CHAPTER 5
Biosocial and Other Contemporary Perspectives
Chapter 5 Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer for each of the following.
1. The purpose of the Human Genome Project was to determine the complete sequence of
a. DNA.
b. RNA.
c. XYY.
d. MAOA
2. What have researchers found about the effect of deficient MAOA activity on children?
a. Deficient MAOA activity may predispose children to adult violence
b. Deficient MAOA activity may predispose maltreated children to adult violence
c. Deficient MAOA activity may reduce the risk of adult violence among maltreated
children
d. Deficient MAOA activity has no effect on children
3. Which of the following factors probably does not activate chemical switches that regulate
gene expression?
a. Stress
b. Diet
c. Toxins
d. Economic conditions
4. Genes ___________ human action.
a. determine
b. produce
c. enable
d. cause
5. Which of the following brain mechanisms may be involved in aggression?
a. Disease
b. Physical injuries
c. Food allergies
d. All of the above
6. What is the effect of stress on brain structure?
a. Stress does not have any effect on brain structure
b. Long-term exposure to high-level stress can reduce cognition
c. Long-term exposure to low-level stress can produce neuroplasticity
d. Short-term exposure to stress can increase brain development
7. What is the impact of sugar on behavior?
a. Excess sugar consumption may be linked to crime
b. Excess sugar consumption may lead to learning disabilities, which increase the risk of
criminality
c. Hypoglycemia increase violent behavior
d. The current evidence is unclear
8. Which of the following foods has not been implicated in the production of criminal violence
or antisocial behavior?
a. Food additives
b. Coffee
c. Processed foods
d. All of the above may possibly trigger antisocial behavior or criminal violence
9. Research suggests that high dietary intake of ________ by pregnant women may be related to
higher IQ levels among children.
a. omega-3 fatty acids
b. monosodium glutamate
c. vitamin B-3
d. placebos
10. The level of exposure to lead appears to be a reliable predictor of all but which of the
following?
a. The number of juvenile offenses
b. The seriousness of juvenile offenses
c. The number of adult offenses
d. The seriousness of adult offenses
11. The relationship between testosterone and aggressive behavior in young males appears to be
moderated by
a. age.
b. the social environment.
c. genetics.
d. prenatal substance abuse.
12. An offender convicted of __________ is most likely to have a low level of serotonin in the
brain a. premeditated murder
b. insider trading
c. planned burglary
d. a crime of passion
13. The variable most likely to be related to violent crime is
a. temperature.
b. barometric pressure.
c. rainfall.
d. humidity
14. When would you expect the relationship between temperature and assaults to be the
strongest?
a. 10 A.M.
b. Noon
c. 4 P.M.
d. 11 P.M.
15. Which of the following was not listed by Wilson and Herrnstein as contributing to crime?
a. Age
b. Brain structure
c. Intelligence
d. Personality
16. Biosocial perspectives are theories of
a. crime.
b. violence.
c. criminality.
d. victimization.
17. Freda Adler proposed that
a. as women entered nontraditional roles and occupations, their involvement in crime
would become closer to that of men.
b. the relationship of gender and criminality will remain stable over time.
c. cross-cultural research suggests that socialization does not affect gender involvement
in crime.
d. there is something about gender per se that is responsible for the observed gender
differences in crime commission.
18. ___________ argues that the propensity for crime commission evolved as part of the male
reproductive strategy and a particular neurochemistry characteristic of males increases the
probability of male criminality.
a. Neuroplasticity theory
b. Evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory
c. The gender ratio problem
d. Epigenetics
19. The myth of the ___________ holds that the human mind has no innate traits.
a. blank slate
b. noble savage
c. ghost in the machine
d. epigenesis
20. The myth of the __________ holds that human nature is essentially good.
a. blank slate
b. noble savage
c. ghost in the machine
d. epigenesis
Chapter 5 True-False
Choose whether each statement is true or false.
