Cesare Lombroso: Theory of Crime Quiz

According to Lombroso's biological theory of criminology, criminality is believed to be:

• Inherited

• Learned

• Influenced by environment

• Random

What did Lombroso propose as an explanation for offending behavior?

• Economic inequality

• Social pressure

• Psychological trauma

• Atavistic form

In The Criminal Man, Lombroso suggested that there was a distinct biological class of people prone to criminality due to their:

• Educational background

• Atavistic features

• Religious beliefs

• Social status

What does the term 'atavistic' as used by Lombroso mean?

• Primitive

• Modern

• Civilized

• Evolved

According to Lombroso, what did the atavistic characteristics of offenders denote?

• They were at a more primitive stage of evolution

• They were highly evolved

• They were average individuals

• They were from a different planet

What did Lombroso argue about the 'born criminal' and their behavior?

• Their behavior was random

• Their behavior was determined by their intelligence

• Their behavior was determined by their physiology

• Their behavior was determined by their upbringing

Lombroso's theory of the 'born criminal' was influenced by which scientific theory?

• Darwin's theory of evolution

• Newton's laws of motion

• Einstein's theory of relativity

• Freud's psychoanalytic theory

What did Lombroso measure in his study of offenders to identify physical markers indicative of the atavistic form?

• Height, weight, eye color, etc.

• Social status, education, income, etc.

• Personality traits, intelligence, creativity, etc.

• Religious beliefs, moral values, ethical principles, etc.

What was a criticism of Lombroso's research on the 'born criminal'?

• He did not use a control group for comparison

• He used a biased sample of participants

• He did not measure the right physical characteristics

• He did not consider environmental factors

Which researcher failed to replicate Lombroso's findings in a study comparing convicts with a control group?

• Darwin

• Freud

• Agnew

• Goring