Deck 7: Social Process Theory

Question 1

Social process criminologists focus on socialization rather than the environment when explaining crime.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Research affirms Hirschi's contention that delinquents are detached loners whose bonds to friends have been broken.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Sutherland's research on crime led him to dispute the notion that crime was a function of the inherent inadequacy of people in the lower classes.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The family-crime relationship is significant across racial, ethnic, and gender lines.

Question 5

The totality of research on the effect of dropping out of high school indicates one fact-high school dropouts face a significant chance of entering a criminal career.

Question 6

The stronger a person's commitment to conventional institutions, individuals, and processes, the less likely they are to commit crime.

Question 7

Research indicates that people who are labeled with one positive trait are assumed to have other positive traits.

Question 8

What separates social learning theory from social control and social reaction theories is that social learning theory fails to recognize that criminal activity can be reversed and criminals can be turned around by proper socialization and interactions.

Question 9

Social control theory suggests that people can only learn techniques and attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers.

Question 10

Religious participation seems to be a more significant inhibitor of crime than merely having religious beliefs and values.

Question 11

According to learning theories, even corporate executives may be exposed to procriminal definitions and learn to neutralize moral constraints.

Question 12

Research has failed to find a correlation between being the target of abuse at a young age and subsequent episodes of delinquency and violence as one ages.

Question 13

According to the U.S. Department of Education, minority students, especially boys, face much harsher discipline in public schools than other students.

Question 14

Primary deviance involves resocialization into a deviant role and produces a deviance amplification effect.

Question 15

Differential association theory holds that people learn criminal attitudes and behavior during their adolescence from close, trusted friends or relatives.

Question 16

The delinquent peer-crime relationship does not apply to popular kids because they are too busy to commit crime.

Question 17

The correlation between crime perpetration and poor education is well established. Due to national dropout rates increasing by nearly 25 percent over the last seven years, criminologists predict an epic increase in criminal activity over the next decade.

Question 18

A major premise of social reaction theory is that the law is differentially constructed and applied, depending on the offenders.

Question 19

While there is a link between criminal offending and family relations, there is no research which supports family dysfunction leading children to have long-term social problems.

Question 20

Anyone can turn to antisocial behavior if their socialization is damaging and/or destructive and is not solely a lower-class phenomenon.

Question 21

Restitution sentences can be used to keep offenders in the community while having to pay back society for their crimes.

Question 22

Empirical evidence fails to support ​the view that labeling plays a significant role in persistent offending.

Question 23

Adolescents who do not receive affection from their parents during childhood are ______.

A) more likely to be depressed and suicidal as they mature
B) more likely to use illicit drugs and be more aggressive as they mature
C) more likely to suffer mental impairment as they mature
D) more likely to engage in violent crime as they mature

Question 24

According to the author, which of the following is accurate regarding why troubled kids choose delinquent peers?

A) Troubled kids do so because they are not involved in after-school activities.
B) Troubled kids do so because they fail to understand truancy and delinquency laws.
C) Troubled kids do so out of necessity rather than desire.
D) Troubled kids are biologically drawn or attracted to troublemakers.

Question 25

A major premise of social reaction theory is that the law is differentially applied, ​depending solely on the race of the victim.

Question 26

Labels are bestowed in a biased way, which means the poor and minority groups are more likely than others to receive negative levels.

Question 27

Programs based on social reaction theory attempt to shield people from criminal labels by diverting them from the system in order to avoid stigma.

Question 28

The public policy effects of social process theories have been felt mainly by young offenders who are viewed as being more savable than hardened criminals.

Question 29

All of the following family factors are associated with delinquency except ______.

A) inconsistent discipline
B) poor parental supervision
C) noncoercive parenting
D) drug abusing parents

Question 30

Labels amplify deviant behavior rather than deterring people from future criminality.

Question 31

Social reaction theory suggests that ______.

A) crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken
B) only males have significant potential to become criminals
C) crime is a learned behavior
D) people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such

Question 32

According to labeling theory, stigma helps lock people into deviant careers.

Question 33

Social process theories share one basic concept. Which is it?

A) All people, regardless of their race, class, or gender, are basically good.
B) All people, regardless of their race, class, or gender, have the potential to become delinquents or criminals.
C) Criminal behavior is genetic, regardless of race, class, or gender.
D) Lower-class people, regardless of race or gender, are more prone to commit crime.

Question 34

The major drawback of diversion programs is that by law they can only be applied to those under the age of 18 and for nonserious crimes.
​

Question 35

Social process theories have had a major influence on public policy initiatives over the last 60+ years.

Question 36

Social control theory suggests that ______.

A) crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken
B) only males have significant potential to become criminals
C) crime is a learned behavior
D) people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such

Question 37

_________ refers to a style of parenting with parents who are supportive and who effectively control their children in a noncoercive way.

A) Parent pathology
B) Low frequency parenting
C) Parental efficacy
D) Low coercion parenting

Question 38

Despite the good intentions, stigma-reducing programs have not met with great success.

Question 39

According to research, labeling often comes after, rather than before, chronic offending.

Question 40

Children who fail in school offend more frequently than those who graduate. According to research on national dropout rates, which of the following group sets has "little more than a fifty-fifty chance" of graduating high school?

A) White Americans and Italian Americans
B) Hispanic Americans and African Americans
C) Asian Americans and Italian Americans
D) Native Americans and white Americans

Question 41

When examining the relationship between delinquent peers and fear of punishment, ____ delinquent peers may outweigh the fear of punishment.

A) loyalty to
B) fear of
C) hostility from
D) skills learned from

Question 42

Which of the following statements does not reflect labeling theory?

A) Labeling theory identifies the role played by social agents in crime causation.
B) Labeling theory recognizes that criminality is a disease or a pathological behavior.
C) Labeling theory distinguishes between criminal acts and criminal careers.
D) Labeling theory focuses attention on the social interactions and reactions that shape individuals and their behavior.

Question 43

A competency hearing in which a person is declared "mentally ill," or a trial where someone in found to be a "rapist" are forms of __________, according to Harold Garfinkle.

A) successful demonizing rituals
B) successful shame rituals
C) successful stigmatizing ceremonies
D) successful degradation ceremonies

Question 44

Travis Hirschi states that the social bonds a person maintains with society are divided into four main elements. Which of the following is not one of these elements?

A) Attachment
B) Commitment
C) Affection
D) Involvement

Question 45

Religion and belief impact criminal behavior. Even children in high crime areas are better able to resist drug use if they ______.

A) attend self-esteem building programs
B) attend religious services
C) have religious beliefs
D) have parents with religious beliefs

Question 46

Which of the following is not a criticism of differential association theory?

A) Differential association theory fails to account for the origin of criminal definitions.
B) Differential association theory assumes criminal and delinquent acts to be rational and systematic.
C) Differential association theory can account for isolated, psychopathic killing.
D) Differential association theory ignores spontaneous acts of violence.

Question 47

__________ is a process whereby secondary deviance pushes offenders out of the mainstream of society and offenders begin their escalating cycle of deviance.

A) Reactive stigmata
B) Differential morality
C) Retrospective association
D) Deviance amplification

Question 48

Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory states that ______.

A) criminal behavior is a product of impaired social bonds
B) criminal behavior is learned like any other behavior
C) criminal behavior is a function of educational inequality within the lower class
D) criminal behavior is a function of media exposure

Question 49

According to Lemert, __________ involves norm violations or crimes that have little influence on the actor and, therefore, can be quickly forgotten.

A) primary deviance
B) secondary deviance
C) all criminal behavior
D) a moral lapse

Question 50

The boyhood friend of a convicted murderer is interviewed by the media and reports that the offender was withdrawn, suspicious, and negativistic as a youth. This is an example of ______.

A) introspective reading
B) retrospective reading
C) enhanced reading
D) reflective reading

Question 51

Neutralization theory points out that ______.

A) criminal behavior is learned in much the same way that conformity is learned
B) even the most committed criminals and delinquents are not involved in criminality all the time
C) criminality is a product of weak self-concept and poor self-esteem
D) law is differentially applied, benefiting those who hold economic and social power and penalizing the powerless

Question 52

Which of the following issues has been raised regarding the validity of social control theory?

A) Delinquency may lead to weakened social bonds, not vice versa.
B) Social control theory has never been empirically tested.
C) Social control theory applies primarily to lower-class youth and does not explain the criminal behavior of middle- and upper-class youth.
D) Social control theory relies too heavily on social relationships that are difficult to measure.

Question 53

Criminals sometimes neutralize wrongdoings by "appealing to higher loyalties." Which of the following would be an example of that technique?

A) Vandalizing the home of a disliked neighbor
B) Attacking someone who is arguing with a friend
C) Stealing from a large department store that "has plenty of money"
D) Blaming the police for being unfair

Question 54

Criminals sometimes neutralize wrongdoings by maintaining that the crime victim "had it coming." This is an example of which technique of neutralization?

A) Denial of injury
B) Denial of the victim
C) Appeal to higher loyalties
D) Denial of responsibility

Question 55

Do criminals really neutralize? What does Topalli's research on street criminals indicate?

A) Street criminals frequently respect and admire honest, law-abiding persons.
B) Street criminals do not experience guilt that requires neutralization.
C) Street criminals experience guilt and shame that require neutralization.
D) Street criminals are often embarrassed about showing pride in their criminal accomplishments.

