SOCI 138 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Richard Speck, Prenatal Diagnosis, Xyy Syndrome
Document Summary
Another area with a long and troubled history in human genetics. Including a strong association with early twentieth century eugenics. Like race and iq it attracts a great deal of popular attention. And tends to powerfully intersect with race, gender and class. Unlike iq it has been strongly tied to several genetic mutations/variants. But the public reception has often gone far beyond the actual findings themselves. Jacobs et al. (1965) found high rates of xyy in prisons and asylums. Associated with aggression, criminality and mental subnormality in institutionalized super-males . It became a major object of genetics research and public interest. Xyy was invoked in criminal trials, most famously for the serial killer richard. Eventually two studies were launched to screen for xyy. Discredited in the mid-1970s by science for the people. Xyy is now understood and treated as a mild developmental disorder. Slightly lower iq scores than unaffected siblings and some adhd and.
