Deck 9: Learning Theories

Question 1

Unlike classical theories, learning theories assume that motivation to commit crime is variable (i.e., not everyone is motivated to commit crime).

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to learning theories, humans are innately bad.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Albert Bandura is a social psychologist who believed that individuals learn behavior by modeling others.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

One component of learning theories is that behavior is not reinforced or rewarded by others.

Question 5

According to operant conditioning theory, people's behavior is influenced and shaped
by punishments and rewards and it is these punishments and rewards that teach people how to behave.

Question 6

According to the subculture of violence, some subcultures value violence.

Question 7

One assumption of subcultural theories is that violence is expected at all times,
regardless of the situation.

Question 8

According to Anderson's subcultural theory, people adopt one code for dealing with violence and stick with it for life.

Question 9

The southern subculture of violence theory is an attempt to explain difference in levels of White male violence between southern and northern states.

Question 10

Crime, like other behaviors is learned. This way of thinking about crime is in line with which theory?

A) Social disorganization
B) Differential association
C) Strain theory
D) Marxist theory

Question 11

The "father" of differential association and modern criminology is:

A) Max Weber
B) W. I. Thomas
C) Edwin Sutherland
D) Charles Darwin

Question 12

One of the early criticisms of differential association theory is that it is:

A) Difficult to operationalize "definitions"
B) Not broad in scope
C) Challenging to determine causal ordering
D) All of the above

Question 13

Skinner's theory of operant conditioning shows that:

A) Punishment will increase a behavior and reinforcement will decrease a behavior
B) Punishment will decrease a behavior and reinforcement will increase a behavior
C) Both A & B
D) None of the above

Question 14

Ron Akers reformulated and expanded Sutherland's differential association theory. Akers retains the concept of differential association. Which of the following concepts does he add to it?

A) Definitions of the law
B) Differential reinforcement
C) Imitation
D) All of the above

Question 15

According to Akers, differential association with persons who hold definitions favorable to violations of the law have four essential elements. These elements are:

A) Duration, frequency, social bonding, and popularity
B) Priority, duration, frequency, and dependence
C) Frequency, intensity, social bonding, and peer pressure
D) Priority, duration, frequency, and intensity

Question 16

According to early learning theories (e.g., differential association):

A) Delinquent behavior comes before association with delinquent peers
B) Association with delinquent peers comes before delinquency
C) It is unclear whether delinquent behavior or peers comes first
D) None of the above

Question 17

The socialization model under contemporary learning theories suggests that:

A) Delinquent peers socialize others to become delinquent
B) People become delinquent because crime is fun
C) Delinquent peers select other delinquents to befriend
D) None of the above

Question 18

The concept of reciprocal feedback effects, as it pertains to learning theory, assumes that:

A) Association with delinquent peers will scare youth away from crime
B) Involvement in delinquent behavior results from association with delinquent peers
C) Association with delinquent peers influences involvement in delinquent behavior which, in turn, increases the association with delinquent peers
D) None of the above

Question 19

According to Walter Miller's focal concerns theory, the values believed to be prevalent among lower-class males are:

A) Fate, Authority, Trouble, Trepidation, Exhilaration, and Smartness
B) Fate, Autonomy, Trouble, Toughness, Excitement, and Smartness
C) Fatalism, Authority, Trouble, Toughness, Excitement, and Smartness
D) Fate, Autonomy, Trouble, Trepidation, Excitement, and Skillfulness

Question 20

How are learning theories in criminology an extension of psychological theories? Which psychological theories are rooted in learning?

Question 21

What is Tarde's Law of Imitation? How can the three laws of imitation be used to describe the learning process?

Question 22

What does the phrase "differential association" mean?

Question 23

What are the nine propositions of Sutherland's differential association theory? Which one do you believe is the most important in explaining criminal behavior from the perspective of learning theory? Defend your position.

Question 24

How does learning theory differ from classical criminological theories? Specifically, how are their assumptions about human nature different? What similarities do they have?

Question 25

What was the Bobo Doll experiment? What did this experiment teach us about human behavior? How do its findings translate to criminal behavior?

Question 26

Does learning theory support the nature or nurture side of the nature versus nurture debate in criminology? How might it be possible for learning theory to support both nature and nurture?

Question 27

Do you believe the Glueck's suggestion that "birds of a feather, flock together"? Why or why not? Is it possible for some youth to have delinquent friends and not become delinquents themselves? What conditions would need to be present for this to happen?

Question 28

Anderson's Code of the Streets explains urban youth violence. How could this theory be applied to rural youth violence? What elements would remain the same and which would need to change?

Question 29

What are the historical precursors to the development of the subculture of violence theory? Are there other experiences in the American experience that contribute to or reduce the subculture of violence?