Chapter 1 - Introduction Flashcards
Criminal Behaviour
an intentional act, legally defined as a crime
Social Construction
process of defining crime as social and political in nature
Consensus theory of crime
crime is defined in a manner broadly agreed upon by society
Conflict theory of crime
crime is determined by socially powerful groups
Violence
intentional act of threatened, attempted, or actual physical harm directed against a non-consenting person
Physical Violence
Intentional act that causes physical insult or injury, regardless of how minor, to another person
Instrumental Violence
violence committed to achieve an identifiable goal
Reactive Violence
violence committed in response to frustration or a perceived insult, provocation, or attack
Macro theory
large-scale theory that explains phenomena at a societal or broad group level (example - sociology)
Micro theory
small-scale theory that explains phenomena at a individual level (example - psychology)
Inter-Individual Differences
variations that exist between two or more people
Intra-Individual Differeneces
variations occurring within the same person
Case Study
in-depth examination or observation of a single individual
Correlational Research Designs
examines relationships between two or more variables
Longitudinal Research Designs
involves making several observations of the same study participants over a period of time
Third Variable
extraneous and uncontrolled factor that may be responsible for changes in the study
Random Assignment
assignment of participants to different study conditions on the basis of chance
Experimental Group
study participants who are exposed to the variable being investigated
Control Group
study participants who are not exposed to the variable under investigation and are used for comparison purposes
Meta-Analysis
combining results of many studies on a particular subject to generate a statistical estimate of the overall magnitude of their findings
