Deck 5: Sociological Theories of Delinquency

Question 1

In Germany, Tönnies compared close-knit rural communities or _____ to the impersonal mass society of urban communities or _____.

A) Gesellschaft; Gemeinschaft
B) Schadenfreude; Zeitgeist
C) Gemeinschaft; Gesellschaft
D) Quellenforschung; Gesellschaft

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Burgess theorized that cities develop in _____, growing toward outer areas.

A) concentric circles
B) squares
C) golden rectangles
D) sine waves

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Shaw and McKay hypothesized that delinquency rates would be higher in unstable zones and lower in stable zones, stating that:

A) Weak or non-existent traditional social controls allow different systems of values to develop.
B) The traditional social controls that worked in primitive societies and rural communities have been weakened, especially in large cities, by urban growth and the increase in transportation and communication.
C) The city's freedom and tolerance, emphasis on anonymity, and economic values makes it easier for people to use unconventional methods to improve their status.
D) all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Sampson and Wilson introduced _____ into Shaw and McKay's thesis.

A) age
B) sex
C) race
D) gender

Question 5

This is a group's shared belief of the extent to which it can successfully complete a task.

A) operant conditioning
B) differential reinforcement
C) collective efficacy
D) anomie

Question 6

This is a condition in which the majority of a given society's citizens respect the law and are committed to social order.

A) collective efficacy
B) anomie
C) social cohesion
D) all of the above

Question 7

According to _____ theory, crime is learned from others, especially family members and delinquent peers.

A) strain
B) social learning
C) neutralization
D) differential association

Question 8

Which is not one of Sutherland's nine propositions?

A) Criminal behavior is learned.
B) Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.
C) Criminal behavior is explained by general needs and values.
D) The principle part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.

Question 9

Sutherland argues that the difference between lawbreaking and law-abiding behavior is affected by four factors. Which is not one of these?

A) precedence
B) frequency
C) duration
D) intensity

Question 10

According to this theory, people learn behaviors by watching other people, and mimicking interactions that are rewarded and avoiding those that are punished.

A) collective efficacy
B) social learning
C) neutralization
D) differential association

Question 11

This is a form of conditioning based on learning from the positive or negative consequences of an action.

A) actual conditioning
B) primary conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) secondary conditioning

Question 12

This field of psychology focuses on the study of behavior that is observed.

A) operant conditioning
B) collective efficacy
C) behaviorism
D) anomie

Question 13

This is the rewarding of one behavior and not another or the rewarding of one behavior and punishment of another.

A) negative reinforcement
B) differential association
C) behaviorism
D) differential reinforcement

Question 14

This is the avoidance of painful or stressful conditions or events.

A) differential reinforcement
B) operant conditioning
C) negative reinforcement
D) anomie

Question 15

What is one reason that social learning theory has remained a popular explanation for crime, delinquency, and deviant behavior?

A) It has withstood the rigors of empirical testing.
B) It does not explain delinquency as well as other theories.
C) It offers few policy implications.
D) Few programs use behavior-modification techniques that reward the good behavior of inmates or delinquents.

Question 16

According to Akers, _____ are the value judgments that juvenile delinquents apply to their antisocial behavior.

A) differential reinforcements
B) imitations
C) definitions
D) all of the above

Question 17

Sykes and Matza developed this theory to explain how youths who don't approve of delinquency are able to justify their deviant conduct.

A) primary deviance
B) operant conditioning
C) techniques of neutralization
D) negative reinforcement

Question 18

According to Sykes and Matza, individuals employ this to mitigate their unlawful behaviors in two ways: by claiming the offense was an accident and by asserting that his or her actions were caused by an outside force.

A) denial of injury
B) denial of victim
C) condemnation of condemners
D) denial of responsibility

Question 19

This is personal anxiety or isolation produced by rapidly shifting moral values.

A) anomie
B) depression
C) denial
D) immorality

Question 20

Some juvenile delinquents attempt to excuse their actions by claiming that the injured party doesn't deserve true victim status. What is this called?

