Deck 5: Trait Theory: ITS in Their Blood

Question 1

What is the status of the link between PMS and crime?

A)It has been well-established.
B)It has not been studied.
C)It is questionable.
D)It has been established for female juveniles only.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What would trait theorists say about the role of parenting on potential criminality?

A)Parents play a key role in teaching children about conformity.
B)Parents are far less important than the child's own temperament.
C)Parenting is only beneficial in the first five years of life.
D)Parents create an environment that either encourages or discourages deviant behaviour.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What impact does sugar consumption have on violence levels?

A)Results indicate that there is a relationship between sugar consumption and violence only in adolescents.
B)Sugar consumption by children does not have any impact on violent behaviour.
C)A positive relationship between sugar consumption and violence has consistently been found.
D)Results are mixed but lean toward an inverse relationship between sugar consumption and violence.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which condition or issue does research indicate is influenced by the presence of ADHD?

A)mental illness
B)a deviant career
C)poor nutrition
D)criminal associations

Question 5

What important assumption do trait theorists make?

A)Brain abnormalities are the predominant cause of criminal behaviour.
B)Behaviour is governed by parenting style during the first five years of life.
C)There is no one human characteristic which causes criminal behaviour.
D)Everyone is born with an equal potential to learn, achieve, and commit crime.

Question 6

What is the most important premise of genetic theory regarding violence-producing traits?

A)These traits are passed on from generation to generation.
B)These traits are found only in males.
C)These traits are passed on from fathers to sons, but not from mothers to daughters.
D)These traits are caused by lead poisoning.

Question 7

Which of the following has been linked to criminality in males and females?

A)testosterone
B)estrogens
C)neurotransmitters
D)monoamines

Question 8

Sarah suffered a neurological impairment in her frontal lobe during birth. What does research suggest about the likelihood that she will engage in criminal behaviour later in life?

A)Sarah will not likely engage in crime since neurological impairments affecting performance in school appear to be linked to criminality for males but not for females.
B)Sarah has a higher likelihood of engaging in crime since neurological abnormalities present at birth are strongly linked with criminal behaviour.
C)Sarah will not likely engage in criminal behaviour as there are no clear linkages between neurological health and criminality.
D)Sarah's behaviour will only be affected if she does not receive treatment before she reaches adolescence.

Question 9

Ann, 23 years old, is 10 years younger than her common-law husband. According to evolutionary theory, which situation is she more likely to find herself in compared to her friend Nancy, who is 35 years old and married to a similar-aged man.

A)Neither woman will likely be abused.
B)Ann is less likely to experience abuse than Nancy.
C)Ann and Nancy both have the same risk of being victims of abuse.
D)Ann is at a greater risk of experiencing abuse than Nancy.

Question 10

What is the most significant criticism of the gene-crime relationship?

A)It has not been the subject of true scientific research.
B)The findings are now outdated and no longer relevant.
C)It is based largely on inadequate research designs and weak methodologies.
D)It suggests that the weak and poor are more vulnerable to crime than other groups.

Question 11

What does MBD stand for?

A)maximum brain dysfunction
B)minimal brain disorder
C)maximum brain disorder
D)minimal brain dysfunction

Question 12

Which of the following environmental contaminants have been linked with deviance and antisocial behaviour?

A)artificial food dyes, artificial lighting, and lead
B)computer usage, tainted fish, and artificial lighting
C)lead paint, plastic toxins, and green food dyes
D)asbestos, carbon monoxide, and lead

Question 13

Which hormone has biosocial research found is linked to aggressive and antisocial behaviour?

A)testosterone
B)androgen
C)estrogen
D)peptides

Question 14

Which of the following theories suggests that a subpopulation of sexually aggressive men has evolved who connect with young, unintelligent females to produce children who perpetuate their illegal, immoral ways?

A)machismo theory
B)cheater theory
C)adultery theory
D)deprivation theory

Question 15

What would a biosocial theorist suggest is true about those who become criminals?

A)No one is born with or without a predisposition toward crime. Criminality is purely a social phenomenon.
B)Criminals are born bad and nothing can change their pathway through life.
C)Criminals are born with a predisposition toward crime but certain environmental conditions are required for them to act criminally.
D)Everyone is born with the potential to be criminal but neurological conditions must deteriorate through life for them to act criminally.

Question 16

Tommy has been diagnosed with ADHD and is in grade 3. What would be the best course of action to have a significant, long-term impact on his behaviour problems in the classroom?

A)providing clear guidelines to Tommy about socially appropriate behaviour
B)sending Tommy and his parents to family counselling
C)enrolling Tommy in an early intervention reading program
D)gradually moving toward a reduction in the use of Ritalin over his next year in school

Question 17

Which of the following areas of personality acts as a moral judge?

A)id
B)ego
C)superego
D)conscience

Question 18

What is the focus of criminal justice research conducted by sociobiologists?

A)Criminal behaviour begins as poor impulse control in teenagers.
B)Criminal behaviour is primarily a result of being raised in disorganized neighbourhood environments.
C)Criminal behaviour is the result of social learning which takes place in the peer group.
D)Criminal behaviour is a function of unique personal traits further impacted by environment.

Question 19

Which statement summarizes the research on twins, looking at a genetic basis to criminal behaviour?

