criminal psychology

Question 1

operant conditioning

Answer 1

learning from the consequences of actions

Question 2

positive reinforcement

Answer 2

receiving something pleasant for a behavior, so we repeat it

Question 3

negative reinforcement

Answer 3

the avoidance of something unpleasant, so we do it again.

Question 4

positive punishment

Answer 4

receiving something unpleasant so we don’t do it again

Question 5

negative punishment

Answer 5

removing something pleasant so we do not repeat the behaviour

Question 6

primary reinforcer + example

Answer 6

a reinforcer that satisfies a biological need eg. food

water

Question 7

secondary reinforcer + example

Answer 7

reinforcer of no survival value but learnt to associate it with a primary reinforcer eg. money, grades in school, tokens

Question 8

strengths of operant conditioning

Answer 8

• explain a wide range of crimes eg theft and murder

- explains that punishment can remove an undesirable behaviour

Question 9

theft explained by operant conditioning

Answer 9

social approval can be a strong reinforcer in peer groups that encourage deviant behavior through positive reinforcement.