The “Psychopath Gene”, Article Critique Example

Description of the Research Problem       

The article analysis the “psychopath gene” or the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) that is distinct in identifying psychopathic behavior. The research doesn’t state a clear thesis in regards to their research; the article is more about how the criminologists/biologist/neurologist have approached the knowledge of this gene and what it means to the study of criminology. If there is a thesis statement it would be that the MAOA gene can be an early detection signal to behaviorists.

Research Methodology

There was no methodology mentioned per se, but the article did reference researchers who’ve pioneered in the study of criminology in respect to a psychopathic gene (H.G. Brunner) who first took note of the gene in 1993 as being associated with excessive aggression found in the male members of a Dutch family.

Contributions to the Literature

The contributions of finding the MAOA gene will be immense to the study of psychopaths, curtailing crime, making preventative measures in the realm of the criminological research world, as well as paving a path for future studies. MAOA serves as a baseline that other researchers can use in order to create new and innovative ways to study crime, the impetus to commit crime, and ultimately a way in which criminologists can deal with the over-flooding of prison inmate populations in various nations. In regards to the good such research can do, the thesis (expository) does make sense. As for errors, the scope of the article didn’t account for a varied audience nor did it pull in research from a culturally varied research pool (for instance, recent studies in the UK may have been beneficial to the study, as well as the background study done by sociologists in the 1970s who studies crime rate in Chicago’s loop).

References

Crime in your DNA. The Neurocriminology Frontier. Pp. 6-7.

Inside the criminal mind. Time/Life.