A) denial of victim
B) condemnation of condemners
C) appeal to higher loyalties
D) denial of injury

Question 21

This theory refers to the personal strain and anger caused by being excluded from economic rewards.

A) strain
B) labeling
C) differential association
D) differential reinforcement

Question 22

Merton divided social norms into which two types of concerns?

A) deviance and non-deviance
B) success and wealth
C) crime and punishment
D) goals and means

Question 23

Which is not one of Merton's five modes of adaptation?

A) innovation
B) conformity
C) novelty
D) rebellion

Question 24

According to Reiss, which is one of the three aspects of social control that interact with personality to result in delinquency?

A) strict social rules provided by important social groups
B) a breakdown in internal controls
C) too many internal controls developed during childhood
D) all of the above are correct

Question 25

Agnew considers crime and delinquency as adaptations to _____.

A) boredom
B) fear
C) stress
D) all of the above

Question 26

Instead of asking why people break the law, _____ asks why don't we all break the law?

A) social control theory
B) differential association theory
C) anomie
D) strain theory

Question 27

This theory of Hirschi's states that individuals are bonded to conventional society and institutions to varying degrees.

A) differential reinforcement
B) labeling
C) strain
D) social control

Question 28

Which is not one of the four dimensions of Hirschi's social bond?

A) detachment
B) belief
C) involvement
D) commitment

Question 29

According to Cohen, youths are judged according to a _____ that is difficult for lower-class youths to attain.

A) lower-class measuring rod
B) middle-class measuring rod
C) upper-class measuring rod
D) none of the above

Question 30

Which is not one of Cloward and Ohlin's three delinquent subcultures?

A) the conflict pattern
B) the criminal pattern
C) the retreatist pattern
D) All of the above are delinquent subcultures.

Question 31

According to Cohen, which is not one of the nine norms essential to being middle-class?

A) ambition
B) achievement
C) toughness
D) rationality

Question 32

These theories consider not only the behavior of people but also how that behavior is influenced by the reactions of others.

A) criminal reaction
B) social reaction
C) operant reaction
D) psychological reaction

Question 33

This theory describes how a tag applied by society can affect an individual's self-perception and behavior.

A) strain
B) containment
C) focal concerns
D) labeling

Question 34

According to labeling theory, _____ deviance has a long-lasting effect on an individual's psychology.

A) first
B) secondary
C) primary
D) second

Question 35

This is concerned with applying a mark or stigma on disgraced individuals.

A) torture
B) branding
C) shaming
D) none of the above

Question 36

At the turn of the 20th century, North America saw little social change as a result of the Industrial Revolution.

Question 37

Shaw and McKay hypothesized that delinquency rates would be higher in unstable zones and lower in stable zones.

Question 38

Not all youths turn to delinquency because they have delinquent friends.

Question 39

Reckless stated that those who possess tolerance for frustration, healthy self-esteem, a sense of responsibility, and self-control were psychologically able to resist delinquency.

Question 40

Sutherland states that antisocial behavior and law-abiding behavior are learned in the same way.

Question 41

According to Akers, only parents influence a youth's development.

Question 42

Behavior modification techniques are rarely used for inmates or juvenile delinquents.

Question 43

Although some delinquents break the law, their behavior is contrary to their personal value systems.

Question 44

According to Hirschi, youths with weak social bonds won't engage in delinquent behavior whereas those who have strong bonds will.

Question 45

Social control theory can't be examined by self-report studies.

Question 46

According to Cohen, all children are equally prepared for social competition although some have more socially, economically, and educationally advantaged backgrounds than others.

Question 47

According to Cloward and Ohlin, when lower-class boys experience problems competing in society, they turn to the delinquent subculture to help them adapt to their circumstances.

Question 48

The main contribution of Cloward and Ohlin's theory is their contention that it's not only the opportunities that youths have to engage in conventional activities that decide their delinquency, but also the opportunities they have to engage in illegitimate enterprises.

Question 49

Wolfgang and Ferracuti contend that subcultures in which violence is prevalent reject all the values of the dominant culture.

Question 50

An important idea behind labeling theory is that no behavior is intrinsically deviant.