5.7. Differential Association

Question 1

How is criminal behaviour learned?

Answer 1

Through the environment

Question 2

SLT key concepts:

Answer 2

• Observation
• Imitation
• Role models
• Identification
• Vicarious reinforcement

Question 3

Sutherland

Answer 3

• Stated there was a mathematical formula to determine if someone would be criminal.
• It’s based on frequency, intensity and duration of time spent with criminal contacts.

Question 4

What crimes can the theory explain?

Answer 4

Most crimes - unlike biological only explains violent

Question 5

What does a person learn?

Answer 5

The motives, techniques and attitudes of a crime

Question 6

What did Sutherland state?

Answer 6

• There were 9 principles:
• Offending behaviour is learned, through associations, this develops our attitude to be either pro-crime or against crime

Question 7

Who is behaviour learned from?

Answer 7

Learn offending behaviour/ attitudes from people the child values

Question 8

What factors does offending arise from?

Answer 8

1. Attitude to offending (for or against crime)
2. Learning of specific offending

Question 9

What view is also included?

Answer 9

• The community view to crime- for or against
• Can lead to stigma of impoverished areas

Question 10

What can learning be?

Answer 10

Direct or indirect

Question 11

Indirect learning

Answer 11

Initiation
- Positive: watch Dad rob a bank and get £
- Negative: Dad avoids person
- Punishment: Watch Dad go to prison

Question 12

Direct learning

Answer 12

Maintenance
- Positive: You rob a bank and get £
- Negative: you avoid prison
- Punishment: you go to prison

Question 13

Strength: %

Answer 13

• Can explain the greatest percentage of crimes (burglary/ white collar)
• But cannot explain all alone

Question 14

Strength: crime in families

Answer 14

• Can explain how crime runs in families/ friendship groups

Question 15

Strength: Environment is deviant

Answer 15

• Suggests the environment is deviant, not the person, which can be targeted for intervention
• Ie community projects set up for children to learn skills to avoid a life of crime- educate them through fun initiatives
• Action for children put on many activities nationally.

Question 16

Weakness: stereotypes

Answer 16

Stereotypes + creates a stigma for those living in impoverished areas

Question 17

Weakness: not operationalised

Answer 17

• Sutherland’s mathematical formula is not operationalised
• We don’t clearly and specifically know how long the duration, frequency or intensity will be- not measurable

Question 18

Weakness: Runs in families

Answer 18

• If crime runs in families it could be equally explained by the biological approach where CDH13 and MAOA (low activity) run in families