A2 - Turning To Crime - Upbringing - Disrupted Families Flashcards
Background #2
Answer to background #2
Back ground #1
Answer on background #1
Who did the study on disadvantaged families?
D. Farrington (2006)
What type of study is this?
A longitudinal study?
What sample is used in this study?
411 South London males, who were mostly white, urban, working class and UK origin.
How long were the boys studied for?
From the age of 8 to 48.
How does Farrington study the boys?
Through the use of interviews about…
What results did Farrington find? (4 points)
- 40% were convicted of a criminal offence before the age of 40
- 6% were chronic offenders
- 4% of the 400 families accounted for 50% of the committed crimes.
- 75% of convicted parents had a child who also was convicted. (+ having a convicted sibling was a strong predictor as well)
What did Farrington conclude?
He found that there were risk factors which made more individuals more susceptible to turning to crime to offend.
What were some of thirst factors for offending? (4 points)
- parents with convictions and delinquent older siblings.
- Broken homes or separation from parents. (+ physical neglect)
- Poor families, low standard housing
- Poor parental child-rearing (too relaxed in enforcing rules)
Why is the study determinist?
It suggests that criminal behaviour is determined solely by our upbringing.
Why is the study reductionist?
It is reductionist as it suggests that individuals turn to crime for social factors, ignoring other factors such as biological and cognitive.
Why might it be low in generalisability?
The sample is andocentric and ethnocentric because it uses 411 South London Males, so we are unable to generalise the findings to other cultures.
Why might the study be low in validity?
The study has low validity, due to the use of interviews because:-
- Social Desirability Bias > individuals may not admit all the crimes they’ve committed.
- Demand Characteristics > individuals may then lie and exaggerate about crimes they have committed.
How is the study useful?
The study is useful as it shows us that families play a key role, so action can be taken to prevent it (practical application: parenting classes, etc)
