A research team measured each participant’s baseline cortical arousal. Six months later, the participants completed a questionnaire about their activities during that period. The results are shown in the table.
| Baseline cortical arousal | Took part in a lawful high-stimulation activity at least once a week (%) | Self-reported committing at least one offence during the six months (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 72 | 16 |
| Typical | 35 | 9 |
The researchers concluded that low baseline cortical arousal causes criminal behaviour.
Using the data and details of the investigation, explain two weaknesses of the researchers’ conclusion.
135 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Psychology 1.2 Theories/Explanations of why criminal/anti-social behaviour occurs, covering 1.2.1 SLT: identification with role models, 1.2.2 SLT: observation and imitation, 1.2.3 SLT: vicarious reinforcement, 1.2.4 SLT: direct reinforcement and internalisation; criticisms, 1.2.5 SLT research study: Cooper and Mackie (1986), 1.2.6 Eysenck's Criminal Personality Theory, 1.2.7 CNS, arousal and criminal personality, 1.2.8 Brain function, synapses and dopamine in psychoticism, 1.2.9 Dopamine reward, RAS and cortex in extroversion, 1.2.10 Autonomic nervous and limbic system in neuroticism, 1.2.11 Early socialisation and conditioning; criticisms, and 1.2.12 Criminal Personality research study: Heaven (1996). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.