Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is our perspective or frame of reference influenced by?
By the way we have been socialized, by our individual psychological makeup, and even by such biological factors as diet and environmental conditions
Rationalism
the principle that some kinds of knowledge are innate, while others can be acquired through reasoning, independent of experience (e.g. Descartes)
Empiricism
the principle that knowledge is acquired only through experience (e.g. Locke, Hume)
What did Kant argue about the General Methods of Knowing?
That we do not know reality. Instead, our minds form appearances of reality, and our ways of acquiring knowledge are simply the mental filters through which the mind processes and constructs our reality
paradigm
framework or set of underlying assumptions
Can there be a single objective truth?
No - only multiple theories reflecting the different beliefs held by scientists - then reality can consist of various paradigms
Paradigm shift
-when the prevailing model is overwhelmed by ne findings, the discipline experiences a paradigm shift
-as we have gained mor paradigm knowledge about crime and criminality, we have seen such a shift towards a more interdisciplinary approach
What kind of base knowledge does criminology provide?
the foundation for formulating or testing theories, making policy recommendations, and issuing social and political responses to criminological concerns
What are the five basic means by which we acquire info and gain understanding?
-logical reasoning
-authority
-consensus
-observation
-past experience
Logical reasoning
-we often form conclusions based on what we believe to be logical speculation
-however, our reasoning may be undermined by such factors as limited knowledge, our personal biases, and our capacity to ignore contradictions in our thinking
Authority
-when an authority says that something is so, we often accept it as fact
-using an expert to affirm our belief lends credibility to it
Consensus
-we often rely on the wisdom of our peer group
-however, the people who make that group are likely to be people who have come together because they share a common view
Observation
seeing things for ourselves instead of relying on second-had information or the opinions of others
Past experience
-most common source of support for our suppositions
-we draw on prior instances or events that confirm our assumptions and then attempt to modify incongruent elements
-studies have shown that info that is consistent with our expectations is more easily remembered than info that is not
Why can the five methods of gaining info result in misconceptions?
they are not systematic in their approach. Scientific inquiry relies on the collection of measurable data from representative samples and rigorous testing of hypotheses using prescribed research methods
Is the scientific method of inquiry circular? Explain
Yes - knowledge is a process of continually retesting and refining our understanding of a given phenomenon
What are the major factors that influence public attitudes regarding criminal activity and behaviour?
-personal knowledge
-the mass media
-official state knowledge
-theoretical knowledge
Personal Knowledge
-the public has a voice in decisions about the administration of crim justice
-since the administration of justice is seen as a crucial role of government, the government in power has a vested interest in responding to the public’s will
-as a result, public perception can have a dramatic impact on the CJS
Do most Canadians have limited knowledge of actual crime rates? Explain
Yes - they tend to overestimate the incidence of violent crime, and are ill-informed about other key aspects of criminal justice function
-public perception of risk varied by age, gender, occupation, lifestyle, and other personal attributes
Net widening
the process by which the state expands its control over behaviour through changes to sentencing laws and administrative policies
The mass media
-much of what people come to think about current events comes from media reports
-in many respects, these media reports, with the exception of those broadcast via social media, reflect our conventional methods of knowing
-research suggests that media reporting is not reflective of actual crime rates
Moral panic
a sociological term used to describe a widespread, exaggerated public concern over issues associated with morality
Vicarious reinforcement
link between watching and performing violence. Demonstrated by Albert Bandura
How has mass media benefited the CJS?
various agencies have solicited public support for things like more police officers, better funding and programs like crime stoppers
Conflict theory
a theoretical perspective that views crime as a natural product of a society that promotes competition and, hence, social and economic disparity (principles of conflict theory have been used to argue that the media were responsible for conveying an image of rapidly increasing crime rates)
Left-realism
a theoretical perspective that aims to better understand the implications of crime control policies rather than the causes of crime (the media play a significant role in society in crime control policy because they decide what is worthy of public consumption)
Official State of Knowledge
Primary sources of data: police, judicial system, corrections system
- these are required by law to produce info, typically int he form of statistics and mainly to measure their performance
Juristat
a regular publication of the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, considered the most authoritative source of criminal justice statistics in Canada
What are the limitations of official data?
-reliability: the likelihood that an observed relationships between two or more variables can or will be observed in a consistent manner
-validity: the likelihood that the relationships observed and measured are real
-sampling: the process of selecting a group of research subjects that is representative of the entire population under investigation
-random error: refers to unintentional or unexpected mistakes during the data collection process
-systematic error: refers to predictable errors made during the data collection process
-crime funnel: a metaphor referring to the decreasing number of crimes processed at successive levels of the CJS
Theoretical Knowledge and Crime
theoretical concepts are supposedly based on scientifically verifiable and reliable observations
Operationalization
the definition of criminological concepts or phenomena in such a way that they can be observed and measured scientifically
