Deck 5: Psychological Factors and Criminal Behavior

Question 1

The adolescent limited part of Terrie Moffitt's developmental theory explains the crime curve.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Personality traits tend to remain stable throughout the life course.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Situational theories and biological explanations have no influence over personality development.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The average intelligence quotient (IQ) is 125.

Question 5

According to Binet, intelligence is a fixed quantity and cannot be changed.

Question 6

Personality theories illustrate problematic traits among individuals that may lead to criminal behavior. The presence of these traits does not automatically result in criminal behavior.

Question 7

Personality plays a primary role in explaining crime and delinquency.

Question 8

Freud's superego explains an individual's self-criticism and conscience.

Question 9

Low conscientiousness and disagreableness are personality dimensions related to antisocial behavior.

Question 10

Personality traits may help explain why some individuals internalize stress.

Question 11

Terrie Moffitt's life course persistent offenders often have problems with:

A) Temperament
B) Neuropsychological deficits
C) Lack of good parenting
D) All of the above

Question 12

Richard Dugdale examined a family called The ____________ to explain the heritability of low intelligence and proneness to criminal behavior.

A) Jukes
B) Goddards
C) Binets
D) Jensens

Question 13

Intelligence studies were often conducted on certain groups of people. Which of the following was not one of them?

A) Prisoners
B) Military
C) Infants
D) African Americans

Question 14

The capacity to work in concrete situations is part of the IQ spectrum called:

A) Verbal ability
B) Performance IQ
C) Self-control
D) Innate ability

Question 15

Researchers, including Jane Mercer, claim that IQ tests are:

A) Culturally biased
B) Unrelated to delinquency
C) Unreliable
D) Poor predictors of intelligence

Question 16

____________ is considered the father of modern psychotherapy.

A) Alfred Binet
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Travis Hirschi
D) Gregor Mendel

Question 17

Sigmund Freud's theory of personality lacks empirical support. This is most likely because:

A) It lacks logical consistency
B) It is untestable
C) It is not parsimonious
D) It is tautological

Question 18

Personality tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) asks questions such as "I often was in trouble in school although I did not understand for what reasons (true/false)" to determine delinquent/criminal behavior. This type of questionnaire is problematic because:

A) It overestimates criminality
B) It is tautological
C) It is logically inconsistent
D) It doesn't differentiate criminals from non-criminals

Question 19

One theory of criminal behavior is that lower IQ levels lead to offending as well as other undesirable behaviors. However, IQ theories are limited because:

A) People with high IQs also commit crimes
B) It is believed that IQ tests are racially/culturally biased
C) They do not account for environmental factors that may lead to lower IQ scores
D) All of the above

Question 20

The best explanation of the relationship between IQ and delinquency is that it is influenced by:

A) Environmental factors
B) Genetics
C) The super ego
D) Depression

Question 21

IQ tests are thought by some to be culturally biased. Why do some researchers believe this? Describe this argument and outline how IQ tests could be made more culturally sensitive.

Question 22

Personality factors are not often part of empirical tests. Why might this be so? What personality factors could easily be used in research? How would their inclusion add to our understanding of crime?

Question 23

Jones and colleagues suggest that criminologists have neglected personality in their research and explanations of crime. They describe five factors that shape personality. Name these five factors and describe how each is related to antisocial behaviors.

Question 24

What are the three components of Freud's conscious? How do they influence behavior and experiences?

Question 25

The majority of psychopaths are not criminal. What are the traits of a psychopath? Describe why some psychopaths do not engage in crime.

Question 26

Is IQ more or less important as a predictor of criminality compared to other explanations of criminal behavior? Why or why not?

Question 27

Some scholars suggest there are racial differences in IQ. What does the current research tell us about the relationship between race/ethnicity and IQ? Is IQ a good predictor of racial/ethnic differences in criminal behavior? Why or why not?

Question 28

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and other personality tests are used to assess psychiatric conditions. Should these inventories be routinely administered by schools to predict likelihood of criminal behavior? How would results be used? What concerns might result from such a policy?

Question 29

Are individuals with certain personality traits attracted to crime? What traits are more prevalent among offending populations?

Question 30

Terrie Moffitt's developmental theory has two parts: adolescent limited and life course persistent. Which one explains the age-crime curve? What types of behaviors does the other part explain?