2 - Developmental and life course theories (L2, Moffitt, Laub & Sampson)

Question 1

There are two facts about antisocial behavior that the dual taxonomy presents. What are these two facts? (Moffitt)

Answer 1

• It shows impressive continuity over age;
• Its prevalence changes dramatically over age, increasing almost 10-fold temporarily during adolescence.

Question 2

What is the dual taxonomy theory? (Moffitt)

Answer 2

Moffitt’s developmental taxonomy proposes that antisocial acts are committed by two very different ‘groups’ of people: A ‘life-course persistent’ group whose antisocial behavior onsets early in life and who become life-long offenders versus a larger ‘adolescence-limited’ group who offend during their teenage years.

Question 3

Why did previous antisocial classification schemes failed? (Moffitt)

Answer 3

Because they offered relatively little in the way of etiological or predictive validity.

Question 4

What does the theory about dual taxonomy need to say about delinquents whose criminal activity is confined to the adolescent years? (Moffitt)

Answer 4

The causal factors may be proximal, specific to the period of adolescent development, and the theory must account for the discontinuity in their lives.

Question 5

What does the theory about dual taxonomy need to say about persons whose adolescent delinquency is merely one inflection in a continuous lifelong antisocial course? (Moffitt)

Answer 5

The theory must locate its causal factors early in their childhoods and must explain the continuity in their troubled lives.

Question 6

Which is correct (Moffitt):
1. Does adolescence bring an increment in the number of people who are willing to offend?
2. Does the small and constant number of offenders simply generate more criminal acts while they are adolescent?

Answer 6

1: Empirical evaluations now suggest that the first explanation is correct.

Question 7

What is the best predictor of long term recidivistic offending? (Moffitt)

Answer 7

Early arrest is important.

Question 8

Does stability of antisocial behavior implies extremity? (Moffitt)

Answer 8

Yes, but extremity does not imply stability. The stability of antisocial behavior is closely linked to its extremity. The extreme frequency of crime committed by a very few males is impressive; it has been shown that the most persistent 5-6% of offenders are responsible for about 50% of known crimes.

Question 9

What are the two hypothetical types of antisocial youth? (Moffitt)

Answer 9

1. Life-course-persistent type
2. Adolescence-limited type

Question 10

What does life-course-persistent antisocial persons show across the life course? (Moffitt)

Answer 10

Exhibit changing manifestations of antisocial behavior: the underlying dispositions remains the same, but expression changes form as new social opportunities arise.

Question 11

What is heterotypic continuity? (Moffitt)

Answer 11

it suggests that there is a common factor or attribute that leads to different kinds of actions or behaviors that we can see. Continuity of an inferred trait that is presumed to underlie diverse phenotypic behaviors. ????

Question 12

Where do you look at in research if individuals’ antisocial behavior is stable? (Moffitt)

Answer 12

Roots early in life.

Question 13

What is a possible source of neuropsychological variation that is linked to problem behavior? (Moffitt)

Answer 13

Disruption in the ontogenesis (= de ontwikkeling die elk individueel mens doormaakt van eicel tot in de volwassenheid en verder) of the fetal brain. Also child abuse and neglect -> brain injury.

Question 14

What are two sorts of neuropsychological deficits associated with antisocial behavior? (Moffitt)

Answer 14

1. Verbal deficits: these deficits of antisocial children are pervasive, affecting receptive listening and reading, problem solving, writing and memory.
2. Executive deficits: these deficits produce learning disabilities, including symptoms such as inattention and impulsivity.

Question 15

What is important to look for in children with cognitive and temperamental disadvantages? (Moffitt)

Answer 15

They are generally not born into supportive environments. And parents of children who are at risk for antisocial behavior often provide their children with criminogenic enviroments.

Question 16

What form of interaction plays a important role in promoting antisocial behavior and maintaining its continuity? (Moffitt)

Answer 16

Evocative interaction. This occurs when a child’s behavior evokes distinctive responses from others.

