Differential association theory

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

The values, attitudes, techniques & motives for criminal behaviour

Who developed DAT?

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?

The frequency, intensity & duration of exposure to deviant & 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 considered as a ‘college for crime’)

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

Write your AO1 paragraph

• Differential Association Theory (DAT), proposed by Sutherland, argues that criminal behaviour is learned through interactions with others, particularly family members & peer groups. Through socialisation, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques & motives for criminal behaviour.

• Sutherland argued that crime occurs when a person is exposed to more pro-criminal attitudes than anti-criminal attitudes. DAT suggests that it is mathematically possible to predict the likelihood of offending from knowledge of the frequency, intensity & duration of an individual’s exposure to pro-criminal attitudes.

• DAT also proposes that people learn specific criminal acts, such as how to commit burglary through a locked window or how to hotwire a car. This helps explain recidivism, as prison inmates may learn new criminal techniques from other, more experienced criminals, 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 that there is research evidence to support the idea that criminality is learned through interactions with family members & peer groups.

• Evidence: For example, Osborne & West found that 40% of the sons of criminal fathers had criminal convictions by age 18, compared to 13% of the sons of non-criminal fathers.

• 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 delinquency & offending suggests that exposure to pro-criminal attitudes increases the likelihood of criminality, increasing DAT’s validity & explanatory power.

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 that there is research evidence to show that social relationships contribute to criminal behaviour.

• Evidence: For example, the longitudinal Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development by Farrington et al. followed 411 working-class boys from a deprived inner city area of South London - data was collected through interviews with the boys & their parents, teacher reports, criminal records & peer/self-reports.

• Explain: Results found that 41% of boys were convicted of at least one offence by age 50, with low IQ & poor school achievement in childhood being significant predictors of later offending.

• Link: Therefore, this provides strong support for environmental influences on criminality, showing how social factors can contribute to delinquency over time.

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 that it suffers from environmental determinism, as it assumes criminality 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 using PET scans, which measured glucose metabolism during tasks.

• Explain: Results found lower activity in the amygdala & pre-frontal cortex, which are associated with emotional regulation & self-control, explaining why these individuals are more impulsive & less able to regulate aggression.

• Link: Overall, this suggests DAT is an incomplete explanation for offending, as it ignores biological influences, as highlighted by the interactionist approach.