Deck 8: Theoretical Perspectives on Youth Crime

Question 1

Of the following theories, ________ was used to explain how youth crime was developed prior to the 1970s.

A) strain
B) social control
C) coercion
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Recent theories used to explain youth crime ________.

A) build on past perspectives
B) integrate a number of previously examined perspectives
C) introduce new causal concepts
D) All of the above
E) Both b and c

Answer 2

D

Question 3

________ is related to low self-control.

A) Obsessiveness
B) Racial intolerance
C) Short-sightedness
D) All of the above
E) Both b and c

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The general theory of crime was first outlined by ________.

A) Sutherland
B) Gottfredson and Hirschi
C) Agnew
D) Sampson and Laub
E) Baron

Question 5

According to the general theory of crime, ________ comes naturally and is therefore something to be control.

A) risk-taking
B) impulsivity
C) crime
D) aggression
E) greed

Question 6

________ is indicative of a deficiency in self-control.

A) Cheating on exams
B) Lack of diligence
C) Lack of remorse
D) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 7

________ is an example of risk-taking in which people with low self-control engage.

A) Stealing a car
B) Getting into a fight
C) Breaking into a house
D) All of the above
E) Both a and c

Question 8

Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that, by the age of ________, the trait of low self-control becomes relatively stable and will influence a person's behaviour across the life course.

A) Six
B) 10
C) 16
D) 18
E) 21

Question 9

Genera strain theory (GST) was originally developed by ________.

A) Farrington
B) Agnew
C) Cohen
D) Colvin
E) Quinney

Question 10

General strain theory focuses on ________.

A) economic strains
B) family-related strains
C) negative situations
D) Both a and c
E) Both b and c

Question 11

In the context of general strain theory, the failure to achieve goals refers to ________.

A) the disjunction between aspiraions and expected achievements
B) the disjunction between expected achievements and actual achievements
C) the disjunction between just or fair outcomes and actual outcomes
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Question 12

The type of strain a person feels when they get a poorer grade than a classmate who puts in less effort is referred to in general strain theory as ________.

A) the disjunction between aspiraions and expected achievements
B) the disjunction between expected achievements and actual achievements
C) the disjunction between just or fair outcomes and actual outcomes
D) the disjunction between effort and achievement
E) None of the above

Question 13

In the context of general strain theory, ________ is an example of the presentation of negative stimuli.

A) criminal victimization
B) child abuse
C) negative school environment
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 14

The age-graded theory of informal social control was originally developed by ________.

A) Sutherland and Cressey
B) Gottfredson and Hirschi
C) Sampson and Laub
D) Cullen and Agnew
E) Platt

Question 15

The age-graded theory of informal social control attempts to explain ________.

A) the onset of offending
B) continuing in offending
C) desistance from offending
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Question 16

According to Tittle's control balance theory, a predisposition to commit crime will only transform into a motivation for deviance when a person experiences a ________.

A) stressor
B) provocation
C) opportunity
D) control imbalance
E) need

Question 17

________ was not part of Tittle's original control balance theory.

A) Control ratio
B) Control surplus
C) Constraint
D) Control balance desirability
E) All of the above

Question 18

A key proposition of differential coercion theory is that erratic coercion can lead to ________.

A) submission
B) retaliation
C) learning deficits
D) social-psychological deficits
E) motivation for deviance

Question 19

According to differential coercion theory, an individual who interprets the world as an environment enveloped in coercion is exhibiting ________.

A) erratic coercion
B) coercive ideation
C) coercive social modeling
D) low self-efficacy
E) low social control

Question 20

To date, empirical research aimed at testing Colvin's differential coercion theory has been ________.

A) inconclusive
B) mixed
C) generally supportive
D) partially supportive
E) useless

Question 21

________ can be described as the degree to which individuals, through socialization, have connections to people and institutions in a society and believe in the rules of the society.

A) Social bonds
B) Normalized bonds
C) Normalization
D) Techniques of normalization
E) None of the above

Question 22

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, ________ are characteristics of low self-control.

A) impulsivity, short-sightedness, and risk-taking
B) physicality, insensitivity, and low frustration tolerance
C) hostility, insensitivity, and persistence
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c

Question 23

Within the context of General Strain theory which of the following below would be considered a criminogenic factor?

A) Homelessness
B) Unemployment
C) Parental rejection
D) Physical abuse
E) All of the above

Question 24

According to Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory, which of the following is not one of the three informal social control mechanisms within the family context?

A) Attachment
B) Monitoring
C) Consistent discipline
D) Commitment
E) All of the above are mechanisms

Question 25

Which of the following below would be considered a life-course turning point?

A) Employment
B) Marriage
C) Enrollment in school
D) None of the above
E) a, b and c are correct

Question 26

A Life Course Persistent Offender is one who ________.

A) begins their offending in early childhood, and continues to engage in offending through adolescence and adulthood.
B) begins their offending early in life but then exits out in their early teen years
C) begins their offending later in young adulthood
D) begins their offending in their middle ages
E) None of the above

Question 27

Which of the following is not one of the main themes of Peacemaking Criminology?

A) Non-violence
B) Social justice
C) Inclusion
D) Ascertainable criteria
E) All of the above are main themes

Question 28

Low self-control is made up of three different characteristics.

