SOC 002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Agreeableness, Meta-Analysis, Psychoanalysis

• School: UC Riverside
• Department: Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies
• Course: SOC 002
• Professor: Sharon Oselin

Document Summary

Recall: biological explanations focus on genetic makeup or inherited traits that compel an individual to commit a crime. Lombroso is the founding father of these theories. Psychological theories intersect with biological or situational factors in explanations of crime. There are two main types of psychological theories to explain crime. Low intelligence has been the psychological characteristic most often used to explain criminal and delinquent behavior. This theory was used very frequently in the early 20th century but became less popular over time when research using iq tests showed little or no difference in intelligence between criminal and non-criminals. There has been a slight resurgence in this theory since 1970s particularly in respect to juvenile delinquents. A host of past studies suggest an association between low iq scores and crime and delinquency. More serious delinquent offenders have even lower iq scores than do minor offenders. Low iq scores in young children are associated with later offending when adults.