Chapter 3

Question 1

Choice Theory

Answer 1

The view that people will engage in delinquent and criminal behavior after weighing the consequences and benefits of their actions.

Question 2

Trait theory

Answer 2

Holds that youth engage in delinquent behavior due to aberrant physical or psychological traits that govern behavioral choices. Delinquent actions are impulsive or instinctual rather than rational choices.

Question 3

Free will

Answer 3

The view that youths are in charge of their own destinies and are free to make personal behavior choices unencumbered by environmental factors.

Question 4

Classical theory

Answer 4

The view that people weigh possible benefits and disadvantages before they decide to take action. It follows that to deter crime punishment must outweigh the benefit of illegal gain.

Question 5

Edgework

Answer 5

Delinquent acts motivated by the need for excitement, that provides thrills and danger.

Question 6

Routine activities theory

Answer 6

The view that crime is a normal function of the routine activities of modern living. Offenses can be expected if there is a motivated offender and a suitable target that is not protected by capable guardians.

Question 7

Predatory crimes

Answer 7

Violent crimes against persons and crimes in which an offender attempts to steal an object directly from its holder.

Question 8

General deterrence

Answer 8

Crime control policies that depend on the fear of criminal penalties, such as long prison sentences for violent crimes. The aim is to convince law violators that the pain outweighs the benefit of criminal activity

Question 9

Specific deterrence

Answer 9

Sending convicted offenders to secure incarceration facilities so that punishment is severe enough to convince them not to repeat their criminal activity.

Question 10

Co-offending

Answer 10

Committing criminal acts in groups.

Question 11

Situational crime prevention

Answer 11

A crime prevention method that relies on reducing the opportunity to commit criminal acts by making them more difficult to perform, reducing their reward, and increasing their risks.

Question 12

Hot spot

Answer 12

A particular location or address that is the site of repeated and frequent criminal activity.

Question 13

Crackdown

Answer 13

A law enforcement operation that is designed to reduce or eliminate a particular criminal activity through the application of aggressive police tactics, usually involving a larger than usual contingent of police officers.

Question 14

Criminal atavism

Answer 14

The idea that delinquents manifest physical anomalies that make them biologically and physiologically similar to our primitive ancestors, savage throwbacks to an earlier stage of human evolution.

Question 15

Bio social theory

Answer 15

The view that both thought and behavior have biological and social behaviors.

Question 16

Neurotransmitters

Answer 16

Chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions. They are brain chemicals that communicate information throughout and between the brain and body.

Question 17

Minimal brain dysfunction (MBD)

Answer 17

Damage to the brain itself that causes antisocial behavior injurious to the individual’s lifestyle and social adjustments.

Question 18

Learning disabilities

Answer 18

Neurological dysfunctions that prevent an individual from learning to his or her potential.

Question 19

Psychodynamic theory

Answer 19

Branch of psychology that holds that the human personality is controlled by unconscious mental processes developed early in childhood.

Question 20

Bipolar disorders

Answer 20

A psychological condition producing mood swings between wild elation and deep depression.

Question 21

Attachment theory

Answer 21

Bowlby’s view that the ability to have an emotional bond to another person has important lasting psychological implications for normal development from childhood into adulthood.

Question 22

Identity crisis

Answer 22

Psychological state, identified by Erikson, in which youths face inner turmoil and uncertainty about life roles.

Question 23

Behaviorism

Answer 23

Branch of psychology concerned with the study of observable behavior rather than unconscious processes; focuses on particular stimuli and responses to them.

Question 24

Social learning theory

Answer 24

The view that behavior is modeled through observation, either directly through intimate contact with others or indirectly through media. Interactions that are rewarded are copied, whereas those that are punished are avoided.

Question 25

Cognitive theory

Answer 25

The branch of psychology that studies the perception of reality and the mental processes required to understand the world we live in.

Question 26

Extraversion

Answer 26

Impulsive behavior without the ability to examine motives and behavior.

Question 27

Neuroticism

Answer 27

A personality trait marked by unfounded anxiety, tension, and emotional instability.

Question 28

Psychopathic Personality(Sociopathic or Antisocial Personality)

Answer 28

A person lacking in warmth, exhibiting inappropriate behavior responses, and unable to learn from experience. The condition is defined by persistent violations of social norms, including lying, stealing, truancy, inconsistent work behavior, and traffic arrests.

Question 29

Nature theory

Answer 29

The view that intelligence is inherited and is a function of genetic makeup.

Question 30

Nurture theory

Answer 30

The view that intelligence is determined by environmental stimulation and socialization.