Nia and Owen, both aged 16, previously received the same formal warning for damaging a bus shelter. A researcher recorded each person's baseline cortical arousal and how much their arousal rose when they were given the warning.
| Person | Baseline cortical arousal score (out of 100) | Increase in arousal score after the warning |
|---|---|---|
| Nia | 30 | 4 |
| Owen | 62 | 21 |
A higher score means that the brain is more alert and active.
Their friends later invite them to spray-paint the wall of a closed warehouse at night.
Using Eysenck's ideas about arousal levels, explain which person is more likely to accept the invitation and remain undeterred by another warning. Use both sets of data in your answer.
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.