to learn is controlled genetically.
C) The ability to learn is controlled by the environment.
D) The ability to learn is a function of parental nurturing.

Question 27

What type of crime theory includes biochemical, neurological, genetic, and evolutionary elements?

A) biosocial
B) psychological
C) biological
D) social

Question 28

Dr. Shiner has just concluded a research project, and his data appear to show that many young offenders suffer from a brain impairment that limits their ability to process social cues. What category of biosocial crime theory is this an example of?

A) biochemical
B) neurological
C) genetic
D) evolutionary

Question 29

Dr. Brown has just concluded a research project, and her data appear to show that many offenders lack a specific enzyme needed to properly digest vitamins. What category of biosocial crime theory is this an example of?

A) biochemical
B) neurological
C) genetic
D) evolutionary

Question 30

Dr. Reiner has just concluded a research project examining twins, and his data appear to show that even when raised under different conditions, twins tend to have very similar patterns of criminality throughout their life. What category of biosocial crime theory is this an example of?

A) biochemical
B) neurological
C) genetic
D) evolutionary

Question 31

What are inherited, natural, and unlearned dispositions that activate specific behaviour patterns designed to reach certain goals?

A) commodities
B) instincts
C) intuitions
D) cellular interactions

Question 32

According to biosocial theorists, what human instinct have rape and other sex crimes been linked to?

A) the need to demonstrate sexual prowess
B) the need to express sexual anger
C) the need to disseminate the genetic pool at a high rate
D) the need to possess and control other people and things

Question 33

Which defence did Dan White use when he killed the publicly gay city councilman Harvey Milk?

A) homosexual panic
B) diabetics
C) insanity
D) Twinkie

Question 34

Which type of defence is the Twinkie defence?

A) biological
B) foodist
C) biosocial
D) psychological

Question 35

Which sub-category of biosocial crime theory best represents the main argument of the Twinkie defence?

A) biochemical
B) neurological
C) genetic
D) evolutionary

Question 36

What deficiency do alcoholics often suffer from because of their poor diet?

A) vitamin E
B) thiamine
C) vitamin C
D) beta carotene

Question 37

Alcoholics often have a deficiency of the thiamine. What disease does this leave them susceptible to?

A) Korsakoff's syndrome
B) jaundice
C) hypoglycemia
D) influenza

Question 38

Which type of individuals did Bernard Gesch and his associates in the UK study to examine the effects of diet on individuals?

A) prisoners
B) parolees
C) mental patients
D) housewives

Question 39

Which of the following has been linked to antisocial behaviour?

A) sugar
B) multivitamins
C) vitamin D
D) aspartame

Question 40

What is thought to be linked to abnormal behaviour, such as substance abuse, because of an abnormality in the way the brain metabolizes glucose?

A) minimal brain dysfunction
B) nutritional deficiency syndrome
C) hypoglycemia
D) premenstrual syndrome

Question 41

What term was used in the nineteenth century to describe a condition known today as premenstrual syndrome?

A) disordered menstruation
B) hysteria
C) female upheaval
D) latent femininity

Question 42

According to an experiment with 276 incarcerated youths, what change in their diet impacted behaviour?

A) vitamin C
B) sugar
C) lactose
D) vitamins B3 and B6

Question 43

What occurs when glucose in the blood stream falls below the levels needed for normal and efficient brain functioning?

A) hyperthermia
B) hypomania
C) hyponeurology
D) hypoglycemia

Question 44

What is the only body organ to obtain its energy solely from the combustion of carbohydrates?

A) liver
B) brain
C) heart
D) pancreas

Question 45

If research showed that nutrition directly contributed to academic performance and positive behaviour in young people, which policy action would have the best positive outcome for students?

A) providing vouchers for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables to students upon graduating high school
B) testing children for nutritional deficiencies upon starting school
C) requiring students to take health classes to teach them about healthy eating
D) providing nutritionally balanced lunches for all students

Question 46

Which of the following was discovered to be higher than normal in studies of prison inmates?

A) carbohydrates
B) vitamin B
C) hypoglycemia
D) diabetes

Question 47

According to James Q. Wilson, declining levels of a specific hormone cause the aging-out process. What hormone did Wilson find to be responsible for aging-out?

A) estrogen
B) serotonin
C) testosterone
D) progesterone

Question 48

Which of the following is an androgen?

A) progesterone
B) serotonin
C) testosterone
D) thiamine

Question 49

Research has found that prenatal exposure to unnaturally high levels of male hormones has been linked to aggressive behaviour. What type of hormone has been identified in this research?

A) estrogens
B) androgens
C) progesterones
D) hypogens

Question 50

What outcome is more likely to occur in girls who were unintentionally exposed to elevated levels of androgens during their fetal development?

A) to undergo sex changes in the future
B) to display passivity and be withdrawn
C) to display a high tendency toward aggression
D) to display masculine features

Question 51

How do hormone levels influence violent behaviours?

A) They interfere with the right-hemisphere of the brain's ability to communicate, thus causing frustration and aggression.
B) If they are high enough, hormone levels produce toxins that form cysts or lumps in the brain and cause it to short-circuit.
C) Low hormone levels impact blood pressure, which essentially cuts off air to the brain and causes the individual to feel less inhibited.
D) Hormone levels can cause areas of the brain to become less sensitive to environmental stimuli, which causes people to seek excess stimulation, such as thrill seeking.

Question 52

Which situation best exemplifies a typical case of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy?

