Learning Theories Which Explain Crime Flashcards
Sutherland’s theory
His theory on differential association which conclude that people learn their values and techniques from associations with different people. If those values are favourable towards crime they are more likely to also take part in it. Frequency and experience of associations may differ but this could account for high levels of recidivism.
What are the 2 factors that criminality arises from
Learned attitudes towards crime
Learning of specific criminal acts- skills techniques
Pro criminal and anti criminal attitudes
When a person is socialised into a group they will be exposed to certain values and attitudes, including those related to the law- some will be pro crime others will be anti crime. Sutherland says that if the number of pro-criminal attitudes the person comes to acquire outweighs the number of anti-crime attitudes, they will go on to offend.
Strengths of differential association
This theory is effective at explaining a range of different crimes and why certain people might commit them and not others. This matters as it shifted the blame from the individuals biology to their circumstances and experiences and so was regarded as more moral.
Bandura’s theory
The observational learning theory thought people will learn behaviours by watching others. We observe our role models and imitate what they do. We identify with those who have admirable characteristics or who are similar to us.
Vicarious reinforcement
We observe other people receive consequences and we copy/not as we anticipate the same.
Bobo doll experiment
This experiment by Bandura showed that children who observed adults being aggressive were also aggressive towards the doll. If the models behaviour is rewarded they are more likely to continue to do it .
Strengths of learning theory
-Changed the idea that biology is the main cause of the environment and social causes.
-Sutherland can be applied to both working class and white collar crime.
-The bobo doll experiment proved a correlation between witnessing and performing violence
-It allows for policies of prevention
-Stopped criminals from having no blame which happened with biological theories
-Skinner’s box shows that criminal behaviour can be reinforced by a stimulus
Weaknesses of learning theory
-Exposing children to violent behaviour in the bobo doll experiment is unethical meaning it can’t be repeated now.
-Unable to isolate factors of nature and nurture.
-Reduces criminal blame and free will
-How effective is it to extrapolate animal behaviour to human behaviour when humans have free will
-Not all observed criminal behaviour is easy to imitate
Skinner’s theory
Operant conditioning theory is based on the idea that behaviour is influenced by its consequences. In this theory, behaviours are either reinforced or punished which increases or decreases the likelihood of those behaviour. It can be positive like a rewarding stimulus or negative removing an unpleasant stimulus. Punishment weakens behaviour, it can also be positive (adding an unpleasant stimulus) or negative (removing a rewarding stimulus)
