Lecture 3:Theories of Crime - Learning Environmental Explanations

Psychodynamic Theories

Theories that suggest crime results from dynamic internal forces within the individual and early childhood experiences.

Sigmund Freud

A psychologist known for his theories on the id, ego, and superego, which explain personality development.

Superego

The part of the personality that incorporates the values and morals of society and influences conscience.

Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation

A theory that suggests criminal behavior can result from early separation from caregivers.

Hirschi’s Social Control Theory

A theory explaining that four social bonds promote conformity and negatively correlate with crime.

Operant Conditioning

A learning process through rewards and punishments that influences behavior likelihood.

Social Learning Theory

A theory that emphasizes learning through observation and interaction with others.

Differential Association Theory

A theory proposing that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others.

Reinforcement

Consequences that increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Eysenck’s Biosocial Theory of Crime

A theory stating that individual differences in nervous system functioning impact criminal behavior.

Vicarious Conditioning

Learning that occurs by observing others being rewarded or punished.

Classical Conditioning

Learning to associate one stimulus with another that predicts an outcome.

Akers’s Social Learning Theory

A theory focusing on how group interactions influence criminal behavior through rewards and punishments.

PIC-R Theory

A theory that integrates personal, interpersonal, and community influences on criminal behavior.

Acquisition (Classical Conditioning)

The learning phase where a conditioned stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Extinction (Classical Conditioning)

The process where a conditioned response diminishes after the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs through observing others, particularly in social contexts.

Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus that initially does not elicit any intrinsic response.

Causal Ordering

The relationship between cause and effect in explanations of behavior.

Emotional Responses

Feelings that can be conditioned over time through various experiences.

Methodological Weaknesses

Flaws in research design that may affect the validity of study findings.

Conscience

An internal sense of right and wrong that guides behavior.

Antisocial Behavior

Actions that violate social norms and can harm others.

Social Bonds

Connections that individuals have to societal institutions, which can influence conformity to norms.

Delinquent Behavior

Engaging in unlawful or rebellious activities, typically associated with youth.

Statistical Significance

A measure that helps determine if observations from data can be attributed to chance.

Empirical Support

Data that supports a theory or hypothesis derived from observation and experimentation.

Covert Aversive Conditioning

Conditioning that involves exposure to unpleasant stimuli without the individual being aware.

Overt Aversive Conditioning

Conditioning that involves exposure to unpleasant stimuli with the individual being aware.

Conditionability

The ability to form associations through conditioned responses, unique to individuals.

Aggression

Behavior intended to harm or assert dominance over another, often learned through observation.