1. Genes cause human action
a. True
b. False
2. Childhood maltreatment appears to be a universal risk factor for antisocial behavior.
a. True
b. False
3. Once inherited, criminal genes inevitably produce antisocial behavior.
a. True
b. False
4. Prefrontal cortex problems may predispose someone to criminality.
a. True
b. False
5. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change its structure and function in response to
injury or experience.
a. True
b. False
6. There is conclusive evidence linking sugar consumption to behavioral changes.
a. True
b. False
7. Vitamin deficiencies among children can increase the risk of aggressive behavior.
a. True
b. False
8. Prenatal diet can affect the risk of delinquency of the child later in life.
a. True
b. False
9. Exposure to high levels of lead is not related to juvenile crime.
a. True
b. False
10. Increased levels of testosterone may be linked to increased aggressiveness in men.
a. True
b. False
11. Oxytocin has been linked to increased risk likelihood of involvement in violence.
a. True
b. False
12. Changes in hormone levels can account for aggressive behavior.
a. True
b. False
13. The relationship between temperature and crime is influenced by time of day.
a. True
b. False
14. Wilson and Herrnstein stated that individuals commit more crimes as they get older.
a. True
b. False
15. Biosocial criminologists argue that biological factors operate independently of environmental
factors a. True
b. False
16. Cultural changes in our society have resulted in a significant increase in female involvement
in crime.
a. True
b. False
17. Biosocial criminologists explain gender differences in criminal involvement by arguing that
there is something about gender itself that is responsible for the observed differences.
a. True
b. False
18. Competitive/victimizing behavior is largely fueled by androgens.
a. True
b. False
19. There may be a gene for criminal behavior.
a. True
b. False
20. Biosocial theories do not appear able to explain temporal variations in crime rates.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 5 Fill in the Blank
Fill in the correct answer for each of the following.
1. __________ are bundles of genes.
2. The development of antisocial behavior is mediated by an interaction between maltreatment
and the gene responsible for the production of the enzyme ________.
3. __________ estimates the amount of variation in the traits of a population that is attributable
to genetic factors.
4. __________ is the study of the chemical reactions occurring within a genome.
5. __________ refers to the belief that the brain can alter its structure and function in response to
experience.
6. ________ refers to the process by which social experiences change neural circuitry in the
brain.
7. The _________ defense used by Dan White argued that his consumption of junk food was
evidence of depression.
8. Men whose brains lack sufficient amounts of __________ may feel frustration more acutely
and respond to frustrating circumstances more aggressively.
9. Research has found a clear __________ correlation between temperature and violent crime.
10. The relationship between _________ and assault is strongest at night.
11. According to Wilson and Herrnstein, criminality is consistently associated with ________
levels of intelligence.
12. Biosocial criminology emphasizes the importance of recognizing the ______ between
biology and the environment in the formation of biological responses to given situations.
13. _________ selection is a form of natural selection that influences an individual’s ability to
find or choose a mate.
14. The myth of the _________ holds that each person has an individual soul-like quality
allowing him or her to make choices independent of biological predispositions.
Chapter 5 Matching
1. Match the following criminological theories to their matching major concepts.
1. Genetics and Heritability
a. Interaction between biology and the
environment
2. Brain Dysfunction
b. Evolutionary perspective, serotonin,
neurotransmitters, MAOA
3. Body Chemistry Theories
c. Chromosomes, genome
4. Hormones and Criminality
d. Hypoglycemia, food allergies, pollution
5. Biosocial Criminology
e. Embedding, neuroplasticity
2. Match the following theorists to their theories
1. James Q. Wilson and Richard J. Herrnstein
a. Biosocial criminology
2. Lee Ellis
b. Weather and crime
3. Anthony Walsh
c. Gene-environment interaction model
4. Ellen G. Cohn and James Rotton
d. Crime and Human Nature
5. Avshalom Caspi and Terrie E. Moffitt
e. Evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory
3. Match the following myths of human behavior to their matching definitions
1. Blank Slate
a. Human nature is essentially good
2. Noble Savage
b. Human personality is fully malleable by
society
3. Ghost in the Machine
c. Everyone has an individual soul-like
quality that lets them make choices
independent of biological predispositions
Chapter 5 Essay
Answer the following questions.
1. Discuss how the field of criminology has studied the link between nutrition and criminality.
Explain some research results.
2. Discuss the relationship between weather and crime, including how various types of weather
affect different types of crime, how other factors may mediate the relationship, and the theory
underlying the relationship.
3. Define biosocial theory and explain what sets it apart from other biological perspectives on
crime.
Chapter 5 Critical Thinking
Answer the following questions.
1. What are some of the major findings of modern genetic research in criminology? What does
this suggest about human behavior in relation to social and physical environments?
2. What are some of the various attempts to explain the gender ratio problem? How do biosocial
criminologists address this issue? What factors need to be addressed when studying crime and
gender?