Question 17

What can a toddler’s problem behavior affect? (Moffitt)

Answer 17

• Parent’s disciplinary strategies
• Interactions with adults and peers at an older age

Question 18

What are two additional types of interaction that may help explain how the LCP behavior might promote its own continuity and pervasiveness? (Moffitt)

Answer 18

• Reactive interaction: this occurs when different youngsters exposed to the same environment experience it, interpret it, and react to it in accordance with their particular style
• Proactive interaction: occurs when people select or create environments that support their styles

Question 19

The three types of person-enviroment interactions (evocative, reactive, proactive) can produce two kinds of consequences in the life course. Which two? (Moffitt)

Answer 19

1. Cumulative consequences: early individual differences may set in motion a downhill snowball of cumulative continuties
2. Contemporary consequences: this happens if the LCP person continues to carry into adulthood the same underlying consellation of traits that got him into trouble as a child (e.g. poor selfcontrol)

Question 20

Vul in (Moffitt). In this theory of life-course-persistent antisocial behavior neither …(1) nor …(2) account for continuity.

Answer 20

1: traits
2: environments

Question 21

The life-course-persistent antisocial syndrome that suggest psychopathology. What are aspects of this syndrome? (Moffitt)

Answer 21

• The syndrome is statistically unusual; it affects about 5% of males.
• The syndrome is characterized by stability across time and in diverse circumstances. This high-probability response style is relied on even in situations where it is clearly inappropriate or disadvantageous.
• The syndrome has a biological basis in subtle dysfunctions of the nervous system.
• The syndrome is associated with other mental disorders (comorbid).

Question 22

What is the hallmark of teenage delinquents (adolescent-limited delinquents) who have no notable history of antisocial behavior in childhood and little future for such behavior in adulthood? (Moffitt)

Answer 22

Discontinuity in adolescence-limited delinquents.
- May have crime free periods
- Lack consistency in antisocial behavior across situations
This type shows temporal instability and cross-situational inconsistency.

Question 23

Why do adolescent-limited delinquents begin delinquency? (Moffitt)

Answer 23

Their delinquency is social mimicry of antisocial style of life-course-persistent youths. The resource is mature status, with its consequent power and privilege.

Question 24

What is an explanation why boys will mimic life-course persistent boys? (Moffitt)

Answer 24

The maturity gap. They want to function more alike to their social age.

Question 25

Why is personal independence a reinforcer of delinquent involvement by adolescent-limited? (Moffitt)

Answer 25

Every crime is a statement of personal independence. They want to prove that they can act independently.

Question 26

Why doenst every teenager become delinquent? (Moffitt)

Answer 26

Not much research.
- They may not sense the maturity gap, and lack the motivation for experimenting.
- They may lack structural opportunities for modeling antisocial peers.
- School and neighborhood structures may constrain or facilitate access to life-course-persistent models.

Question 27

How can personal traits contribute to the exclusion of mimic antisocial peers? (Moffitt)

Answer 27

They can have certain personal traits what makes them unattractive to other teens.

Question 28

Why do adolescence-limited delinquents not maintain their delinquent behavior into childhood? (Moffitt)

Answer 28

They desist from crime because healthy youths respond adaptively to changing contingencies.
- They experience a loss of motivation for delinquency as they exit the maturity gap
- Consequences of illegal behavior shifts more toward punishment instead of reward in their perception

Question 29

What are three kinds of theoretical frameworks to explain CB (HC)

Answer 29

Static, dynamic and typological.

Question 30

What is a static theory? (HC)

Answer 30

Static theories hold that behavior emerges in a predictable sequence and unfolds at roughly the same age for all individuals.static theories believe that people generally go through the same stages of development in a predictable way, regardless of who they are.

Question 31

What is an example of a static theory? (HC)

Answer 31

General theory of crime (of low self-control) Gottfredson & Hirschi. this theory suggests that people with poor impulse control, often rooted in their upbringing, are more likely to commit crimes.
- Selfcontrol is invariant and rank-stable;
- Low self control expresses in impulsive, insensitive, physical, risk-taking, short-sighted (the lower self control, the more likely you commit crime)
- Selfcontrol develops in early childhood through parental socialization

Question 32

What are critiques of the general theory of crime (of low self control) of Gottfriedson & Hirschi? (HC)

Answer 32

• It only explains small amounts of variation;
• that self-control changes over time;
• same individual differs in criminal behavior depending on social location;
• opportunity (social context, stages of life course) matters.

