Deck 5: Social Process Theories

Question 1

_____ refers to the acceptance of social norms regulating conduct.

A) Attachment
B) Commitment
C) Involvement
D) Belief

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A prison term is an example of _____.

A) Positive reinforcement
B) Negative reinforcement
C) Positive punishment
D) Negative punishment

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The loot from a burglary,or the status achieved by killing a member of a rival gang,are both examples of _____.

A) Positive reinforcement
B) Negative reinforcement
C) Positive punishment
D) Negative punishment

Answer 3

A

Question 4

This technique involves the assertion that the behaviors of parents,police,etc.,are just as bad if not worse than the offender.

A) Appeal to Higher Loyalties
B) Condemnation of Condemners
C) Denial of Injury
D) Denial of Responsibility

Question 5

_____ focus on how people interpret and define their social reality and the meanings they attach to it in the process of interacting with one another via language.

A) Symbolic interactionists
B) Functionalists
C) Conflict theorists
D) Feminists

Question 6

_____ shifts the focus from the actor (the criminal)to the reactor (i.e.,the criminal justice system)in exploring the causes of crime.

A) Social control theory
B) Social bond theory
C) Neutralization theory
D) Labeling theory

Question 7

Frank Tannenbaum referred to the process of labeling a person "criminal" as _____:

A) The dramatizing of evil
B) Negative reinforcement
C) Positive punishment
D) Symbolic interactionism

Question 8

An offender arrested for assault says: "I had to do it-he was threatening my little sister,and I had to protect her!" This is an example of which technique of neutralization?

A) Appeal to Higher Loyalties
B) Condemnation of Condemners
C) Denial of Injury
D) Denial of Responsibility

Question 9

According to Lemert,_____ deviance is deviance that results from society's reaction to offenders' initial nonconforming behavior.

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Tertiary
D) Formal

Question 10

_____ is the rational component of conformity; this relates to the person's stake in legitimate activities.

A) Attachment
B) Commitment
C) Involvement
D) Belief

Question 11

Differential association theory is the brainchild of criminologist _____.

A) Edwin Sutherland
B) Gabriel Tarde
C) Ronald Akers
D) Walter Reckless

Question 12

An offender arrested for shoplifting states: "The store is owned by a huge company; they wouldn't have even noticed this loss." This is reflective of:

A) Appeal to higher loyalties.
B) Condemnation of the condemners.
C) Denial of injury.
D) Denial of responsibility.

Question 13

_____ argues that individuals who have invested time and effort into legitimate endeavors have a stake in conformity,and will therefore be less likely to engage in crime.

A) Differential association theory
B) Self-control theory
C) Social learning theory
D) Social bond theory

Question 14

According to Lemert,_____ deviance is the initial nonconforming act that comes to the attention of the authorities.

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Tertiary
D) Formal

Question 15

_____ argues that individual behavior is shaped through the process of operant conditioning.

A) Differential association theory
B) Self-control theory
C) Social learning theory
D) Social bond theory

Question 16

In labeling theory,"secondary deviance" is used to refer to crimes which:

A) Are non-violent, such as theft and vandalism.
B) Occur as a result of an individual having been caught and labeled.
C) Have traditionally been overlooked by criminologists.
D) Occur as the result of other social problems, such as poverty and racism.

Question 17

_____ argues that an individual's propensity for crime is largely determined during childhood as a result of incompetent parenting,and tends to persist thereafter.

A) Differential association theory
B) Self-control theory
C) Social learning theory
D) Social bond theory

Question 18

_____ is a perspective on learning that asserts that behavior is governed and shaped by consequences.

A) Labeling
B) Operant psychology
C) Reinforcement
D) Symbolic interactionism

Question 19

Which of the following theorists is associated with labeling theory?

A) Travis Hirschi
B) Frank Tannenbaum
C) Ronald Akers
D) Edwin Sutherland

Question 20

_____ applied the concept of operant conditioning to differential association theory.

A) Edwin Sutherland
B) Gabriel Tarde
C) Ronald Akers
D) Walter Reckless

Question 21

Which of the following is credited with neutralization theory?

A) Ronald Akers
B) Edwin Sutherland
C) Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi
D) Gresham Sykes and David Matza

Question 22

For social control theorists,the real question is not why some people behave so badly,but rather why most of us behave well most of the time.