A)There is no evidence of a similar behaviour pattern between twins studied to date.
B)There is a stronger similarity in the behaviour of monozygotic twins than between dizygotic twins.
C)Dizygotic twins are found to be less criminal than non-twins studied to date.
D)Only those monozygotic twins raised in criminal households exhibited criminal behaviour patterns.

Question 20

There is some suggestion that there is a link between diet and aggression. What change would make the most positive impact on a group of aggressive teens?

A)increasing the levels of salt in the diet but decreasing the sugar levels
B)providing a diet that has minimal sugar in the foods
C)providing a diet that strictly follows the balanced nature of Canada's Food Guide.
D)increasing the carbohydrates as these will lead to a full stomach more quickly

Question 21

Social learning theorists believe that there is a correlation between exposure to media violence and the violent aggressive behaviour of children.

Question 22

The early research of Lombroso and his contemporaries is regarded as scientific fact.

Question 23

According to Freud's version of psychodynamic theory, the human personality has a three-part structure: the id, the conscience, and the superego.

Question 24

The "Twinkie defence" promoted the view that biochemical conditions influence antisocial behaviour.

Question 25

What has research determined about the relationship between IQ and criminality?

A)Intellect has no bearing on crime links for males but it does for females.
B)There is a strong link between IQ and crime for first-time offenders under the age of 18 years.
C)While there is a strong link between genetics and crime there is no IQ-crime link.
D)The IQ-crime link is tenuous at best and is the subject of continued research.

Question 26

What would a cognitive theorist be most likely to say about why an individual engages in violent behaviour at the least provocation?

A)The individual regularly experiences a conflict between the id and the superego, which leads to a violent response.
B)The individual was not exposed to enough variety in environmental stimuli as a child.
C)The individual is unable to process that there are other possible ways to respond to challenging events.
D)The individual does not have enough physical outlets for aggression.

Question 27

Surgical procedures used to alter the brains of sex offenders have been proven scientifically reliable in reducing their sex drives, which lead them to offend.

Question 28

Biosocial theorists believe that people who are predisposed to crime may simply have more opportunities to commit illegal acts in the summer in Saskatoon and Winnipeg than in the winter in Kitchener and Trois-Rivières.

Question 29

Since Freud's original research, psychoanalysts have continued to view criminals as ego-dominated persons who suffer from one or more disorders that render them incapable of controlling impulsive, pleasure-seeking drives.

Question 30

Biosocial theorists suggest that there are born criminals and noncriminals.

Question 31

According to arousal theory, for a variety of genetic and environmental reasons, some people's brains function differently in response to environmental stimuli.

Question 32

While some criminologists find a link between intelligence and crime, others dispute any linkage between IQ level and law-violating behaviours.

Question 33

Information-processing theory has been used to explain the occurrence of date rape.

Question 34

Most perpetrators of extreme acts of violence and horrifically brutal murders are spurred on in these acts because they are clearly mad or crazy at the time of their crime; they therefore lack the ability to discern right from wrong.

Question 35

Biosocial research has found that abnormal levels of androgens produce aggressive behaviour.

Question 36

What do social learning theorists believe are the sources of the messages we receive about acceptable behaviour?

A)media, family, inherited abilities
B)school, environmental experiences, peers
C)media, school, peers
D)family, environmental experiences, media

Question 37

Which statement is true regarding the psychodynamic perspective on criminals?

A)Their superego is overcompensating for their ego faults.
B)They are driven by a pleasure-seeking id.
C)They are driven by a faulty superego.
D)They are lacking a fully developed ego.

Question 38

There is well-documented criticism which suggests that IQ tests are race and class biased.

Question 39

Which variable plays a role in the relationship between intelligence and crime, according to research published by Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang?

A)age
B)neighbourhood structure
C)parental influence
D)school performance

Question 40

Social learning theorists view violence as something learned through a process called behaviour imitation.

Question 41

Discuss social policy and crime prevention in Canada. Describe the present measures used to control antisocial behaviour and curtail criminal activity. Is it working? Explain your position.

Question 42

Discuss what the research tells us about parental deviance, twin behaviour, and adoption studies.

Question 43

Discuss the nature-versus-nurture theories described in your text. Which arguments are you most inclined to accept? Explain your answer.

Question 44

Discuss what the research tells us about antisocial behaviour and glucose metabolism, hormonal influences, and testosterone.

Question 45

Discuss the evolutionary views of crime. Do you agree with this point of view? Justify your answer.

Question 46

In modern society, aggressive acts are usually modelled after three principal sources. What are these sources? What four factors do social learning theorists claim contribute to violent or aggressive behaviour?

Question 47

Explain what the term information processing means and how it explains the occurrence of date rape.

Question 48

Analyze the influences of media on children in Canadian society. Discuss the evolving and diverse world of media communication, interactive games, and cyberspace; connect these influences with the behaviour modelling and social learning theories pertaining to children, and discuss the potential drawbacks of such unrestricted media contact.

Question 49

Discuss what your text tells us about the psychodynamics of abnormal behaviour and the psychodynamics of criminal behaviour.

Question 50

Although the alleged IQ-crime link was once dismissed by mainstream criminologists, it has once again become an important area of study. Explain why this is so. Discuss why it is unlikely that the IQ-criminality debate will be settled soon.