Question 29

People who develop self-control are said to be less likely to engage in criminal activities.

Question 30

People who lack diligence will choose the quickest path to satisfy their desires, even if the long-term consequences are negative.

Question 31

Criminal acts involve elements of excitement and risk.

Question 32

Most crimes require skill or training and entail elaborate planning.

Question 33

The general theory of crime has little empirical research support.

Question 34

General strain theory focuses on how a broad number of positive situations can reduce the tendency for youth to engage in criminal behaviour.

Question 35

According to general strain theory, aspirations are synonymous with expected achievements.

Question 36

Depression is the critical negative emotion on which general strain theory is focused.

Question 37

Low socio-economic status is one of the social structural factors pointed to in the age-graded theory of informal social control.

Question 38

Excessive monitoring of children is one of the family-related factors pointed to in the age-graded theory of informal social control.

Question 39

Disrupted social control refers to events or life circumstances that weaken or destroy personal relationships, attachments, and activities.

Question 40

The amount of control that a person experiences relative to the amount of control a person can exercise is referred to as a control ratio.

Question 41

According to control balance theory, young people can potentially suffer from extreme control deficits.

Question 42

According to control balance theory, acts involving direct contact with victims and that allow for short-term changes in control balance ratios have the greatest control balance desirability.

Question 43

Empirical tests of control balance theory have found that both control balance deficits and control balance surpluses are related to a range of deviant behaviours.

Question 44

According to Colvin's differential coercion theory, people who experience an erratic, non-coercive environment will show an inclination toward pro-social behaviours.

Question 45

According to Colvin's differential coercion theory, consistent coercive control tends to be highly punitive and lacking in emotional support.

Question 46

Coercive ideation occurs when the individual comes to interpret the world as an environment enveloped in coercion.

Question 47

According to Moon and Jang, Agnew's general strain theory fails to explain why children bully other children.

Question 48

Low self-control is made up of six features.

Question 49

Sampson and Laub suggest that adult crime can be understood in terms of cumulative continuity, where behaviour is sustained by the process of its consequences.

Question 50

Abstainers are youth who do not offend because of negative personality characteristics, social and biological maturation consistent with each other, and a lack of exposure to criminal peers.

Question 51

Early starters are youth who begin offending in adolescence with transient rather than chronic patterns of criminal behaviour that dissipate upon entry into adulthood.

Question 52

What do Gottfredson and Hirschi argue about the six elements of self-control?

Question 53

How can criminal activities serve to satisfy various personal desires for people who are impulsive? Provide an example of how impulsiveness may be linked to crime.

Question 54

In general, how are impulsive people different from non-impulsive people?

Question 55

How is lack of diligence linked to criminal behaviour?

Question 56

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, why is crime an attractive pursuit for those who do not wish to be challenged cognitively?

Question 57

How is low self-control linked to opportunity in the general theory of crime?

Question 58

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, how does someone end up with low self-control? What child-rearing approaches do they suggest for avoiding low self-control?

Question 59

What is the primary focus of general strain theory (GST)?

Question 60

What are the three broad areas of strain outlined by Agnew in his general strain theory? Provide an example of each of these.

Question 61

In the context of general strain theory, what is the difference between aspirations and expected achievements?

Question 62

In the context of general strain theory, what is meant by the removal of positive stimuli?

Question 63

What are objective strains and subjective strains? According to Agnew, why is it important to distinguish between the two?

Question 64

Why is anger viewed as a critical negative emotion linked causally to crime in general strain theory?

Question 65

What is the main focus of the age-graded theory of social control?

Question 66

What social structural factors are taken into account in the age-graded theory of informal social control that have the potential to undermine social bonds?

Question 67

What is cumulative continuity?

Question 68

What are control deficits? Provide an example.

Question 69

How is provocation linked to motivation for deviance in Tittle's control balance theory?

Question 70

According to Colvin, coercion can be either direct or indirect. Define and provide an example of each type.

Question 71

What is coercive ideation?

Question 72

What are moral actions?

Question 73

Low self-control is made up of six different features. Briefly list and describe these features.

Question 74

Discuss what is meant by a Life-Course Turning Point.

Question 75

While Gottfredson and Hirschi propose that lack of self-control is the main cause of crime, they also suggest that it is linked to a range of other behaviours and life outcomes. What are the analogous behaviours, which are also often viewed as deviant, in which people with low self-control are more likely to engage? What are some of the broader "social consequences" of this lack of self-control?

Question 76

What are the three types of strain that are the focus of general strain theory? How can these types of strain be seen to be overlapping?

Question 77

Outline Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of informal social control. What are the major recognized strengths and weaknesses of this theory?

Question 78

How can Tittle's control balance theory be applied in explaining youth crime? In your discussion, take into account the concepts of control ratio, control surplus, control deficits, and control balance desirability.

Question 79

How can Colvin's differential coercion theory be applied in explaining chronic predatory offending? In your discussion, take into account the concepts of coercion, social-psychological deficits, and coercive ideation.

Question 80

Describe how Agnew's strain theory can be applied to understand why some children bully other children. Could the theories discussed in the reading also be applied to understand bullying? Explain why or why not.