criminology- unit 2 - individualistic

what does learning theory suggest

criminality is learned through observation and imitation - of a same sex role model (more impactful)

what is vicarious learning

learning through others by observation

explain the bobo doll experiment

children observed a same sex role model being violent towards bobo doll, then left alone with the bobo doll

group one - no violence by role model, children weren’t violent

group 2 - saw violence, children were violent

group 3 - saw violence + punishment, some were violent but some vicariously learnt

strength of social learning theory

explains criminal families e.g. mafia + domestic violence reoccurring

weakness of social learning theory

assumes everyone imitates everything - more applicable to children - want to please role models

another weakness of social learning theory

it is difficult to measure the amount of exposure to pro crime attitudes that leads to criminality

what is operant conditioning

learning through consequences - consequence can lead to an increase/decrease in likelihood of behaviour being repeated

what does reinforcement do

repeat behaviour

what does punishment do

stop behaviour (extinction)

whats positive reinforcement

adding something pleasant to envt

whats negative reinforcement

removing something unpleasant from envt

whats positive punishment

adding something unpleasant to envt

whats negative punishment

removing something pleasant from envt

explain skinner experiment

rat in a box

rat press leaver = gets food (positive reinforcement)

rat got shocked when push lever (electric grid at bottom of box)

so they stop (positive punishment)

how does the skinner experiment link to criminality

explains reoffending rates - repeat actions due to positive reinforcement and lack of punishment

one strength of operant conditioning

gives an objective way of explaining + testing how behaviours are learned/ changed

one weakness of operant conditioning (study)

animal research cannot be generalised to humans as human brain is more complex

one weakness of operant conditioning

explains why people reoffend, but not why people commit crime in the first place

explain the ID

formed at birth, pleasure principle, survival instincts

explain the ego

formed at 2, reality principle, balances id and ego

explain the super ego

formed at 5, morality principle, knows good from bad

what are the 3 ways freud suggests the superego could lead to crime

under developed

harsh

deviant

underdeveloped superego

reduced amount of guilt

dominant id

wont feel remorse

harsh superego

high levels of guilt and anxiety

commits crime as they believe they should be punished

deviant superego

don’t experience guilt

due to being born into a pro crime family, so crime and deviance is normal

strength of psychodynamic

highlights importance of socialisation in child development, and how it can lead to criminal behaviours

strength of psychodynamic (reducing crime )

can implement things to reduce crime e.g. provide role models in schools with anti-crime attitudes

one weakness of psychodynamic

the theory relies on hypothetical constructs, which are not observable or testable - lack scientific credibility

another weakness of psychodynamic

cant explain why some people who grew up in a criminal family don’t commit crime

what does bowlby’s maternal deprivation suggest

there is a link between personality and deviance + there are key stages in life that lead to diff personality

explain 44 thieves study

44 thieves compared to 44 non thieves

found 17/44 experienced early prolonged separation from mothers before 5 yrs old

15/17 had traits of psychopathy

CA: no definition of prolonged separation + relied on memory

strength of maternal deprivation

led to changes to reduce maternal deprivation e.g. hospitals changed policies to allow parents to stay with children

weakness of maternal deprivation

blowby research - children with medical conditions kept in isolation from parents did not suffer maternal deprivation consequences

what does personality theory suggest

our personality is innate + certain personality traits make you more at risk of criminality

what did eysenck measure personality in

neuroticism, introversion, extroversion

explain eysencks study

carried out questionnaires to measure personality

CA: could have been looking at emotional state at the time

what personality types are most at risk of criminality

NE

PEN (psychopathy added later on)

one strength of personality theory

evidence from rushton and christian, compared PEN scores with delinquency, found students with high delinquency had high PEN

weakness of personality theory (evidence)

most evidence relies on self report surveys

weakness of personality theory

only able to establish correlations between personality and criminality, not cause and effect, so it is possible that personality influences criminality, not causes criminality