Behavioral theories of crime

Question 1

what is behaviorism

Answer 1

the theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are learnt through conditioning

Question 2

operant conditioning

Answer 2

consequences

Question 3

skinners rat study

Answer 3

based on operant conditioning
rat rewarded for pressing lever with food- known as positive reinforcement

Question 4

negative reinforcement

Answer 4

the removal of something negative that makes the behavior more likely to be repeated e.g. someone committing fraud may continue the behavior because it removes the stress of finances

Question 5

john wayne gacy

Answer 5

an American serial killer and sex offender who committed crimes against 35 young men and boys- his crimes were discovered in 1968

Question 6

what is social learning theory

Answer 6

suggests we learn all of behavior from observing and modelling others

Question 7

bandura bobo doll

Answer 7

split into three groups:
1] children observed an adult being violent towards the doll
2] children observed an adult playing calmly with the doll
3] where they did not observe any adults

Question 8

factors effecting modelling

Answer 8

consequneces- if the model is rewarded they are more likely to repeat behavior
self reinforcement- more likely to be repeated if it satisfies an internal e.g. excitement
external motivation- once the behavior has been repeated the rules of operant conditioning apply

Question 9

strengths of the bobo doll experiment

Answer 9

study is scientific- useful because there was a control group
variables were controlled which gives a non biased result
experiments can be replicated which increases reliability of study

Question 10

weaknesses of bobo doll experiment

Answer 10

low validity- children may assume they are meant to hit the doll
we cannot discover if these observations will cause long term effects on the childrens aggression
lacks ethics

Question 11

what is attachment as described by john bowlby

Answer 11

a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings

Question 12

what age is the critical period

Answer 12

0-5 years- maternal bond formed in this time

Question 13

what is maternal deprivation

Answer 13

when a child is deprived of a maternal bond- can lead to affectionless psychopathy

Question 14

what did bowlby say was caused by maternal deprivation

Answer 14

mental health and behavioral problems

Question 15

who was ian brady

Answer 15

an example of the effects of maternal deprivation- murdered and tortured 5 children because he never had the maternal bond

Question 16

44 thieves study

Answer 16

bowlby compared 44 juvenile thieves to non-criminals to investigate the long term effects of maternal deprivation

Question 17

conclusion of 44 thieves study

Answer 17

more than half of the juveniles had been separated from their mother in the critical period
32% showed affectionless psychopathy
none of the non-criminals showed signs of affectionless psychopathy

Question 18

weaknesses of attachment theory

Answer 18

relied on peoples memory of separation- not reliable
maternal deprivation could be a concept- by 12 months babies have up to 5 attachments
cannot scientifically be proven- bowlby did his own research that was never tested