Deck 3: Psychology of Crime

Question 1

Cloward and Ohlin, in their book Delinquency and Opportunity, propose a ___________ theory of crime.

A)structural
B)subcultural
C)biological
D)psychoanalytic

Answer 1

structural

Question 2

How has the rate of serious crime changed in recent years?

A)It was decreasing for several years and then dropped substantially between 2008 and 2009.
B)It was decreasing for several years and then increased substantially between 2008 and 2009.
C)It has stayed at approximately the same level for the last 30 years.
D)It stayed at the same level for 20 years and then rose abruptly in the last 10 years.

Answer 2

It was decreasing for several years and then dropped substantially between 2008 and 2009.

Question 3

There have recently been a number of school shootings that have resulted in fatalities.Which of the following characteristics has not been noted as common to these offenders?

A)The offender had a lot of experience with firearms.
B)The offender was tormented by classmates.
C)The offender tortured and sometimes killed small animals.
D)The offender developed a detailed plan for the aggressive event.

Answer 3

The offender tortured and sometimes killed small animals.

Question 4

The idea that the punishment of criminals should be proportionate to the crime committed strongly influenced the

A) 5th Amendment.
B)1st Amendment.
C) 8th Amendment.
D)14th Amendment.

Question 5

According to Chapter 3, which of the following approaches may be a more productive way of resolving the issues of school violence and weapons?

A)profiling
B)metal detectors at schools
C)increased communication between students and administrators
D)a zero tolerance policy

Question 6

In a threat assessment, one must consider

A)the nature of the threat.
B)the response(s) that reduce the risk of harmful action.
C)the risk posed by a person.
D)all of the above

Question 7

As of 2002, juveniles were involved in approximately 8% of all

A)robberies.
B)sexual assaults.
C)aggravated assaults.
D)homicides.

Question 8

__________________ play a role in shaping the leading theories in criminology.

A)Political ideologies
B)Moral values
C)Empirical data
D)all of the above

Question 9

Jimmy and John, best friends, have just stolen some candy bars from a convenience store.Jimmy's brothers all have criminal records, and they encourage Jimmy to commit crimes as well.John, on the other hand, stole the candy to give to his destitute parents so they may eat.The sociological explanation for Jimmy's crime would be that this crime is caused by the _____ subtype, while _____ factors caused John's behavior.

A)social; structural
B)structural; subcultural
C)subcultural; social
D)subcultural; structural

Question 10

How has the rate of crimes committed by females changed in recent years?

A)It has decreased.
B)It has increased.
C)It has stayed at approximately the same level.
D)none of the above

Question 11

Women are most often arrested for

A)larceny and theft
B)theft and assault
C)assault and larceny
D)both A and B

Question 12

The positivist school of criminology focused on

A)rehabilitation for criminals.
B)punishing criminals.
C)removing criminals from society's mainstream.
D)understanding crime though the analysis of empirical data.

Question 13

According to Chapter 3, there is ______________ empirical evidence that sociological or biological theories independently predict criminal behavior.

A)strong
B)little
C)moderate
D)unquestionable

Question 14

Cloward and Ohlin's theory of _____________ assumes that those who grow up in lower socioeconomic subcultures still possess the conventional goals of the middle class.Since society denies them legal means of achieving these goals, they become frustrated and resort to committing crimes.

A)subcultural differences
B)differential opportunity
C)psychopathic personality
D)somatotypes

Question 15

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, what percentage of high school students carried a weapon to school in the month prior to being surveyed?

A)6%
B)15%
C)25%
D)40%

Question 16

Social-psychological theories of crime suggest that crime is

A)learned.
B)the result of genetic factors.
C)due to social and cultural forces.
D)none of the above

Question 17

Approximately what percentage of violent crime is committed by men?

A)55%
B)65%
C)75%
D)85%

Question 18

According to Chapter 3, juveniles are responsible for committing about _______ of violent crimes.

A)5%
B)16%
C)24%
D)42%

Question 19

Which of the following was mentioned in Chapter 3 as an approach professionals have taken in an effort to curb school shootings?

A)requiring school uniforms
B)restricting access to violent movies
C)increasing security at schools
D)all of the above

Question 20

Due to a recent increase of school shootings, one high school principal has decided to enlist a profiler to attempt to determine which students are at risk to commit a school shooting.The profiler provides the principal with a list of students said to be at risk.According to information presented in Chapter 3, which of the following is a potential problem with this procedure?

