Differential Associations Theory (Psych Explanations)

Question 1

What is Differential Association Theory?

Answer 1

• Individuals learn the values attitudes, techniques and motives for offending behaviour through association with different people

Question 2

What is the Scientific basis of DAT?

Answer 2

• Sutherland developed a set of scientific principles that could explain all types of offending
• His theory was designed to discriminate between those who become offenders and those who do not, whatever their socioeconomic background
• ‘the conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present, and they should be absent when crime in absent’

Question 3

How is offending a learned behaviour?

Answer 3

• learned through interactions in childhood with others e.g family
• DAT suggests it should be possible to mathematically predict likelihood of committing offence, to do this you need the frequency, intensity and duration of exposure to deviant values
• arises from two factors: learned attitudes towards offending and learning of specific offending acts

Question 4

What is meant by learning attitudes?

Answer 4

• When someone is socialised into a group they are exposed to values and attitudes towards law: can be pro-crime or anti-crime
• Sutherland argues that if the number of pro-crime attitudes the person acquires outweighs the number of anti-crime attitudes they will offend

Question 5

What is meant by learning techniques?

Answer 5

• The would-be offender may also learn particular techniques for committing offences e,g how to break into someone’s house through a locked window

Question 6

What is meant by socialisation?

Answer 6

• Sutherland theory cab account for why so many convicts released reoffend
• prisoner learn techniques and attitudes in prison from other, sometimes more experienced, prisoners
• observational learning and imitation or direct tuition