Core - Chapter 2 - CLA and SLA in Criminal Behavior

Question 1

Describe a study regarding cognitive distortions

Answer 1

Yochelson and Samenow (1976)

Question 2

Who developed the rational choice theory?

Answer 2

Cornish and Clark (1987)

Question 3

Describe a study done on the rational choice theory

Answer 3

Bennett and Wright (1984)

Question 4

Describe a study regarding poverty and crime

Answer 4

Messner (1988)

Question 5

Unemployment can be correlational to crime. Why?

Answer 5

A loss of income can be one aspect but also very importantly, it causes a damage to an individual’s self-esteem, can provoke feelings of that life is meaningless, creates change in status and subsequent boredom

Question 6

How may social (poverty) and biological factors (stress) interact and lead to criminal behavior?

Answer 6

Poverty is associated with a higher degree of stress on the mother of a developing child. This stress may affect the fetus and lead to impairments of brain functioning, which could eventually lead to criminal behavior.

Question 7

Describe a study related to the self-fulfilling prophecy and criminal behavior

Answer 7

Jahoda (1954)

Question 8

Yochelson and Samenow (1976)

Answer 8

Looked at how criminals think. They argue that criminal behavior is a result of cognitive distortions, such as

• blaming others for your own failure
• super-optimism: extremely wishful or magical thinking; establishing unrealistic, unobtainable goals
• “I think, therefore it is”: not being able to accept mistakes in the face of incontrovertible evidence
• minimizing: to reduce or limit the true significance of a behavior and avoid labeling it as “hurtful” or “wrong”, thereby eliminating the responsibility for changing it
• build-up: exaggerating accomplishments and abilities to make ourselves look better in the eyes of others

Question 9

Cornish and Clark (1987)

Answer 9

Rational choice theory - criminal behavior is the outcome of a reasoned decision-making process, where a crime is committed if the benefits outweigh the costs (and criminals seek to benefit from the crime).

Question 10

Bennett and Wright (1984)

Answer 10

Interviewed convicted burglars and asked them which factors would most influence their decision to rob a home. Three factors that influenced: risk (of getting caught), financial reward, and ease of entry.
Limitations: based on “unsuccessful” burglars, those being caught. Many violent crimes can also be an act of impulse and emotion and not rational thinking

Question 11

Messner (1988)

Answer 11

Do not look at the income when that poor people commit crimes, look at structural poverty. Structural poverty is characterized by single-parent families, low levels of education, high infant mortality rates, and low social mobility.
Messner found a much higher correlation between structural poverty and crime rates than between income levels and crime.

Question 12

Jahoda (1954)

Answer 12

A research on the Ashanti people of Ghana, that have a custom of naming boys according to the day of the week that they are born. It is believed that the day of the week predicts a child’s future temperament. Children born on Mondays are supposed to be calm, reserved, and peaceful, whilst children born on Wednesday are supposed to be aggressive and problematic. Jahoda looked at local police records and found a high number of arrests for boys born on Wednesday, and a very low number of arrests for boys born on Monday. Naming the children has resulted in a self-fulfilling prophecy.