Question 23

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi,most criminals:

A) Meticulously plan their crimes in order to avoid detection.
B) Are willing to delay gratification if it means receiving greater economic rewards.
C) Lack patience, persistence and diligence.
D) Experience substantial guilt regarding the harm that they cause to their victims.

Question 24

Which of the following provides an explanation for how people learn to commit crime from those around them?

A) Differential Association Theory
B) Labeling Theory
C) Social Bonding Theory
D) Self-Control Theory

Question 25

Edwin Sutherland is credited with neutralization theory.

Question 26

Positive punishment makes a behavior more likely to be repeated in the future.

Question 27

The policy implications derivable from social control and self-control theories largely have to do with the family.

Question 28

_____ stimuli are presented before a behavior occurs,and then has an impact on that behavior's likelihood of being repeated.

A) Discriminative
B) Operant
C) Reinforcing
D) Punitive

Question 29

Differential association theory has been critiqued for ignoring individual differences in the propensity to associate with antisocial peers.

Question 30

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi,levels of self-control fluctuate substantially throughout the life course.

Question 31

Which theory attributes delinquency to an excess of definitions favorable to violations of the law over definitions unfavorable to violations of the law?

A) Differential association theory
B) Neutralization theory
C) Self-control theory
D) Social bond theory

Question 32

Social process theorists believe that if we wish to understand social behavior,we have to understand how individuals subjectively perceive their social reality.

Question 33

Differential association theory argues that crime is the result of individual traits combined with the influence of media violence.

Question 34

Which of the following is a valid critique of labeling theory?

A) It largely ignores primary deviance as a social concern.
B) It only applies to property crimes.
C) It adopts a consensus view of deviance.
D) It unquestioningly accepts official definitions of criminality.

Question 35

The view that offenders are risk-taking,oriented to the present,and lacking in patience,is most represenative of which theory?

A) Differential association theory
B) Self-control theory
C) Social learning theory
D) Social bond theory

Question 36

Which of the following is not a recognized component of social bond accourding to Travis Hirschi?

A) Attachment
B) Belief?C. Involvement
D) Self-Concept

Question 37

Labeling theory is unlike other criminal theories,in that it does not ask why crime rates vary,or why individuals differ in their initial propensity to commit crime.

Question 38

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi,most crimes are spontaneous acts and require little skill.

Question 39

Labeling theory argues that processing law violators through the criminal justice system may actually embed individuals further into a criminal lifestyle,rather than having a deterrent effect.

Question 40

Neutralization theory suggests that offenders have entirely different value systems than non-offenders.

Question 41

Identify one possible policy implication of differential association theory.

Question 42

All versions of social control theory have been criticized for neglecting social structure.

Question 43

Identify and briefly explain two out of the four social bonds identified by Hirschi.

Question 44

What is the difference between reinforcement and punishment?

Question 45

Describe both differential association theory and social learning theory.Compare and contrast-what do the two theories have in common,and how do they differ?

Question 46

How do discriminative stimuli differ from reinforcements and punishments?

Question 47

According to social bond theory,commitment refers to a lifestyle in which one has invested considerable time and energy in the pursuit of a lawful career,rendering much at stake if they were to engage in crime.

Question 48

Discuss the major points of labeling theory.What does this theory uniquely contribute to our understanding of crime? What are the drawbacks of this perspective?

Question 49

Identify the four elements of social bond according to Travis Hirschi's theory.Provide examples of each type of bond.Finally,consider the policy implications of this theory-how might society work to strengthen each of the four bonds?

Question 50

Identify and explain two techniques of neutralization.
Answers: Possibilities: Denial of responsibility (claims it was not their fault); denial of injury (suggests no harm was done); denial of victim (suggests that victim deserved it); condemnation of the condemners (claims the accuser is as bad as they are); appeal to higher loyalties (crime was necessary to protect someone of greater importance to them than the law).

Question 51

How does primary deviance differ from secondary deviance?

Question 52

Identify and explain the five techniques of neutralization according to Sykes and Matza's work.Provide one example of each.

Question 53

Identify one criticism of differential association theory.

Question 54

Negative reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to be repeated in the future.

Question 55

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi,what is the source of low self-control?

Question 56

A child's bond with their parents would be representative of the social bond of attachment.