A) A mother refuses treatment for her sick child because she believes the doctors want to steal her child.
B) A father lets his son gorge on candy to the point the child becomes ill.
C) A mother secretly gives her daughter spoiled food so the child needs to be rushed to the emergency room on regular basis.
D) A father repeatedly tells his daughter that the child's mother is a bad person, slowly turning the child against her mother.

Question 53

Which hormone has been administered to sex offenders to decrease their sexual potency?

A) estrogen
B) testosterone
C) adrenaline
D) pituitary hormones

Question 54

Who first popularized the link between PMS and delinquency?

A) Julie Horney
B) Sally McLaren
C) Katharine Dalton
D) Barbara Fulton

Question 55

Is PMS proven to be an effective defence?

A) Yes, it has been highly successful, and its use is on the rise.
B) No, it has never worked as a defence.
C) No, only a few criminal trials have successfully used PMS as mitigating factor.
D) Yes, it is even more popular than the defence of insanity.

Question 56

What term refers to unusual or excessive reactions of the body to foreign substances?

A) dependencies
B) allergies
C) deficit disorders
D) intake disorders

Question 57

Which of the following has been linked to hostile, impulsive, and otherwise antisocial behaviour in youths?

A) using computers
B) eating paint chips as a child
C) food dyes and artificial colours
D) colouring with wax crayons

Question 58

Which newspaper headline best exemplifies the biochemical condition of environmental contaminants affecting criminality.

A) Researchers find direct connection between junk food and criminality in young people.
B) A new government study confirms that high levels of lead are negatively correlated with criminality.
C) Doctors identify allergy to wheat may cause antisocial behaviour in teenagers.
D) Researchers report that teenage women who have more than two brothers are more likely to have higher levels of testosterone and commit more antisocial behaviour.

Question 59

Which term refers to the biochemical condition resulting from individual's ingestion of lead?

A) hormonal influences
B) nutritional deficiencies
C) allergies
D) environmental contaminants

Question 60

Which type of biochemical condition would include hypoglycemia?

A) hormonal influences
B) nutritional deficiencies
C) allergies
D) environmental contaminants

Question 61

Which nationally publicized case was used as evidence that neurological abnormality could be a cause of violent outbursts in formerly law-abiding citizens?

A) the Charles Whitman case
B) the Dan White case
C) the Bernhard Goetz case
D) the William Kennedy Smith case

Question 62

Which condition is considered a biochemical condition?

A) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
B) nutritional deficiencies
C) minimal brain dysfunction
D) brain tumour

Question 63

What term refers to criminologists who study neurological abnormalities and brain activity?

A) physiologist
B) psychiatrist
C) neurophysiologist
D) psychologist

Question 64

What does a neurophysiologist study?

A) brain activity and abnormalities acquired as a fetus
B) emotional trauma encountered as an adult
C) child development through social interaction
D) dysfunctional adult relationships

Question 65

What brain problem has been linked to an imbalance in the urge-control mechanisms and antisocial acts?

A) low IQ
B) epilepsy
C) depression
D) minimal brain disorder

Question 66

With what percentage of accuracy have researchers using brain wave data predicted violent criminal recidivism?

A) 10
B) 50
C) 95
D) 100

Question 67

What does an electroencephalograph measure?

A) heartbeat
B) anger
C) brain activity
D) eye movement

Question 68

Which device would you need in order to measure the electrical impulses given off by brain waves?

A) echocardiogram
B) electroencephalograph
C) sphygmomanometer
D) otoscope

Question 69

According to studies, which young people are most prone to antisocial behaviour?

A) kids who are poor readers
B) kids with brain lesions
C) kids on Ritalin and Dexedrine
D) teens with alcoholic parents

Question 70

What is your diagnosis for a patient who frequently fails to finish projects, is easily distracted, and requires constant supervision?

A) minimal brain dysfunction
B) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
C) hypoglycemia
D) frontal lobe dysfunction

Question 71

What is the most common reason children are referred to mental health clinics?

A) paranoid schizophrenia
B) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
C) alcoholism
D) cannabis addition

Question 72

What type of medication is often given to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

A) stimulants
B) depressants
C) opiates
D) analgesics

Question 73

Historically thought to be a childhood disorder, approximately what percentage of adults are affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

A) 2-6
B) 15-20
C) 30-35
D) 39-45

Question 74

In which part of the brain can brain lesions have permanent effects on behaviour, such as depression and aggressive psychopathic tendencies?

A) temporal and frontal regions
B) hypothalamus
C) medulla oblongata
D) the entire left brain

Question 75

What are the chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions?

A) vitamins
B) hemoglobins
C) synapses
D) neurotransmitters

Question 76

What are dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin examples of?

A) hormones
B) neurotransmitters
C) allergies
D) neurotoxins

Question 77

For what condition are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) often prescribed?

A) depressive disorders
B) high cholesterol
C) erectile dysfunction
D) antisocial personality disorder

Question 78

Which type of drug is often prescribed for individuals with low levels of serotonin and signs of depression?

A) stimulants
B) opiates
C) serotonin reuptake inhibitors
D) reduced serotonin enhancers

Question 79

According to studies of Finnish prisoners, what is the relationship between serotonin and impulse control?

A) Low levels of serotonin are directly related to high levels of impulse control.
B) Low levels of serotonin are directly related to low levels of impulse control.
C) Low levels of serotonin are not directly related to low levels of impulse control.
D) High levels of serotonin are directly related to low levels of impulse control.

Question 80

Which condition has been shown to make people prone to depression, irritability, temper outbursts, and even homicidal attacks?

A) brain tumours
B) fetal alcohol syndrome
C) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
D) premenstrual syndrome