Social Psychological Explanations

Question 1

What is the central assumption of social psychological explanations and how does it explain criminal behaviour?

Answer 1

Behaviour is learnt from our interactions with other people in our environment therefore criminality is a learnt behaviour.

Question 2

What are the two explanations?

Answer 2

Social Learning Theory and Group Influence Theory

Question 3

According to Bandura how is criminal behaviour learnt?

Answer 3

Through direct, indirect and vicarious learning

Question 4

How can criminality be learned directly?

Answer 4

Through operant conditioning

Question 5

Give an example of how criminal behaviour can be learnt through direct learning (operant conditioning)

Answer 5

Obtaining goods for free for shoplifting. They will learn that this is something to be repeated in the future. However if they are punished by getting a fine then they will learn that this is something to be avoided in the future.

Question 6

Define indirect learning

Answer 6

a.k.a social learning
Individuals learn via observation and imitation

Question 7

What are the three characteristics of role models

Answer 7

Similar (e.g same gender,)
Powerful
Nurturing

Question 8

What did Bandura say about role models

Answer 8

Criminality is learnt by observing and imitating role models. Role models who are seen as powerful, nurturing and similar are more effective in shaping the behaviour of others.

Question 9

Give an example how criminality can be learnt through role models.

Answer 9

if a person’s parents’ are thieves then the individual is more likely to imitate this type of criminal behaviour because parents as models have all three characteristics

Question 10

What is vicarious learning

Answer 10

Combines social learning and operant conditioning. An individual learns via the consequences of their role model’s behaviour.

Question 11

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 11

Occurs when the role model is rewarded for their behaviour and copied by the observer.

Question 12

Vicarious punishment

Answer 12

Occurs when the role model is punished for their behaviour and then avoided by the observer.

Question 13

How is vicarious learning used in society?

Answer 13

Through the broadcast of criminal trials and their outcomes. It is used as a deterrent for criminals and wider society.

Question 14

List Bandura’s 4 stages of observational learning

Answer 14

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Reproduction
4. Motivation

Question 15

Define Attention

Answer 15

An individual’s ability to concentrate on a particular behaviour performed by someone else and to take in all the details of the event/behaviour observed and process them fully.

Question 16

How can attention be applied to criminal behaviour

Answer 16

watching the actions of the model as they are stealing a car

Question 17

List the factors that will increase the probability of attention being paid

Answer 17

• distinctiveness
• complexity
  -level of arousal
  -affective value
  -functional value

Question 18

Define Retention

Answer 18

a person’s ability to store information about a behaviour in memory so it can be recalled at a later date. Thus, what we have seen needs to be encoded so that motor movements are stored semantically.

Question 19

How can retention be applied to criminal behaviour?

Answer 19

Encoding the breaking of a lock and jump starting the car

Question 20

Define reproduction

Answer 20

the individual’s ability to imitate the observed behaviour. An observed behaviour may need to be practiced before it is put into action fully.

Question 21

How can reproduction be applied to criminal behaviour?

Answer 21

Practice hot wiring a car breaking into cars and identifying the right cars to steal.

Question 22

Define motivation

Answer 22

The person needs to have a good reason to watch, retain and repeat the observed behaviour (required in all stages.)

Question 23

Supporting Evidence (Social Learning Theory): What did Bandura, Ross and Ross find in 1961 about children who watched an adult model behaving aggressively towards a bobo doll?

Answer 23

they were more likely to behave aggressively towards the doll than children who had seen the model acting non-aggressively or those who didn’t see the model at all. This supports that crime can be learnt indirectly via observation and imitation

Question 24

Supporting Evidence Social Learning Theory: What evidence shows that characteristics of criminal (similarity) influence the level of modelling that occurs?

Answer 24

Bandura, Ross and Ross 1961

• found that children are more likely to copy the behaviour of a model who was the same sex as themselves.

Question 25

Supporting Evidence Social Learning Theory: What evidence supports vicarious learning

Answer 25

Bandura and Walters in 1963 Found that children were more likely to imitate a model who they had seen being rewarded for their aggressive behaviour towards the bobo doll rather than models they had seen being punished.

Question 26

Alternative Evidence Social Learning Theory: Raine 1993 Bio explanation

Answer 26

-key neurological differences in the brain of murderers and control participants -lower activity and left lambic structures in murderers -confirms that emotions are being expressed by left limbic system are operating without being fully controlled by either frontal lobe or right limbic system

Question 27

Alternative Evidence Social Learning Theory: Issues of validity in supporting evidence

Answer 27

-conducted only on children (population validity -ecological validity (conducted in labs) -carried out by same researcher (bias) weakens internal validity

Question 28

Alternative Evidence Social Learning Theory: Kubrin 2009 cognitive explanation

Answer 28

-offenders frequently cited cognitive factors related to the costs and benefits of offending 1. Expected payoff 2. Perceived ability to avoid detection 3. Capacity to get what they want legally vs illegally Shows that SLT is oversimplified and cognitive factors can be cause of crime.

