Criminal psychology - Why do people become criminals?

Question 1

Who developed the theory of learning known as operant conditioning?

Answer 1

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1948)

Question 2

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 2

Operant conditioning is the theory that we learning from the consequences of our actions. Behaviours are likely to be repeated in they are reinforced and not repeated if we are punished.

Question 3

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 3

Positive reinforcement is when we receive something pleasant for our behaviour. We are likely to repeat this behaviour to receive this pleasant reward again.

Question 4

How can positive reinforcement be used as an explanation for criminal behaviour?

Answer 4

If someone receives praise from family for fighting or vandalism, or they receive a financial reward from committing fraud, then they are likely to commit the crime again.

Question 5

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 5

Negative reinforcement is when something unpleasant is removed because of our behaviour. We are likely to repeat this behaviour that gets rid of something unpleasant.

Question 6

How can negative reinforcement be used as an explanation for criminal behaviour?

Answer 6

If someone is able to stop a bully by punching them, it is likely that they will use their fists to solve problems in the future.

Question 7

What is positive punishment?

Answer 7

Positive punishment is receiving something unpleasant for a behaviour, so we do not do it again.

Question 8

How can positive punishment be used as an treatment for criminal behaviour?

Answer 8

If someone commits a crime and is fined or imprisoned, they are being positively punished. They are less likely to commit this crime again to avoid being fined or imprisoned again.

Question 9

What is negative punishment?

Answer 9

Positive punishment is removing something pleasant for a behaviour so we do not do it again.

Question 10

How can negative punishment be used as an explanation for criminal behaviour?

Answer 10

If someone enjoys being in a gang and the gang starts to vandalise public property, but the person doesn’t want to participate. Because the person doesn’t want to join in, they are told to leave the gang. The person is less likely to say no to participating in criminal behaviour to avoid the removal of the pleasant enjoyment of being in the gang.

Question 11

Does the justice system use punishment and/or reinforcement as treatment for criminal behaviour? Are they positive or negative?

Answer 11

The justice system uses positive punishment and negative reinforcement.

Question 12

How does the justice system use positive punishment and negative reinforcement as treatment of criminal behaviour?

Answer 12

If someone commits a crime and is put in prison, they are receiving positive punishment for their actions. When they are released from prison, they are likely to avoid committing the crime again because they do not want to be imprisoned again: this would be negative reinforcement.

Question 13

What is a reinforcer? How does it link to reinforcement and punishment?

Answer 13

A reinforcer is something that can be used as a consequence for behaviour to strengthen behaviour.

• Removal of a reinforcer is negative punishment
• Receiving a reinforcer is positive reinforcement

Question 14

What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer 14

Something that satisfies a basic biological need, such as food and water.

Question 15

How can primary reinforcers be used as an explanation for criminal behaviour?

Answer 15

People who are in extreme poverty or are starving may resort to committing a crime, such as theft, in order to satisfy a basic need.

Question 16

What is a secondary reinforcer?

Answer 16

Something that has no survival value, but we have learnt to associate them with primary reinforcers. For example, a credit card or money. The card or money itself has no survival value but it can be used to buy things, which are rewarding or satisfy a basic need.

Question 17

What are the strengths of of operant conditioning?

Answer 17

Operant conditioning can be used to explain a wide range of crimes. For example, theft to gain something pleasant.

Operant conditioning explains that punishment can remove an undesirable behaviour. For example, prisons and the justice system.

Operant conditioning contributed to the development of behaviour management techniques. For example, token economies.

Question 18

What are the weaknesses of operant conditioning?

Answer 18

Not all crimes are committed because of receiving punishment or reinforcement. Operant condition does not take into account extreme

Question 19

Who developed social learning theory?

Answer 19

Albert Bandura (1977)

Question 20

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 20

The theory that we learn from one another, rather than directly from reinforcement or punishment.

Question 21

What is observational learning?

Answer 21

Behaviour is a consequence of observing and modelling other around us.

