Differential association theory (DAT)

Question 1

what does DAT suggest ?

Answer 1

• theory suggest that criminals learn values, attitudes and motivations for criminal behaviour through interactions and association with other people
• e.g if you grew up in a criminal environment, you are more likely to learn but also can be positive as it might be off putting

Question 2

What does Sutherland say about pro crime attitudes ?

Answer 2

• says pro crime attitudes that the person takes on can out weigh the anticrime messages (media, law, school) and thus lead the person to believing that something is acceptable

Question 3

what does sutherland suggest about predicting the probability of someone committing a crime ?

Answer 3

• he suggests that if we know the amount of time exposed to the criminal behaviour, the frequency, intensity and duration then we can predict the probability of the person committing a crime and the amount of criminal behaviour displayed

Question 4

How does Dat work ?

Answer 4

• it works upon mathematical calculations of probability based on each factor
• which is impossible to do

Question 5

what approach is DAT considered to be ?

Answer 5

• a scientific approach to explaining behaviour

Question 6

how is offending behvaiour learnt according to DAT ?

Answer 6

• offending behaviour is learnt in the same way as any other behaviour
• this learning results from close association with other people

Question 7

what are social norms stronger than ?

Answer 7

• social norms are stronger than laws

Question 8

Farrington et al
what is the study ?

Answer 8

• longitudinal survery of the development of offending and antisocial behaviour in 41 males

Question 9

Farrington et al
- when did the study begin ?

Answer 9

• study began when the children were aged 8 in 1961 and all living in working class, deprived, inner city of london

Question 10

Farrington et al
- what did the findings describe ?

Answer 10

• findings described criminal careers up to the age of 50
• looking at both officially recorded convictions and self-reported

Question 11

Farrington et al
- findings
- how much of the males were convicted of at least 1 offence between age 10 and 50 ?

Answer 11

41%

Question 12

Farrington et al
- findings
- how long did the underage conviction career last for and how many convictions were accounted for ?

Answer 12

• lasted between the ages 19-28
• included 5 convictions

Question 13

Farrington et al
- findings
- how many ps were defined as chronic offenders ?

Answer 13

• 7%

Question 14

Farrington et al
- findings
- what were the most important childhood risk factors at age 8-10 for later offending ?

Answer 14

measures of :
- family criminality
- daring/risk taking behaviour
- low school attainment
- poverty
- poor parenting