Question 33

What is a dynamic theory? (HC)

Answer 33

highlight that people vary in their development, events can shape how someone grows, and the impact of events can depend on a person’s age. Look at development heterogenity that suggests that events/actions have causal effects, there are age-grade effects (depends on age) and there are within-individual differences.

Question 34

Defintion Cumulative continuity and what theory matches to this (HC)

Answer 34

E.g. Prior criminal behavior increases likelihood of future CB (snowball effect). Dynamic theory.

Question 35

Defintion Self-selection and what theory matches to this (HC)

Answer 35

People select experiences/groups based on internal traits, i.e. similar people ‘end up together’. No causal relationship, just internal dispositions. Static theory.

Question 36

What are typological theories? (HC)

Answer 36

Combination of statis and dynamic. Suggest that because there are different types of offenders, we must look at different types of mechanisms/relations. Different types of offenders, causes and mechanisms and predictions for behavior.

Question 37

What is a chronic offender? (HC)

Answer 37

They account for a large proportion of crime. Thus small % that commits large %opf crime.

Question 38

What are characteristics of chronic offenders? (HC)

Answer 38

• Early onset: before adolescence
• Behavioral problems: school, parents, peers
• Social problems
• Difficult children (developmental psychology)

Question 39

What are characteristics of LCP? (HC)

Answer 39

• Continuity in antisocial behavior in all domains (school, home, peers, etc.)
• More serious offences
• Early onset (before adolescence, even before birth)
  Must look for causes in early life! More likely to have neuropsychological dysfunctions what leads to poor childhood socialization, which can cause cumulative continuity.

Question 40

What are characteristics of ALs? (HC)

Answer 40

• They have no prior behavioral problems
• They commit minor offences
• Their criminal career is inconsistent, sporadic: spontaneous
• There is great desistence by mid-20s
  Look for explanations in adolescence. Can be explained by maturity gap. Will mimic life-course-persistent

Question 41

Definition Snares (HC)

Answer 41

consequences of antisocial behavior, e.g. drinking, smoking, car accident, kicked out of school.

Question 42

What does the continuity and change theory states? (HC)

Answer 42

Continuity:
- Childhood behavior is good predictor for adult behavior
- Early behavior can affect future opportunities
- Look in childhood for predictors

Change:
- Not all delinquent kids become criminal adults
- All desist with age: everyone stops
- We must account for adult roles/traits

Question 43

What is the Glueck study? (HC)

Answer 43

Measured many factors in delinquents and non-delinquent boys. Looked also for parent-reported characteristics and behavior and teacher-reported variables.

Question 44

What happend with the Glueck study? (HC)

Answer 44

Sampson & Laub rediscovered the data and developed age-graded theory of informal social control; presence and quality of bonds can inhibit criminal behavior. Dynamic theory!

Question 45

Which two controls do you have with the age graded theory of informal social control of Sampson & Laub? (HC)

Answer 45

Informal controls: parents, peers, work, school, partners, communicty (when you commit crime, the more likely you lose those partners)
Formal controls: police, teachers

Question 46

What is the assumption of Social bond theories/control theories? (HC)

Answer 46

That all of us possess the hedonistic (engaged in the pursuit of pleasure) drive to act in self-interest. Social bonds put constraints on CB, due to:
- Attachment, commitment, involvement, beliefs
Strong bonds discourage (control) CB: family, school, work etc.

Question 47

Continuity/change is determined by… (HC)

Answer 47

social bonds and controls (attachment, supervision, discipline)
routine activities (where you are, what opportunities may come up)
human agency

Question 48

What is a point of critique of Moffitts theory? (HC)

Answer 48

There might be more variability in offending/desistance over time. LCPs do not desist. There might be more than two groups.

Question 49

What are critiques on the theory of Sampson & Laub age graded theory of informal social control? (HC)

Answer 49

• Its not clear what the causal order is
• Its not clear what actually the role of social bonds is versus the role of opportunities
• Does everyone really desist?