Question 56

Which of the following research findings supports the core principles of differential association theory?

A) Criminal and delinquent acts are rational and systematic.
B) Differential association accounts for spontaneous acts of violence.
C) Differential association theory involves circular reasoning.
D) Crime appears to be intergenerational.

Question 57

In its purest form, __________ theory argues that even crimes such as murder, rape, and assault are only bad or evil because people label them as such.

A) social control
B) social reaction
C) social structure
D) social process

Question 58

The process of _____ refers to moving in and out of delinquency or shifting between conventional and deviant values.

A) transfer
B) waft
C) drift
D) sway

Question 59

Which of the following is not one of the major principles of differential association?

A) Criminal behavior is learned.
B) Learning criminal behavior involves assimilating techniques.
C) Differential associations may vary in meaning, reliability, and intention.
D) A person becomes a criminal when he or she perceives more favorable than unfavorable consequences to violating the law.

Question 60

Travis Hirschi tested the principal hypotheses of social control theory. While evidence was strong and supportive, what is the most controversial aspect of Hirschi's conclusions?

A) Youths who are strongly attached to parents were less likely to commit crime.
B) Youths who were involved in conventional activities were less likely to engage in criminal behavior.
C) Youths who maintained weak, distant relationships with people tended toward delinquency.
D) Any form of social attachment is beneficial, even to deviant peers and parents.

Question 61

Sykes and Matza's writings on ___________________ help describe how and why people justify their criminal behavior into more conventional values and attitudes of law-abiding society.
​

Question 62

According to Techniques of Neutralization theory, ______________ views the word as a corrupt place with a dog-eat-dog code because everybody involved is on the take.

Question 63

Programs of rehabilitation ​that remove offenders from the normal channels of the criminal justice process, thus avoiding the stigma of a criminal label.

A) Diversion programs
B) Acceleration programs
C) Diffusion programs
D) Regeneration programs

Question 64

The process of becoming stigmatized by crime labels is interactive. Labeling theorists blame the establishment of criminal careers on ______.

A) parents
B) crime control agencies
C) teachers
D) the criminals themselves

Question 65

___________________ describes the ability of parents to be supportive of their children and effectively control them in noncoercive ways.

Question 66

First proposed by Akers in collaboration with Burgess in the 1960s, _________________ theory is a version of social learning theory that employs both differential association concepts and elements of psychological learning theory.

Question 67

_________________ results from the exposure to opposing norms, attitudes, and definitions of right and wrong, moral and immoral.

Question 68

Tom, Dick, and Harry are three teens from the Columbus, OH area. Using the information below, answer the following questions. The three boys got in trouble for skipping school and for possession of stolen goods. They told their parents that they didn't want to steal the items but their friends were doing it and they felt they needed to support their friends. This would most likely be explained by which subcomponent of techniques of neutralization?

A) Appeal to higher loyalty
B) Denial of victim
C) ​Denial of responsibility
D) Condemnation of the condemners

Question 69

According to Techniques of Neutralization theory, _________________ refers to novice criminals who ​are caught up between supporting their peer groups while abiding by the rules of society.

Question 70

___________________ theory views that people commit crime when their social learning leads them to perceive more definitions favoring crime than favoring conventional behavior.

Question 71

After being kicked out of school, Tom and Dick decide to vandalize the property of the teacher who turned them. The boys were heard saying "had it coming," and deserved the actions based on what he had done to them. According to Techniques of Neutralization theory, which of the subcomponents of the theory best fits this example?

A) Denial of victim
B) ​Denial of responsibility
C) Denial of injury
D) Appeal to higher loyalties

Question 72

______________________ is a form of deviance or crime that has little or no long-term influence on the violator.

Question 73

_______________ theory holds that people become criminal when significant members of society brand them as such and they these brands as part of their personal identity.

Question 74

____________________ theory holds that everyone has the potential to become criminal, but most people are controlled by their bonds to society.

Question 75

A strong moral sense which renders a person incapable of harming others or violating social norms is referred to as _____________________.

Question 76

Tom, Dick, and Harry, rather than facing a juvenile sentence, were forced to repair the harm done toward the teacher by painting over the vandalism and paying the costs for any damaged property. This is an example of ______.

A) Restitution
B) Differential reinforcement
C) Racial profiling
D) Retrospective reading

Question 77

The movement in and out of delinquency, shifting between conventional and deviant values is referred to as ____________________.​

Question 78

_______________ theory refers to the view that criminality is a function of people's interactions with various organizations, institutions, and practices in society.

Question 79

______________________ refers to the reassessment of a person's past to fit a current generalized label.

Question 80

_____________ theory explains the view that people acquire the techniques and attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers.