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Week 2 Flashcards

Developmental and psychological theories of offending

1
Q

Also called Developmental and life-course criminology(DLC)

Which are the developmental theories of offending?

A

Adolescence-limited/life-course-persistent theory (Moffitt)
Developmental propensity theory
Interactional theory
Age-graded informal social control theory

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2
Q

Developmental and Life-Course Criminology

What is the focus of DLC?

A
  • understanding development of offending and antisocial behaviour in the lifespan
  • Understanding the influec of risks and protective factors on offending at different ages
  • Effects of life events on development
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3
Q

Developmental and Life-Course Criminology (DLC)

What is the aim and focus of DLC?

A

To explain within-individual changes in offending over time

ex.risks factors that contributes to offedning

  • different form traditional criminological theroies that emphasize between-individual differences
  • 1990 more prominance of this area and started longitudinal studies
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4
Q

Age-crime curve - describe

A
  • Avarage age of when crime picks  picks between 15-20 years old of age
  • Huge descrepancy btw male and females
  • Descrease around of age of 25 it is sort of expected
  • Small percentage of people that offend across the ages
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5
Q

What are the two qualitatively different categories of antisocial people according to Moffitt?

A
  • Adolescence-limited offenders (ALs)
    Start offending in adolescence (around 13 yo and then they give up at 25)
  • Life-course-persistent offenders (LCPs)
    They carry on offending
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6
Q

What does the Moffitt theory focuses on?

A

Development of offenders
not why offenders are committed

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7
Q

WHat are the characteristics of Adolescence-Limited Offenders?

A

Engage in “rebellious” non-violent offences during a short criminal career, primarily in teenage years.

Offending is influenced by the “maturity gap” and peer pressure (especially from Life-Course Persistent Offenders - LCPs).

Criminal actions are based on rational decision-making, weighing costs and benefits.

Offending behavior is driven by teenage boredom, with a natural desistance as they age into adult roles.

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of life-course persistent offenders?

A

Engage in a wide range of offences, including violent acts, starting early in life and continuing beyond their 20s.

Offending is influenced by genetic and biological factors, poor parenting, disrupted families, and low socio-economic status (SES).

Exhibit well-learned or “automatic” antisocial behavioral responses when presented with criminal opportunities.

Motivated by utilitarian goals and committed to an ongoing antisocial lifestyle.

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9
Q

Individual-based risks for Childhood-Onset (LCP starts in childhood and they persist) / Life-Course Persistent

A
  • Neurocognitive deficits (low verbal IQ, executive function deficits)-problem with decision making
  • Under-controlled temperament
  • Hyperactivity
  • Neurodevelopmental disorder
  • Individual risks (e.g., poor executive functions) amplified by social disadvantage, poor parenting, poor monitoring
  • Follows a transactional model (environmental variable interact with neurodevelopmental variables)
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10
Q

Individually-based risks for AL

A
  • Individually-based risks are less prominent
  • An exaggerated form of ‘normal’ rebelliousness
  • Influence of deviant peers
  • Adolescent ‘maturity gap’
  • Driven by social modeling of antisocial peers
  • No significant role for neuropsychology or individual characteristics
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11
Q

What is the DSM-5 distinction between childhood-onset and adolescence-onset forms of CD

A
  • Age 10 as the cut-off
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12
Q

how The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study supports Moffitt’s theory?

A

different btw the two graphs is that for certain factors, the male in their childhood on the LCP scored much higher than the males on the AL

Data seems to support that seems a neurodevelopme

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13
Q

What can be taken away from the different studies to test Moffitt’s theory?

A

Sometimes people they don’t classify into these two groups of the Moffitt theory  third group which are childhood limited (started early and then they stopped)

  • Misconception: ‘Adolescence-limited’ CD is not truly limited to adolescence DATA SHOWS THIS
  • Many ‘adolescence-onset’ (AO) men continue engaging in criminal behavior and experience mental health issues into their late 20s and early 30s
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14
Q

What is the focus of Developmental propensity theory (Lahey & Waldman, 2005)?

A
  • Emphasis on childhood and adolescence
  • Excludes adult life events or desistance from discussion
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15
Q

What is the key constructor of Developmental Propensity Theory?

A
  • Antisocial propensity: a tendency that persists over time
  • Viewed as a continuum of developmental trajectories rather than fixed categories (like moffitt)
  • Exhibits various behavioral manifestations
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16
Q

Developmental propensity theory

what are the four contributing factors to conduct disorder?

A
  • Low cognitive ability
  • Prosociality- reactive with aggressive behaviour instead of prosocially
  • Daring
  • Negative emotionality- more impulsive

emphasis on Gene-Environment Interactions

They say that these factors have a genetic basis

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17
Q

What is the main concept of Interactional Theory (Thornberry & Krohn, 2005)?

A

They want to examin the factors thta encourage antisocial behaviour at different ages
The empahsis is on reciprocal causation among factors (enviromantal & biological)

18
Q

based on ages(4)

What the factors affencting the onset of antisocial behaviour according to the interactional theory?

A
  • Up to Age 6: Neuropsychological deficits, parenting deficits, structural adversity
  • Ages 6–12: Neighborhood and family factors
  • Ages 12–18: School and peer factors, deviant opportunities, deviant social networks
  • Ages 18–25: Cognitive deficits, poor school performance
19
Q

how is desistance achievable acconrding to the interactional theory?

A
  • Changing social influences (e.g., increasing family bonding)
  • Protective factors: High intelligence and school success
  • Intervention programs
20
Q

What is the main focus of Age-Graded Informal Social Control Theory (Sampson & Laub, 2005)?

A
  • Emphasizes why people do not offend rather than why they do
21
Q

what is the key construction according to Age-graded informal social control? why?

A

BONDING to society
and
because it produces social control and prevent from crime

22
Q

what does Age-graded informal social control focuses on?

A
  • emphasis on changes over time rather than consistency
  • importance of later life events
  • indirect effect: structural background and individual differences
23
Q

What is the aim of psychological theories of offending?

A

to explore factors contributing to criminal behaviours

24
Q

What are the main 4 factors that contribute to offending behaviour according to the psychological theories?

A

Psychological and individual differences (family facotrs, impulsiveness, personality traits, intelligence)
Biological factors (genetics, neurobiology)
Social facotrs (peer influence, school, community)
Situational factors (immediate circumstances, economic factors)

25
Q

What is the aim of social informassion-processing theory

A
  • Explain aggression and delinquent behavior.
  • Examine individual differences in aggressive responses to specific situations.
26
Q

Why Crick and Dodge (1994) were really influential for the Social information-processing theory?

A
  • Study how individuals perceive their social world.
  • Analyze how individuals process information about their social environment.
  • Investigate the impact of previous experiences on these cognitive processes.

Perceive
Process
Influence by past exp

27
Q

What is the six step model of Crick & Dodge (1994)?

A
  • Encode social cues
  • Interpret and mentally represent situation
  • Clarify goals/outcomes
  • Access/construct responses
  • Choose response
  • Perform response
28
Q

how is the six-step model for Antisocial/Aggressive Individuals?

A

Steps 1 & 2: Encoding and Interpreting Social Cues:
* Encounter difficulties in encoding and interpreting social cues.
* Tend to create inaccurate representations of situations.
* Frequently adopt a hostile attributional style, leading to the misinterpretation of situations as hostile.
* Rely heavily on internal schemas, often with aggressive content.
* Attribute greater blame to external factors.
Steps 3 & 4: Dominance and Revenge-Based Goals:
* Prioritize dominance and revenge-based goals over prosocial objectives.
* Exhibit a limited repertoire of responses in social interactions.
Step 5:
* Tend to evaluate and rate aggressive responses more positively than prosocial alternatives.
* Perceive aggressive responses as more effective in achieving their goals.
Step 6:
* When aggressive responses are perceived as successful, they are reinforced.
Impact of Multiple Steps:
* The more steps at which individuals exhibit problems, the higher the likelihood of engaging in aggressive and antisocial behavior

29
Q

What is attachment?

A

It’s a process in which an infant is bialogically inclined to maintain close contact with their caregiver

30
Q

Why the study of attachment is important and why it can help understand criminality?

