PSYC 3402 Chapter 2: Ch 2 - Theories of Crime; Biological & Evolutionary Explanations

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3402
• Professor: Shelley Brown

Document Summary

How the environment our hunter-and-gatherer ancestral environment profoundly shaped the evolution of the hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) spe(cid:272)ies, a(cid:374)d ho(cid:449) ou(cid:396) e(cid:374)(cid:448)"t (cid:272)o(cid:374)ti(cid:374)ues to i(cid:374)flue(cid:374)(cid:272)e ou(cid:396) (cid:271)iolog(cid:455) Criminals possess distinctive physical features (atavisms(cid:895) that (cid:449)e(cid:396)e (cid:374)ot ofte(cid:374) o(cid:271)se(cid:396)(cid:448)ed i(cid:374) his (cid:862)(cid:374)o(cid:396)(cid:373)al(cid:863) subjects. Suggested that criminals = evolutionary throwbacks who had more in common with neanderthals than modern-day humans. Darwin humans had evolved from ancestral species via the mechanisms of natural selection. Researchers often define crime using current legal definitions & examine whether biological factors correlate or predict criminal offending in the form of arrests or convictions. Interactive effects e. g. childhood maltreatment contributes to development of antisocial and criminal behavior. Genes are largely responsible for the expression of hormones and neurotransmitters. Hormones = messengers of the endocrine system. Neurotransmitters = messengers of the nervous system. Correlational link b/w a malfunctioning serotonin system and aggression.