Deck 2: The Seven-Step Model and Early Explanations of Criminality

Question 1

According to the classical school of philosophy, the likelihood of deterrence is determined by which principles?

A) Magnanimity, fortitude, and specificity
B) Rigor, precision, and relevance
C) Severity, certainty, and celerity
D) Balance, interest, and rationality
E) Exactitude, proximity, and equity

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is false according to the classical school scholars?

A) People are generally rational and can be deterred from criminal behavior through proper punishment.
B) To control crime, one should simply increase the severity of punishment.
C) People seek to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.
D) Clearly specified laws and punishments are necessary for a strong criminal justice system.
E) None of the above.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Positivists claim that:

A) people are all essentially the same and can be controlled by the criminal law.
B) humans are characterized by a clear and consistent rationality.
C) behavior is determined by factors that are beyond a person's control.
D) individuals sacrifice some freedom to live among others in society.
E) all of the above.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following resulted directly from the influence of the classical school of philosophy?

A) Legal codes and punishments that are clear and public
B) Rehabilitation and treatment
C) The death penalty
D) Probation
E) Victim impact statements

Question 5

Propositions refer to:

A) specific explanations of criminal behavior.
B) key concepts within the theories.
C) key statements within the theories.
D) assumptions made by the different theories.
E) none of the above.

Question 6

Which of the following is false with regard to qualitative research?

A) It relies on methods such as ethnography and interviews.
B) It was associated with the Chicago school.
C) It uses life history narratives to understand pathways to offending and desistance from crime.
D) It is used to evaluate theories by testing their hypotheses.
E) All of the above.

Question 7

Quantitative research:

A) is less structured than qualitative research.
B) makes use of independent and dependent variables.
C) is less common in criminology.
D) provides a means to focus more deeply on individual cases and context-specific realities.
E) relies less on numerical information.

Question 8

According to criminological research, which of the following is/are effective in deterring future criminal behavior?

A) Boot camps
B) Drug Abuse Resistance Education
C) Scared straight programs
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 9

The modern criminal justice system is informed by both classical and positivist approaches.

Question 10

Tabula rasa refers to the notion that people are naturally selfish.

Question 11

The notions of free will and determinism demonstrate the fundamental tension in our modern criminal justice system.

Question 12

Scope refers to how much the theory explains and is less specific than problem focus.

Question 13

Theories can be falsified but are never fully proven.

Question 14

A good theory tends to be very complex, should be falsifiable, and solves every puzzle and problem for researchers.

Question 15

The political views of the time often influence the development of criminological theories.

Question 16

Interviews with 60 repeat property offenders reveal that increases in the severity of punishment lead directly to increased deterrence effects.

Question 17

Present the seven steps of criminological thinking, and provide two relevant issues for each step.

Question 18

List the three main assumptions of human nature explored in this chapter, and explain how they can be connected to our current criminal justice system.

Question 19

What are two early approaches to explaining crime? How are they relevant today?

Question 20

Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research in criminology, and provide examples of research that rely on these two approaches.

Question 21

Define key terms such as theory, causation, correlation, proposition, and falsifiability.

Question 22

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Quantitative Research

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 23

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Qualitative Research

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 24

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Causation

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 25

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Correlation

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 26

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Proposition

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 27

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Theory

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 28

Match the correct term with proper definition.
-Falsifiability

A) Specific explanations of criminality/criminal behavior that can be tested and falsified
B) Refers to systematic relationship between variables, although not clear which variable causes which
C) Research based on the analysis of numeric data
D) The idea that a theory could be disproven
E) Relationship in which one variable directly affects another with no outside variable interfering
F) Research based on the exploration of narrative data
G) Statements that explain the relationships between key concepts in a theory

Question 29

Explain the differences between the classical school and positivist approaches in criminology. How do these two approaches vary in assumptions and problem focus? Be sure to discuss how these approaches have influenced the criminal justice system and why there is a fundamental tension between them.