Question 29

Usefulness: Discuss the useful applications of modelling programmes

Answer 29

O Donnell and Williams (2013) have shown that young offenders who underwent a modelling programme were less likely to reoffend as adults compared to those who did not engage in the programme.

Question 30

Usefulness: Not useful modelling programmes

Answer 30

Adult criminals are less responsive to a modelling programmes than young ones as they find programmes patronising. Shows that other forms of treatment are needed to help reduce adult offending.

Question 31

Usefulness: What are modelling programmes?

Answer 31

A programme that incorporates social learning as young offenders are partnered with an adult model who shows and encourages desirable behaviour and operant conditioning as the young offender receives a monetary reward when targets are met.

Question 32

Determinism Social Learning Theory

Answer 32

-criticised for being deterministic as it views a criminal’;s behaviour as learnt (environmental determinism) -overlooks role of free will and how criminal can make rational and conscious decisions about their criminality -implicates that criminals should be treated rather than punished -contrary to UK’s method where 90% of offenders receive prison sentence of fine as a form of punishment.

Question 33

What did Phillips in 1986 find?

Answer 33

Murder rates in the USA almost always increase in the days and weeks following a televised boxing match. -suggests people observed aggressive behaviour and imitated them and SLT applies to adults as well as children.

Question 34

According to Group Influence Theory how is criminal behaviour created and maintained?

Answer 34

Through the involvement with groups as a result of two processes 1. Peer Pressure 2. Deindividuation

Question 35

Why does peer pressure occur?

Answer 35

every group has it’s own values and norms that shapes it’s own thoughts and behaviour and by belonging to a group we become subject to 2 possible influences conformity and obedience.

Question 36

When does conformity occur?

Answer 36

occurs when we choose to change our thoughts or behaviour to match the group in order to be liked and accepted

Question 37

How can conformity lead to criminal behaviour?

Answer 37

if members of a group hold criminal values and norms a person will conform to these by changing their thoughts and behaviours to become a criminal themselves to be liked and accepted (view criminal behaviour as a normal and accepted behaviour.)

Question 38

What is obedience?

Answer 38

When we obey a direct request from an authority figure

Question 39

Discuss the evidence linked to obedience and criminality

Answer 39

Carlson 2010 -obedience within a criminal gang can occur through initiation rites when new members have to perform a criminal act to become a member -obedience is strengthened when there are sanctions for disobedience e.g being ostracised, threatened, blackmailed

Question 40

Through conformity and obedience what do peer groups act as?

Answer 40

Agents of socialisation, encouraging group cohesion and inclusion through shared cognitions, language, symbols and behaviour

Question 41

What evidence describes deindividuation?

Answer 41

Le Bon 1895 proposed that when we become part of a crowd we become anonymous and therefore more suggestible; a collective crowd mind forms through a sort of contagion.

Question 42

When we are alone what are we likely to base our decisions on?

Answer 42

Personal values but crowd mind overpowers individual minds making it unanimous emotional, intellectually weak and impulsive.

Question 43

Why are individuals disinhibited and what does this lead to

Answer 43

They do not fear being negatively judged by the crowd so this all leads to people towards criminal and aggressive acts when part of a crowd that they would never perform if alone.

Question 44

What can deindividuation be increased by?

Answer 44

Any factor that aids anonymity or suggestibility such as wearing uniform or being under the influence of drugs/alcohol

Question 45

What did Zimbardo find in 1969?

Answer 45

groups of female undergraduates who wore lab coats and pillow case hoods (been deindividuated) shocked a confederate for x2 as long than female undergraduates who wore their own clothes (own clothes and name tag)

Question 46

What crimes is deindividuation used to explain?

Answer 46

-genocide -hooliganism -lynching -gang rape

Question 47

Supporting Evidence (Deindividuation): What evidence did Lantz in 2018 find?

Answer 47

-collected data from National Incident-Based Reporting System and found that offences committed by groups of offenders are more severe in nature and outcome than offences committed by a single offender. -As the size of the co-offending group increases the likelihood of offence severity increases -supports the concept of peer group theory and shows negative effects of peer groups on criminal behaviour

Question 48

Supporting Evidence (Deindividuation) How can groups advocate positive behaviour?

Answer 48

- being in a group does not always lead to criminal behaviour if the group advocates pro-social behaviours like care and compassion they will be unlikely to engage in crime alone or in the group.

Question 49

Alternative Evidence Deindividuation: What did Raine find in 1993?

Answer 49

Key neurological differences in the brain of murderers Lower activity in frontal lobe and left limbic structures and higher activity in right limbic structures. -confirms that emotions expressed by left limbic system are operating without being fully controlled by either frontal lobe or right limbic system -suggests that peer group theory of crime is oversimplified as bio factors can also be cause of crime

Question 50

Usefulness: Discuss usefulness of deindividuation

Answer 50

-explain unexplainable crimes such as genocide in WW11 -police also use knowledge of the power of deindividuation to manage demonstrations to reduce the risks of rioting occurring -2015 UK Supreme Court granted judicial approval for the mass surveillance of UK protests with the aim of detecting and preventing crime.

Question 51

Conclusion