A)Low base rates can lead to overprediction.
B)High base rates can lead to overprediction.
C)Low base rates can lead to underprediction.
D)none of the above is a problem as profiling has not been used for school shootings

Question 21

One explanation for psychopathy is that psychopaths were raised in a dysfunctional family.Which of the following represents the implicated parental pattern(s)?

A)parents who are cold and distant
B)parents who are inconsistent in their use of rewards and punishments
C)parents who are overly punitive
D)both A and B

Question 22

Dysfunction in part of the nervous system has also been discussed as a possible correlate with criminal activity.Which of the following represents this finding?

A)Criminals show a lower level of autonomic arousal than noncriminals.
B)Criminals show a higher level of autonomic arousal than noncriminals.
C)Criminals show a lower level of somatic arousal than noncriminals.
D)Criminals show a higher level of somatic arousal than noncriminals.

Question 23

Samuel has committed several violent offenses and feels no remorse for what he has done.He finds his victims by deceiving them; he approaches a young woman and says he needs directions across town, and then leads her to his car.He then forces the woman into his car and later kills her.If we were to characterize Samuel's problem by claiming that he has a personality defect, which of the following best describes this condition?

A)anomie
B)low level of autonomic arousal
C)criminal thinking pattern
D)psychopathy

Question 24

The theory of focal concerns does not explain crime by

A)gangs.
B)those who are not socially disadvantaged.
C)shoplifters.
D)gamblers.

Question 25

Which of the following physiological factors have been stated as potentially leading to increased aggressiveness and delinquency?

A)high testosterone
B)increased secretion of insulin
C)low levels of serotonin
D)all of the above

Question 26

Raine et al.(1998) found that murderers, compared to normal controls, experienced

A)EKG abnormalities.
B)excessive activity in four brain structures.
C)unhappy childhoods.
D)inferior decision-making.

Question 27

Studies of twins that have calculated separate concordance rates for violent and non-violent crimes have found that

A)the influence of heredity appears equal for both types of crime.
B)the influence of heredity appears higher for violent as opposed to non- violent crimes.
C)the influence of heredity appears higher for non-violent as opposed to violent crimes.
D)none of the above (separate concordance rates have not been calculated)

Question 28

According to Chapter 3, which of the following is not a stated limitation of the theory of differential opportunity?

A)Crimes are often committed by those who are part of the lower class.
B)Some of the key terms in the theory, such as "aspiration," are not well defined.
C)There is no evidence that lower class versus upper class youth find limited success in school to be more frustrating.
D)There is no evidence to support the idea that those in the lower class want to be part of the middle class.

Question 29

If the monozygotic concordance rate is significantly higher than the dizygotic rate, one typically concludes that the behavior is

A)environmentally influenced.
B)genetically influenced.
C)influenced by both environment and genetics equally.
D)none of the above

Question 30

Yochelson and Samenow interviewed a small number of "hard-core" offenders and concluded that

A)criminals did not get their basic needs met when they were children.
B)rehabilitation would not work with "hard-core" offenders.
C)criminals think in a different way than noncriminals.
D)even "hard-core" criminals feel guilt-ridden after their crime.

Question 31

What percentage of psychopaths are men?

A)25%
B)50%
C)80%
D)99%

Question 32

According to Chapter 3, which of the following has been implicated as possibly inherited and in turn possibly responsible for criminal behavior?

A)EEG patterns
B)EKG patterns
C)EMG patterns
D)all of the above

Question 33

Adoption studies have suggested that

A)males with adoptive parents with criminal histories are more likely to have a criminal record.
B)males with biological parents with criminal histories are more likely to have a criminal record.
C)there is no difference between the criminal records of males with adoptive or biological parents with criminal histories.
D)None of the above.

Question 34

Which of the following represents the current status of Ted Bundy's case?

A)He is on death row, awaiting the results of an appeal.
B)He has escaped from prison.
C)All his appeals have been exhausted, and he is awaiting execution.
D)He was executed.

Question 35

Researchers have found that the complete absence of the activity of the enzyme _______________ coupled with a ________________ showed some form of antisocial behavior in 85% of individuals studied in New Zealand.

A)MAOA; history of maltreatment
B)MAOA; high serotonin levels
C)ANS; history of maltreatment
D)ANS; high serotonin levels

Question 36

What relationship have researchers found between intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and offending?

A)Offenders and nonoffenders have similar IQ scores.
B)Offenders have IQs that are about 8-10 points lower than nonoffenders.
C)Offenders have IQs that are about 7-9 points higher than nonoffenders.
D)none of the above

Question 37

According to Ted Bundy's statement to a TV interviewer, what caused his acts of violence?

A)a cold and impersonal mother
B)an absent father
C)pornography
D)a hereditary defect

Question 38

The theory of differential opportunity does not explain

A)crimes committed by people who have not been denied opportunities.
B)what determines adaptation to blocked opportunities.
C)Neither A nor B
D)Both A and B

Question 39

Which of the following has been cited as potentially causing psychopathic behavior?

A)a deficiency in the left hemisphere that impairs executive function
B)low autonomic arousal which generates a need for stimulation
C)faster brain waves than normals
D)both A and B

Question 40

Johnny is often restless and emotionally volatile.According to Eysenck's personality theory, Johnny is high on which dimension?

A)neuroticism
B)extroversion
C)psychotocism
D)mesomorphism

Question 41

Tommy is often spanked for misbehaving.Which theorist would point to this discipline as a model for later aggressive behavior?

A)Reckless
B)Lombroso
C)Freud
D)Bandura

Question 42

An ex-criminal, now on parole, returns to his life of crime because society treats him as a criminal.That is, as much as he wants to go straight, he is stigmatized by society as a criminal.This is an example of

A)a personality defect.
B)primary deviance.
C)secondary deviance.
D)social-learning theory.

Question 43

According to Wilson and Herrnstein (1985), an important personality factor is time discounting.Considering this concept, which type of person is most likely to take part in criminal behavior?

A)a person who watches a lot of media violence
B)an older person
C)a younger person
D)an impulsive person

Question 44

Hans Eysenck proposes that in order to keep people from displaying antisocial behavior, they need to develop a strong conscience.According to Eysenck, a conscience develops through

A)operant conditioning.
B)extroversion conditioning.
C)classical conditioning.
D)conscience conditioning.

Question 45

Franklin and his mother went out grocery shopping.When they were checking out, the grocery clerk inadvertently gave Franklin's mom too much change.When they got back to the car, Franklin's mom excitedly talked about how to use the extra money.According to Sutherland's differential association approach, Franklin has potentially now

A)acquired a procriminal definition.
B)learned to be ashamed of his mother.
C)acquired the motivation to give back the money in some other way.
D)determined how much his mother values money.

Question 46

According to social-learning theory, when people use tactics of self-exoneration, they are likely to

A)justify aggression by appealing to higher values.
B)blame the victim for what happened.
C)dehumanize the victims.
D)all of the above

Question 47

According to the differential association reinforcement theory, criminal behavior is acquired through

A)operant conditioning.
B)classical conditioning.
C)modeling.
D)both A and C

Question 48

Which of the following family interaction patterns is associated with later delinquency according to Patterson and his colleagues?

A)disciplinary techniques involving excessive nagging
B)lack of affection toward children
C)ineffective parental monitoring of a child's behavior
D)all of the above

Question 49

Walter Reckless' containment theory proposed that

A)criminal potential is contained in the genes.
B)social pressure and rules help to control the incidence of crime.
C)people of low intelligence cannot control their urges to commit crimes.
D)criminals commit crimes in order to be contained.

Question 50

Wilson and Herrnstein (1985) referred to a "net ratio of gain and losses for criminal and noncriminal behavior." What does this mean?

A)The process for predicting crime is additive.
B)If the ratio for committing a crime exceeds that for not committing it, the likelihood of the crime being committed increases.
C)When one commits a crime, someone inevitably gains and someone inevitably loses.
D)The gains and losses for criminal behavior usually outweigh the gains and losses for noncriminal behavior.

Question 51

Which of the following environmental cues or "instigators" are generally known to increase antisocial behavior?

A)others acting aggressively
B)the use of alcohol or other drugs
C)commands from authorities
D)all of the above

Question 52

According to Chapter 3, which of the following has been found to be associated with a higher likelihood of being an adult offender?

A)gastro-intestinal disorder
B)higher than average IQ
C)attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
D)hyperlexia

Question 53

The assumption that people will behave antisocially until they learn not to offend through a combination of inner and external constraints fits in which theory?

A)control
B)differential opportunity
C)structural
D)subcultural

Question 54

Eight-year-old Johnny watches a lot of television, and his favorite programs are very aggressive.What do researchers generally think will be the effect of this frequent viewing of televised violence?

A)There is no expected impact of viewing televised aggression.
B)Johnny will likely be less aggressive than those who watch fewer violent programs because Johnny is able to get out his aggression through this
Viewing.
C)Johnny will likely be more aggressive than those who watch fewer violent programs as TV violence does tend to increase aggression in
Children.
D)There is no consensus among researchers regarding the effects of viewing televised aggression.

Question 55

Every time Timmy shares his toys with his little brother his parents give him a cookie.Every time Timmy refuses to shares his toys his parents yell at him.After a while, Timmy always shares his toys with his little brother.This is an example of

A)operant learning.
B)classical conditioning.
C)stimulus learning.
D)containment.

Question 56

Which of the following is a true statement about the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) and its revised versions?

A)One of the advantages of the PCL is that with very little training, one can become proficient in its administration.
B)It only takes one rater to score the PCL.
C)The PCL is a self-report measure.
D)The PCL is a completely objective measure which makes scoring very easy.

Question 57

Seven-year-old Diane is a frequent viewer of violent television programs.One day she goes to visit her friend, Susan, and while there, she asks to watch one of her favorite programs.Susan runs downstairs to ask her mom if they can watch this (Susan's mom doesn't usually allow Susan to watch such violent programs).Susan's slightly older brother wants to watch something else on TV and when Susan asks for the TV remote, he starts hitting her.Susan is obviously hurt and cries for her mother.Based on what you know about research investigating the effects of viewing television violence, predict Diane's reaction.

A)Diane quickly runs to get Susan's mother.
B)Diane quickly provides Susan with first aid.
C)Diane doesn't seem to care about Susan and ignores her crying.
D)Predictions are not appropriate here as research has not addressed this kind of situation.

Question 58

Observational learning involves

A)attention to important features of modeled behavior.
B)retention of features of modeled behavior.
C)reproduction of observed behavior.
D)all of the above

Question 59

Bandura's book, Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis, emphasizes modeling of aggression in three contexts.Which one of the following is not one of the areas emphasized?

A)familial influences
B)subcultural influences
C)symbolic models
D)peer influences

Question 60

The link between violence in the mass media and violent behavior is addressed by

A)twin studies.
B)social-learning theory.
C)psychoanalytic theories.
D)anomie.

Question 61

Delinquency is often associated with poor school achievement.Grades in school
begin to predict delinquency around age 8.

Question 62

Over a period of 22 years, Huesmann, Eron and Yarmel (1987) measured aggression in a sample of males and females.They found that aggression levels began to crystallize around the age of ____________ and remained stable into adulthood.

A)5
B)8
C)12
D)15

Question 63

Poor social skills and lower verbal intelligence increase one's risk for antisocial behavior and criminal offending.

Question 64

Most law violators are psychopaths.

Question 65

Early emergence of ____________________ across multiple contexts may predict the development of antisocial personality disorder in adulthood.

A)conduct-disordered behavior
B)schizophrenia
C)substance use
D)both A and C

Question 66

Which of the following theories explains all kinds of criminal behavior?

A)social learning theory
B)Yochelson & Samenow's criminal thinking pattern theory
C)psychoanalytic theory
D)none of the above; no one theory explains all kinds of criminal behavior

Question 67

Which of the following can be considered an antecedent condition in an integration theory of crime?

A)poor social skills
B)impulsiveness
C)brain dysfunction
D)all of the above

Question 68

Secondary deviance refers to the criminal offending of children whose parents are also criminal offenders.

Question 69

The more delinquent friends one has, the more likely he or she is to engage in criminal behavior until at least the age of

A)30.
B)20.
C)25.
D)18.

Question 70

At least one study has shown that aggressive boys grow into men who are more likely to

A)abuse a spouse.
B)commit a serious offense.
C)drive while intoxicated.
D)all of the above

Question 71

Research suggests that genetic factors influence criminal behavior.

Question 72

Profiling students is problematic because it tends to underpredict who might commit
a shooting.

Question 73

Aggression in childhood predicts violence in adulthood.

Question 74

Researchers have found that early exposure to violence on television significantly predicts aggression in adulthood.

Question 75

Most of those who make implied or direct threats will go on to commit serious
violence.

Question 76

Positivists believe the punishment should fit the crime.