Psychological Explanations - Differential Association Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Psychological Explanations - Differential Association Deck (16)
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1
Q

Who was differential association proposed by

A

Proposed by Sutherland suggesting that offending behaviour could be explained entirely through social learning

2
Q

How many key principles are there

A

9

3
Q

1

A

Criminal behaviour is learnt

4
Q

2

A

It is learnt through association wirh others

5
Q

3

A

The association is with intimate personal groups

6
Q

4

A

What is learnt is techniques and attitudes

7
Q

5

A

The learning is directional - could be for or against crime

8
Q

6

A

If favourable attitudes outweighs unfavourable attitudes, that person will become an offender

9
Q

7

A

The learning experiences in vary in frequency and intensity for each individual

10
Q

8

A

Criminal behaviour is learnt though the same process as any other behaviour

11
Q

9

A

General need isn’t a sufficient explanation for crime

12
Q

4 evaluation points of differential association

A

Strength - changed people’s views ant origins of criminal behaviour
Strength - research support
Weakness - methodological issues
Weakness - absense of biological factors

13
Q

Elaboration of strength - changed people’s views about origins of criminal behaviour

A
  • shift from blaming individual factors to social factors
  • suggesting crime doesn’t have to be explained in terms of personality
  • important real world implications because learning environments can be changed
14
Q

Elaboration of strength - research support w

A
  • research support from Osborne and west
  • found that fathers with a criminal conviction, 40% of their sons have committed a crime by the age of 18
  • suggesting criminality appears to run in families suggesting they are a result of social learning
15
Q

Elaboration wseakness - methodological issues

A
  • based largely on correlational analysis and therefore not possible to determine cause and effect
  • offenders could seek our to other offenders and this would explain why offenders are likely ti have peers who are offenders
16
Q

Elaboration weakness - absence of biological factors

A
  • diagnosis stres model may offer a better account by combining social factors with vulnerability factors
  • predisposing factors may be innate genetic ones or early experiences such as maltreatment
  • social approach on its own may be insufficient