Question 22

What is modelling?

Answer 22

Modelling is learning a new behaviour through paying attention to, retaining and reproducing the behaviour of a role model.

Question 23

What is the identification and modelling process?

Answer 23

Attention - in order to learn something new, you must be able to and want to pay attention to it.
Retention - you must be able to store or retain the new behaviour in your memory for learning to take place.
Reproduction - to be able to model the new behaviour that you observed, you need to be able to reproduce it.
Motivation - you are more likely to model a behaviour you have observed if you are motivated to repeat it.

Question 24

What is identification?

Answer 24

When you adopt the behaviour, beliefs and values of the role model of the group.

Question 25

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 25

When motivation is intrinsic, in that you gain pleasure from copying a behaviour. It can also be when we see a role model receiving a reward for a behaviour so we copy it to receive the same reward.

Question 26

What is a role model?

Answer 26

Someone we share similar characteristics with.

Question 27

What are the strengths of social learning theory?

Answer 27

There is a lot of evidence to support the theory. Bandura (1960s) found that the theory was correct with aggressive behaviour.

Observational learning is one of the main ways that children learn new behaviour and can explain this behaviour in the absence of reinforcement.

The theory can explain why some people exposed to criminality become criminals and others do not, we need motivation to repeat the behaviour.

Question 28

What are the weaknesses of social learning theory?

Answer 28

Despite experimental evidence that children learn aggressive behaviour from role models, studies can only measure short-term effects. We cannot ethically test whether exposure to aggression can have long term effects.

Some criminal cannot be explained by observational learning. It cannot explain opportunistic crime that hasn’t previously been witnesses, for example, murder is rarely witnessed in real life.

Question 29

What is recidivism?

Answer 29

When an offender is punished for their crime but reoffends.

Question 30

What is imprisonment?

Answer 30

When an offender is placed in a prison and dined civil liberties, such as freedom and privileges, for a period of time.

Question 31

What is the strengths of imprisonment?

Answer 31

It is based on the principles of operant conditioning, which demonstrates that positive punishment can be used to stop a behaviour occurring again. Prison also acts a deterrent for potential offenders so is a form of negative reinforcement.

It removes criminals from public life, so they do not have the opportunity to commit a crime as they are highly regulated in prison.

It keeps the public safe while the offender is locked away. It can be reassuring for the public and reinforces the moral view that crimes will be punished.

Question 32

What are the weaknesses of imprisonment?

Answer 32

Some people may commit a crime in order to be put into prison because they find stability , routine and friendship there. Prison could be positive reinforcement for them.

Prisoners are exposed to role models while serving their sentence.

25% of criminals reoffend after being released.

Prison raises ethical issues because civil liberties are removed.

Question 33

What is a community sentence?

Answer 33

When a criminal has to do community service rather than go to prison. It involves voluntary work or unpaid work in the community. They may also be given a curfew, be restricted to certain areas and report to a community offender manager.

Question 34

What are the strengths of community sentences?

Answer 34

It gives an offender a second chance to make up for their crime by giving back to the community.

Prevents a new offender going to prison where they may make criminal connections and get involved with more serious crime. Negative reinforcement as they have avoided prison.

Question 35

What are the weaknesses of community sentences?

Answer 35

Seen as a soft option and many offenders reoffend (>30%).

Offenders can still engage in criminal activity as they are not locked away from society.

> 10% don’t complete full sentence before breaking rules or committing more crimes.

Question 36

What is restorative justice?

Answer 36

The offender meets/communicates with the victim or the people they have harmed from their crime.

Question 37

What are the strengths of restorative justice?

Answer 37

It helps the victims move on from the event and the offender realise the negative effect of their actions on others.

Research has shown that criminals are less likely to offend when using restorative justice.

Question 38

What are the weaknesses of restorative justice?

Answer 38

It can cause distress to the victim and the offender.

The process of mediation involved can be time consuming and costly.