CC100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Caveman, Confirmation Bias, The Foundations
Chapter 6 - Biosocial Approaches to Crime
Outline:
● The Foundations of Biological Determinism
● Genetic Research
● The Brain and Behaviour
● Nutrition and Environmental Toxins
● Contemporary Biosocial Theories
Why Biology?
● Darwin's observations and the nurture vs nature question
● Connections between biosocial traits and crime
● Something popularized is diagram of caveman - modern man
● Idea that criminal was evolutionary throwback - that criminals were result of evolutionary
problems
The Foundations of Biological Determinism
● Biosocial Factors
○ Interacting of individual biological and social characteristics predispose some
people to criminality
● Biological Determinism
○ Idea that individual physical and mental characteristics are governed solely by
hereditary
● Somatotyping
○ The practice of drawing connections between a person’s behaviour or
temperament and their physique
Early Theories of Physical Appearance
● Early theorists like Gall believed in a phrenology of individuals that assumed
connections between disposition and the shape of the skull
● Some (e.g. Spurzheim) believed in some biosocial elements, but most were strictly
determinist
Quasi-Science?
● Confirmation bias and you (e.g. knocking on wood, broken mirrors etc)
Anthropological Measurement
● Similar to Lombroso’s work, and early advancements in notions of hereditary traits.
○ Observations of parental (father-son) and fraternal (brother-brother)
resemblances
○ Crime = hereditary + environment?
● Important: Does heredity cause crime or does it predict it?
○ Physique of criminals generally inferior, differences in facial and skull shapes,
tattooing was more common
○ BUT not all people with “inferior” body types were criminals
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Darwin"s observations and the nurture vs nature question. Something popularized is diagram of caveman - modern man. Idea that criminal was evolutionary throwback - that criminals were result of evolutionary problems. Interacting of individual biological and social characteristics predispose some people to criminality. Idea that individual physical and mental characteristics are governed solely by hereditary. The practice of drawing connections between a person"s behaviour or temperament and their physique. Early theorists like gall believed in a phrenology of individuals that assumed connections between disposition and the shape of the skull. Some (e. g. spurzheim) believed in some biosocial elements, but most were strictly determinist. Confirmation bias and you (e. g. knocking on wood, broken mirrors etc) Similar to lombroso"s work, and early advancements in notions of hereditary traits. Observations of parental (father-son) and fraternal (brother-brother) resemblances. Physique of criminals generally inferior, differences in facial and skull shapes, tattooing was more common. But not all people with inferior body types were criminals.