A

Early attachment plays a crucial role in the development and well-being.
It forms the basis for future relationship and emotional health

  • consequences of separation could be link to higer risk of criminal behaviour
31
Q

What are the main four psychological theories?

A
  1. personality theory, (Eysenck, 1996)
  2. Social learning theory, (Patterson, 1982)
  3. lifestyle theory, (Walters, 2006)
  4. Integrated cognitive antisocial potential theory, (Farrington, 2005)
32
Q

Trauma theories, Life-course theories, Selection theories

What are the different perspectives on attachment and criminal behaviour

A

Trauma theoris: loss of a parent can impact the emotional development and potentially leading to. delinquent behaviour

Life-course: cumulative effects of multiple stressors could contribute to delinquency

Selection theories: pre-existing differences in risks factors coming from distrupted families (different to intact families)

33
Q

Personality theory (Eysenck, 1996).
what influences behaviour?
How Eysenck view offending and how it is link to personality traits?

A

according to psychology, behaviour is influenced by individual traits and evironmental factors - impulsiveness plays a crucial role in offending

Eysenck viewed offending as a rational behaviour- they seek pleasure and avoid pain

  • Eysenck’s theory linked personality dimensions (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism) to offending.

related to psychopathy - lack of concerns for others and impulsivity (poor impulse control)

34
Q

what is the basic principle of the social learning theory? (Patterson, 1982)

A

Actions followed by rewards are more likely to be repeated, while actions followed by punishments are less likely to be repeated.

35
Q

what contributes to the development of antisocial behaviour according to Social Learning Theory (Patterson, 1982)?

A

Children raised in coercive families often learn to use coercive behaviors to solve problems or achieve their goals.

Predictors of Offending:
* Poor parental supervision has been linked to offending
* Harsh parental discipline is associated with delinquency
A rejecting parental attitude has also been linked to delinquent behavior

36
Q

What is the aim of the lifestyle theory (Walters, 2006)?

A
  • The primary aim is to understand the development of a criminal lifestyle and the subsequent processes of desistance (ending criminal behavior).
37
Q

According to the lifestyle theory what are the four principal feature of criminal lifestyle?

A

social rule-breaking
irresponsability
self-indulgence
interpersonal intrusiveness

38
Q

what is the central construct of Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential Theory (Farrington, 2005)?

A

Antisocial Potential (AP), representing the inclination to engage in antisocial acts.

39
Q

Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential Theory (Farrington, 2005)

is the difference between long term AP and short term AP?

A

Long term:
* Impulsiveness: Tendency to act without considering consequences.
* Life events: Events like marriage or relocation can impact AP.
* Modeling: Exposure to antisocial role models.
* Socialization: Quality of attachment to prosocial parents and peers.
Short-term AP varies due to situational factors, such as boredom or peer influence.

40
Q

childhood

What are the main factors that influence AP

A

Childhood risk factors significantly predict long-term AP:
* Hyperactivity-impulsivity and attention deficits.
* Low intelligence and poor school attainment.
* Family criminality, poverty, and large family size.
* Disrupted families (broken homes) impacting socialization.

41
Q

What are the main desires of long term AP?

A

Long-term AP is energized by desires for:
* Material goods.
* Status among peers.
* Excitement and sexual satisfaction.
Antisocial methods are chosen by individuals facing difficulties in satisfying their needs legitimately, such as those with low income or low educational attainment.

42
Q

According to ICAP theory it is important the cognitive processes behind the decision making, why?

A

Committing a crime depend on cognitive processes
* Weighing subjective benefits, costs, and probabilities.
* Evaluating immediate situational factors, like the likelihood of getting caught by the police.
* Considering social factors, including potential disapproval or encouragement from peers and family.

  • The consequences of criminal behavior can modify long-term AP and future cognitive decision-making processes, especially if consequences are reinforcing (e.g., gaining material goods) or punishing (e.g., legal sanctions).
  • Low AP individuals refrain from criminal acts even when rational incentives exist, while high short-term AP can lead to irrational criminal behavior (e.g., driven by anger or intoxication).

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