CRIM 101 Lecture Notes - Conduct Disorder, The Psychopath, Atavism

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRIM 101
• Professor: Barry Cartwright

Document Summary

Involved notion of determinism as opposed to free will or rational choice. Behaviour of criminals was predetermined by their genes or evolutionary condition. Founder and most prominent member of the positive. Interest in science, medicine and evolutionary theory led him in search of atavistic criminal a degenerate throwback on earlier forms of evolution. Subsequent positive school efforts focused on feeblemindedness, poor genes, criminal body type. Four main approaches: general pedigree studies, twin studies, adoption studies, karyotype studies (gene defect) Children may learn criminal behaviour by watching and imitating behaviour of their parents. Mz and dz twins: studies have suggested that if one mz twin is a criminal, the other mz twin is more likely to be a criminal, dz twin less likely to display the same criminal tendencies. Dz twins, who may not look as much alike. Adoption studies: study identical (mz) twins raised by diff sets of parents, in diff environments, control for social class, child-rearing practices, and diet.