Criminal Behaviour (Differential Association Theory) Flashcards
How can our beliefs and attitudes be influenced by others?
They can be heavily influenced by the people we socialise with and the circles we run in.
According to the cognitive approach, how is criminal behaviour formed?
Criminal behaviour is seen as a product of socialisation, where people inherit the views and behaviours of those around them.
Who first proposed the idea that criminal behaviour stems from socialisation?
Edwin Sutherland in 1939.
What is “Differential Association”?
It refers to how often people interact with various social groups and how this affects their likelihood of adopting criminal attitudes.
What is the key idea of Differential Association Theory?
People learn criminal behaviour through interaction with others who hold pro-criminal attitudes.
What influences a person’s tendency to commit crime according to Sutherland?
When there is an excess of definitions favourable to law-breaking over definitions unfavourable to it.
Who primarily influences criminal behaviour in an individual?
Family, peer groups, and close relationships.
How does Sutherland say learning occurs?
Through interaction, observation, operant conditioning, and social learning from role models.
How do criminals view crime differently?
They learn different perceptions of what crimes are acceptable and may minimize their actions using cognitive distortions like Hostile Attribution Bias and Minimisation.
What determines the strength of influence in Differential Association Theory?
Frequency, duration, and emotional significance of the interaction.
What did Osborn & West (1979) find about fathers and sons?
13% of sons with non-criminal fathers had criminal records vs. 20% with criminal fathers.
What did Akers et al. (1979) find in their study on inmates?
Peer influence explained 68% of marijuana use variance via differential association, reinforcement, and imitation.
What did Farrington (2002) conclude about family and crime?
Criminal behaviour often concentrated in families across generations, with fathers being the most influential.
Why is DA important in criminology?
It shifted focus from biological causes to social learning and allowed for interventions and societal accountability.
What is one major strength of DA theory?
It avoids blaming the individual entirely and highlights the role of environmental and social factors.
What biological critique was raised against DA?
Studies found higher concordance rates for criminality in MZ twins, suggesting genetic influence.
What is a practical issue with DA theory?
It’s hard to test and quantify variables like ‘influence’ or ‘definition favourable to crime.’
Can DA theory be used to predict criminal behaviour?
It aimed to, but variables are difficult to quantify, so predictions are unreliable.
What kind of crimes does DA apply to best?
It can be applied to a broad range but is especially relevant for white-collar or learned crimes.
What does Newburn (2002) say about age and crime?
40% of offences are committed by people under 21, suggesting DA can’t fully explain age-related trends.
What assumption of Sutherland’s has been criticised?
The idea that associating with criminals is enough to cause criminal behaviour.
What is the issue with free will in DA?
It suggests behaviour is determined entirely by socialisation, ignoring personal choice.
What is a philosophical problem with DA’s origin theory?
If crime is learned, then who originally taught or initiated criminal behaviour?
