Differential association theory

DAT assumes that individuals learn what 4 things through the association & interaction with different people?

Values, attitudes, techniques & motives for criminal behaviour

Who developed the theory?

Sutherland

What did Sutherland develop to explain all types of offending?

A set of scientific principles

According to DAT, what process is required for offending behaviour to be acquired?

Learning

What two groups of people do most children learn from?

Family members & peer groups

What are the two factors that lead to criminality being learned?

Learned attitudes towards crime & the learning of specific criminal acts

What is meant by learned attitudes towards crime?

The number of pro-criminal values a person is exposed to exceeds the number of anti-criminal values, meaning they will go on to offend

What three things are required to mathematically predict future offending based upon DAT?

Frequency, intensity & duration of exposure to deviant and non-deviant norms/values

What are two examples of how someone could learn criminal acts?

• How to break into someone’s house through a locked window

• How to hotwire a car

How does DAT explain why so many criminals who go to prison go on to reoffend when released?

Prison inmates may learn specific techniques of offending from other, more experienced criminals, through observational learning & imitation or direct tuition → (prison can be seen as a ‘college for crime’)

Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for crime (16 marks)

Write your AO1 paragraph

• DAT assumes individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques & motives for criminal behaviour through association & interaction with different people in a process of socialisation.

• Sutherland’s theory was designed to discriminate between individuals who become criminals & those who do not, whatever their race, class or ethnic background.

• According to DAT, offending behaviour may be acquired in the same way as any other behaviour through the process of learning. This mainly occurs through interactions with significant others that the child associates with (e.g. family members or peer groups). It is from these people that we learn our norms & values, even deviant ones. In this way, offending behaviours/techniques are passed on from one generation to another or from peers.

• The expectations/attitudes of those around us act to reinforce behaviours (criminal or otherwise) through acceptance/approval, etc.

• There are two factors that lead to criminality being learned:

  • learned attitudes towards crime: when a person is socialised into a group, they will be exposed to values & attitudes towards the law. Some of these values will be pro-crime & some will be anti-crime. Sutherland proposed when the number of pro-criminal values a person is exposed to exceeds the number of anti-criminal values, they will go on to offend.

    • DAT suggests it should be mathematically possible to predict how likely it is for an individual to commit crime if we have knowledge of the frequency, intensity & duration of their exposure to deviant & non-deviant norms/values.

  • learning of specific criminal acts: in addition to being exposed to pro-criminal attitudes, a person may also learn particular techniques for committing crime (e.g. how to break into someone’s house through a locked window or how to hotwire a car).

• DAT also explains recidivism, as it is reasonable to assume prison inmates will learn specific techniques of offending from other, more experienced criminals (e.g. through observational learning & imitation or direct tuition).

Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for crime (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (Osborne & West)

• Point: One strength of DAT is there is research evidence to support Sutherland’s theory that criminal behaviour may be transmitted through close familial associations & learning within intimate personal groups.

• Evidence: For example, Osborne & West found where fathers had a criminal conviction, 40% of their sons also had convictions by age 18, compared with only 13% of sons whose fathers had no criminal record.

• Explain: The higher rate of offending among sons of criminal fathers suggests greater exposure to pro-criminal attitudes & modelling within the family environment.

• Link: As such, the correlation between peer delinquency & individual offending suggests exposure to pro-criminal attitudes increases the likelihood of criminal conduct, strengthening the validity of DAT as a credible explanation for crime.

Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for crime (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (Farrington et al.)

• Point: One strength of DAT is there is

Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for crime (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (Raine et al.)

• Point: One limitation of DAT is it suffers from environmental determinism, as it assumes criminal behaviour is learned solely through social interactions.

• Evidence: For example, Raine et al. compared brain structures in 41 violent offenders (murderers) with a matched control group of non-murderers. Participants completed tasks while undergoing PET scans, which measured glucose metabolism in different brain areas.

• Explain: Results found lower activity in the amygdala & pre-frontal cortex, which are associated with emotional regulation & self-control; reduced activity may mean individuals are more impulsive & less able to regulate aggression, leading to offending behaviour.

• Link: Overall, this suggests DAT provides an incomplete explanation for offending behaviour, reducing its explanatory power, as it fails to consider biological influences, as emphasised by the interactionist approach.

Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for crime (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (lack of objectivity)

• Point: One limitation of DAT is that it lacks precision in its key concepts & attempts to mathematically predict when crime is likely can be difficult to measure.

• Evidence: For example, pro-criminal & anti-criminal attitudes are difficult to operationalise & measure objectively. Additionally, it is not possible to count how many pro-criminal values a person is actually exposed to.

• Explain: Without a clear method for quantifying the balance of attitudes, it is challenging to test the theory scientifically. This reduces falsifiability & weakens its empirical robustness.

• Link: Consequently, the methodological issues limit the scientific credibility of DAT.