M3 Study Guide

Question 1

A violation of social norms defining appropriate or proper behavior under a particular set of circumstances that often includes criminal acts. This term is defined as

Answer 1

Deviance

Question 2

A set of interrelated propositions that attempt to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of events. A theory is strengthened by its logical consistency and is “tested” by how well it describes and predicts reality is known as a

Answer 2

Theory

Question 3

An explanation that accounts for a set of facts and that can be tested by further investigation. Also, something that is taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation is defined as an

Answer 3

Hypotheses

Question 4

The use of standard, systematic procedures in the search for knowledge is known as

Answer 4

Research

Question 5

An approach that integrates a variety of theoretical viewpoints in an attempt to explain something, such as crime and violence is defined as

Answer 5

Interdisciplinary Theories

Question 6

An eighteenth-century approach to crime causation and criminal responsibility that grew out of the Enlightenment and that emphasized the role of free will and reasonable punishments.
Classical thinkers believed that punishment, if it is to be an effective deterrent, has to outweigh the potential pleasure derived from criminal behavior. This general idea is recognized as the

Answer 6

Classical School

Question 7

T/F- Classical theorists use punishment as a way to deter criminal actors

Answer 7

True

Question 8

A contemporary version of classical criminology that emphasizes deterrence and retribution and that holds that human beings are essentially free to make choices in favor of crime and deviance or conformity to the law. This criminology is defined as

Answer 8

Neoclassical Criminology

Question 9

A perspective on crime causation that holds that criminality is the result of conscious choice.
This theory predicts that individuals will choose to commit crime when the benefits of doing so outweigh the costs of disobeying the law. This theory is defined as the

Answer 9

Rational Choice Theory

Question 10

A neoclassical perspective that suggests that lifestyles contribute significantly to both the amount and the type of crime found in any society. This theory is defined as

Answer 10

Routine Activities Theory

Question 11

The scientific study of the structure and function of the nervous system is defined as

Answer 11

Neuroscience

Question 12

A perspective on criminological thought that holds that criminal behavior has a physiological basis is defined as what social theory

Answer 12

Biological School

Question 13

The study of the shape of the head to determine anatomical correlates of human behavior is defined as

Answer 13

Phrenology

Question 14

A condition characterized by the existence of features thought to be common in earlier stages of human evolution is defined as

Answer 14

Atavism

Question 15

An approach that stresses the application of scientific techniques to the study of crime and criminals can be defined as

Answer 15

Positivist School

Question 16

The classification of human beings into types according to body build and other physical characteristics is known as

Answer 16

Somatotyping

Question 17

A theoretical perspective that sees the interaction between biology and the physical and social environments as key to understanding human behavior, including criminality is defined as

Answer 17

Biosocial Criminology

Question 18

The need for an explanation of the fact that the number of crimes committed by men routinely far exceeds the number of crimes committed by women in almost all categories is described as

Answer 18

Gender Ratio Problem

Question 19

A statistical construct that estimates the amount of variation in the traits of a population that is attributable to genetic factors is defined as

Answer 19

Heritability

Question 20

A perspective on criminological thought that views offensive and deviant behavior as the product of dysfunctional personality. Psychological thinkers identify the conscious, and especially the subconscious, contents of the human psyche as major determinants of behavior. This perspective is defined as

Answer 20

Psychological School

Question 21

A psychological principle that holds that the frequency of any behavior can be increased or decreased through reward, punishment, and association with other stimuli. This principle is defined as

Answer 21

Behavioral Conditioning

Question 22

The relatively stable characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique, and which influences that person’s behavior is defined as

Answer 22

Personality

Question 23

A theory of human behavior, based on the writings of Sigmund Freud, that sees personality as a complex composite of interacting mental entities is known as

Answer 23

Psychoanalysis

Question 24

The study of pathological mental conditions–that is, mental illness is known as

Answer 24

Psychopathology

Question 25

A person with a personality disorder, especially one manifested in aggressively antisocial behavior, which is often said to be the result of a poorly developed superego can be described as a

Answer 25

Psychopath

Question 26

A form of mental illness in which sufferers are said to be out of touch with reality is known as

Answer 26

Psychosis

Question 27

The attempt to categorize, understand, and predict the behavior of certain types of offenders based on behavioral clues they provide can be described as

Answer 27

Psychological Profiling

Question 28

A sociological approach that emphasizes demographics (the characteristics of population groups) and geographics (the mapped location of such groups relative to one another) and that sees the social disorganization that characterizes delinquency areas as a major cause of criminality and victimization. This approach is known as

Answer 28

Chicago School

Question 29

A condition said to exist when a group is faced with social change, uneven development of culture, maladaptiveness, disharmony, conflict, and lack of consensus. This term is recognized as

Answer 29

Social Disorganization

Question 30

A perspective on crime causation that holds that the physical deterioration of an area leads to higher crime rates and an increased concern for personal safety among residents. What theory is described here?

Answer 30

Broken Windows Theory

Question 30

The belief that an area’s physical features may be modified and structured so as to reduce crime rates in that area and to lower the fear of victimization that residents experience. What theory is this called?

Answer 30

Defensible Space Theory

Question 31

A socially pervasive condition of normlessness.
Also, a disjunction between approved goals and means is described as an

Answer 31

Anomie

Question 32

The process whereby a person openly rejects that which he or she wants or aspires to but cannot obtain or achieve. This is known as the

Answer 32

Reaction Formation

Question 33

A cultural setting in which violence is a traditional and often accepted method of dispute resolution. This can be described as

Answer 33

Subculture of Violence

Question 34

A perspective on criminological thought that highlights the process of interaction between individuals and society. Most examples of this type of theory highlight the role of social learning. What theory is being described above?

Answer 34

Social Process Theory

Question 35

A psychological perspective that says that people learn how to behave by modeling themselves after others whom they have the opportunity to observe. This theory is called?

Answer 35

Social Learning Theory

Question 36

A social process perspective that sees continued crime as a consequence of the limited opportunities for acceptable behavior that follow from the negative responses of society to those defined as offenders. What theory is explained above?

Answer 36

Labeling Theory

Question 37

The process undertaken by an advocacy group to have its values legitimated and embodied in law is defined as

Answer 37

Moral Enterprise

Question 38

An integrated view of human development that points to the process of interaction among and between individuals and society as the root cause of criminal behavior. The theory explained above is called

Answer 38

Social Development Theory

Question 39

An approach to explaining crime and deviance that investigates developments and turning points in the course of a person’s life is known as

Answer 39

Life Course Perspective

Question 40

A theoretical approach that holds that crime is the natural consequence of economic and other social inequities. Conflict theorists highlight the stresses that arise among and within social groups as they compete with one another for resources and for survival. The social forces that result are viewed as major determinants of group and individual behavior, including crime. What kind of perspective is described?

Answer 40

Conflict Perspective

Question 41

A conflict perspective that sees crime as engendered by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and other resources, which adherents believe is especially characteristic of capitalist societies. What type of criminology is described below?

Answer 41

Radical Criminology

Question 42

A perspective that holds that crime-control agencies and the citizens they serve should work together to alleviate social problems and human suffering and thus reduce crime. What type of criminology is described below?

Answer 42

Peacemaking Criminology

Question 43

A developing intellectual approach that emphasizes gender issues in criminology is defined as

Answer 43

Feminist Criminology