Book - ch. 4

Question 1

Most common dominance mechanism among young males

Answer 1

1. Ridicule

2. Gossip

Question 2

Peer influence

Answer 2

1. Fear of Ridicule
2. Loyalty
3. Status

Question 3

Complience mechanism

Answer 3

Loyalty and fear of ridicule are both ex- traordinarily potent compliance mechanisms for inducing conformity in adolescent groups, and they operate to promote conformity regardless of whether the behavior in question is legal or not.

Question 4

Central notion of collective bahaviour

Answer 4

People will commit acts when they are with others that they would never have committed if they had been alone

Question 5

Situational inputs” that give rise to deindividuation and attendant unrestrained behavior.

Answer 5

1. Anonymity

2. Diffusion of Responsibility

Question 6

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

Answer 6

To Piaget, cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience. He believed that children construct an understanding of the world around them, experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment, then adjust their ideas accordingly. Moreover, Piaget claimed that cognitive development is at the center of the human organism, and language is contingent on knowledge and understanding acquired through cognitive development. Piaget’s earlier work received the greatest attention.

Question 7

social processes operating in adolescent groups that are likely to either:

Answer 7

♠ generate normative consensus in the group
♠ generate the appearance of normative consensus in the group,
♠ encourage peers and delinquent conduct behavioral compliance regardless of any normative (dis)agreement in the group.

Question 8

SUTHERLAND’S THEORY OF DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION

Answer 8

♠ locates the source of crime and delinquency in the intimate social networks of individuals.
♠ Emphasizing that criminal behavior is learned behavior, Sutherland argued that persons who are selectively or differentially exposed to delinquent associates are likely to acquire that trait as well.

Question 9

The 9 propositions of Sutherlands theory

Answer 9

1. Criminal behavior is learned.
2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.
3. The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.
4. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple; (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.
5. The specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable.
6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law.
7. Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.
8. The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all of the mecha- nisms that are involved in any other learning.
9. While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values since non-criminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values.

Question 10

CROSS-SEX PEER INFLUENCE

Answer 10

♠ for some females, delinquency is a direct consequence of exposure to delinquent males.
♠ girls who spend their time in mixed-sex groups are significantly more likely to engage in delinquency than girls who participate in same-sex groups

Question 11

Variables of deliquency

Answer 11

♠ Drugs
♠ Boredom
♠ Groups as protection
♠ Co-offenders and opportunity
♠ Virtual peer group