Lesson 7 – Differential Association Theory

Question 1

What is the differential association theory?

Answer 1

Explanation of offending- proposes that offending depends on norms/values of offender’s social group … offending ⬆️ likely to occur when social group values deviant 🏃‍♂️

Question 2

Who came up with the differential association theory?

Answer 2

Sutherland (1924)

Question 4

How many ways can you learn criminality or anything for that matter?

Answer 4

4

Question 5

What did Sutherland suggest in 1924?

Answer 5

Sutherland (1924)- argues that if no. of pro-criminal attitudes that person comes into contact with out-weigh no. of anti- criminal attitudes then they become an offender

Question 6

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 6

Learning through observation 👀 of consequences of actions of other people

Question 8

What is direct reinforcement?

Answer 8

Direct reinforcement occurs when you perform certain 🏃‍♂️ and are rewarded (➕ reinforcement) OR it -> removal or avoidance of something unpleasant (➖ reinforcement)

Question 9

What is direct tuition?

Answer 9

Teaching young 👶 how to behave by reinforcing “appropriate” 🏃‍♂️ and by punishing or otherwise discouraging “inappropriate” 🏃‍♂️

Question 10

What is imitation?

Answer 10

Copying another person 👨 👩 or animal 🦒 🦓 🦔

Question 11

How can criminality, or anything for that matter, be learned?

Answer 11

Learning can occur through:

1) Imitation
2) Vicarious reinforcement
3) Direct reinforcement
4) Direct tuition from criminal peers

Question 14

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 14

Operant conditioning- learning from consequences of 🏃‍♂️

Question 15

When looking at operant conditioning define what the following terms mean?

1) Positive
2) Negative
3) Reinforcement
4) Punishment

Answer 15

1) Positive- ADDING ➕ something GOOD 👍 OR BAD 👎
2) Negative- REMOVING ➖ something GOOD 👍 OR BAD
3) Reinforcement- ALWAYS ⬆️ 🏃‍♂️
4) Punishment- ALWAYS ⬇️ 🏃‍♂️

Question 16

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 16

Doing a certain 🏃‍♂️-> ➕ 👍 outcome-> doing 🏃‍♂️ again in future

Question 17

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 17

Doing a certain 🏃‍♂️-> ➖ 👎 outcome-> doing 🏃‍♂️ again in future

Question 18

What is positive punishment?

Answer 18

Doing a certain 🏃‍♂️-> ➕ 👎 outcome-> ✖️ doing 🏃‍♂️ again in future

Question 19

What is negative punishment?

Answer 19

Doing a certain 🏃‍♂️-> ➖ 👍 outcome-> ✖️ doing 🏃‍♂️ again in future

Question 22

Can criminality be predicted using differential association?

Answer 22

Differential association suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that someone will commit crime- if we have knowledge of frequency, intensity and duration of exposure to criminal and anti-criminal norms and values

Question 23

What else may an individual learn apart from pro-criminal attitudes from a pro-criminal social group?

Answer 23

Learn particular techniques for committing crime e.g. picking locks 🔐, hot wire a car 🚗 etc … explains how crime can spread among specific social groups and communities

Question 24

What are the evaluation points of the differential association theory?

Answer 24

👍- accounts for crime within all sectors of society- Sutherland (1924) recognised some types of crime e.g. burglary clustered within inner-city (working class communities) AND also that white collar (corporate) crimes most prevalent among affluent groups (middle-class social groups)
👍- Sutherland moved emphasis away from early biological 🌱 explanations of crime (i.e. Lombroso- atavistic form)- saw offending being product of individual weakness or immorality- Differential association theory draws attention to role  of dysfunctional social circumstances and environments in criminality
ALSO Differential association theory offers ⬆️ desirable and realistic solution to offending 🏃‍♂️ than biological 🌱 solution (eugenics) or morality solution (punishment)
👎- BUT difficult to test scientifically🧪- most supporting evidence is correlational (... ✖️ demonstrate cause and effect)- how can pro-crime attitudes a person been exposed to be measured?- ALSO theory built on assumption that offending 🏃‍♂️ occurs when pro-criminal values outnumber anti-criminal ones BUT without being able to measure these values- difficult to know at what point urge to offend triggers criminal career
👎- ✖️ everyone exposed to criminal influences goes on to commit crime- danger that theory could stereotype individuals who come from impoverished, crime-ridden backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal’- ... theory ignores ppl’s free will- INSTEAD offenders may seek out ppl with criminal values rather than being passively influenced by them

Question 25

What does Sutherland (1924) justify by the idea that individuals learn techniques from social groups?

Answer 25

Sutherland (1924)- why so many convicts released from prison reoffend- reasonable to assume that whilst in prison inmates learn specific offending from ⬆️ experienced criminals- put into practice upon release