Question 50

Describe the onset, mechanism and if it changes or not for: Adolescence limited (Moffitt; WG)

Answer 50

Onset: Start of adolescence, above 15
Mechanism: Maturity gap, Mimic LCP’s, Gaining status trough crime
Change or not: Yes, because the maturity gap disappears as they get older. So they have more alternative opportunities. Crime will no longer feel as a reward but more as a punishment

Question 51

Describe the onset, mechanism and if it changes or not for: Life-course-persistent (Moffitt; WG)

Answer 51

Onset: Early in childhood
Mechanism: Neuropsychological dysfunctions (e.g. temper, impulsivity), Environment (ND and this influences each other, e.g. ill equipped parents)
Change or not: No, they won’t change; they don’t stop committing crimes. But they will commit more heavy crimes. Because of the contemporary continuity and the cumulative continuity

Question 52

Describe the onset, mechanism and if it changes or not for: Informal social control (Sampson & Laub; WG)

Answer 52

Onset: Not specified, you can start at any age
Mechanism: Social bonds (influences each other), Self-selection (e.g. low self-control) certain characteristics can lead to more crime
Change or not: They change around turning points. It is not a one day change, it happens over time and it will change the behavior (e.g. marriage). Can also be negative; eg getting into a fight

Question 53

What do Laub & Sampson highlight in their study?

Answer 53

The distinction between self-selection and cumulative continuity. They explicate the relevance of the adult life course and various meanings of change. self-selection and cumulative continuity explain how our choices and experiences shape our lives over time, and these concepts are crucial for understanding the changes and patterns in our adult lives.

Question 54

What is the main thesis of Sampson & Laub?

Answer 54

Social capital and turning points are important concepts in understanding processes of change in the adult life course.

Question 55

What do Laub & Sampson emphasize in their study?

Answer 55

The rol of age-graded, informal social control as reflected in the structure of interpersonal bonds linking members of society to one another and to wider social institutions

Question 56

What can counteract the trajectories of early child development? (S&L)

Answer 56

Salient life events and social ties in adulthood. They emphasize the quality or strength of social ties more than the occurrence or timing of discrete life events.

Question 57

Summarized, what is S&L’s theory about?

Answer 57

Summarized, Laub and Sampson’s theory attempts to unite continuity and change within the context of sociological understanding of crime in the life course.
* In their theory, turning points can modify life trajectories (redirect paths), despite the connection between childhood events and experiences in adulthood.

Question 58

Where do S&L have doubts about?

Answer 58

Self-selection hypothesis.
- Partially supported in Glueck study: adolescent delinquents and nondelinquents displayed significant behavioral consistency into adulthood

Question 59

What is a methodological implication with the self selection hypothesis? (S&L)

Answer 59

The correlations among adult behavior should disappear once controls are introduced for prior individual-level differences in criminal propensity or low self control.

Question 60

What is cumulative continuity (S&L)

Answer 60

This means that delinquent behavior creates problems for young people, making their future harder. It affects their opportunities and puts them in difficult situations, especially if they are stigmatized or end up in institutions.

Question 61

Why is focus on stability insufficient for understanding crime in adult life course? (S&L)

Answer 61

1. Stability of antisocial behavior is far from perfect
2. When we measure how similar or consistent people’s behavior is over time, we often look at the overall patterns of differences between individuals. These measurements rely on seeing how people’s relative positions or rankings stay consistent over time.

Question 62

Why are adult social ties important? (S&L)

Answer 62

This means that these systems make it difficult for people to act on their criminal tendencies because there are rules and restrictions in place that stop them. These rules create obligations and consequences that discourage criminal behavior.

Question 63

Vul in (S&L). Integrating divergent sources of life-history data, our qualitative analysis was consistent with the hypothesis that the major turning points in the life course for men that refrained from crime and deviance in adulthood were …(1)and …(2)

Answer 63

employment
good marriage

Question 64

What is important to understand the change process? (S&L)

Answer 64

Objective and subjective contingencies