Criminology Chapter 7 – Flashcards
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Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory is part of which theoretical tradition?
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Social Process
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A critique of social disorganization theory is that some of the studies tend to use group rates to explain individual crime. Aggregate statistics do not yield accurate estimates if the intended unit of analysis is the behavior of individuals. Consequently, researchers have committed a/an:
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Ecological Fallacy
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Which of the following pairs of criminologists is most strongly associated with helping us understand that forms of adaptation depend upon the a vailability of illegitimate opportunities to commit crime?
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Cloward and Ohlin
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One weakness of Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory is that he failed to account for the fact that not all associations are equal in intensity, frequency, duration, and priority.
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False
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A particular student wants to do well in school but never seems to be able to earn higher than a D. In pursuit of academic success, the student begins to cheat on exams. This is most consistent with which form of adaptation in Merton's theory of anomie/strain?
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Innovation
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Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime is best characterized as outlining the inner and outer pushes and pulls that influence a person's likelihood of criminality.
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False
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An individual increases their risk of being a victim of crime by leaving for work each day at the same time, driving the same route to and from work, and returning at the same time with no variation. The crime that results would be attributed to:
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Routine activities theory
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According to theorist David Farrington, situational and motivating factors contribute to what?
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Short-term anti-social potential
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The "Chicago School" was well-known for its armchair theorizing; few of its researchers ever ventured into the field.
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False
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In their study of urban ecology, Shaw and McKay found the highest crime rate in which zone?
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Zone II-Zone of Transition
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The idea that delinquents exist "in a limbo between convention and crime" is consistent with which of the following theories?
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Drift theory
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General theory of crime, developed by Gottfredson and Hirschi, commits a global fallacy in its efforts to explain crime as "low self-control" in pursuit of "self-interest."
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True
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Even though Johnny realizes that he will never reach the economic and occupational success of which he once dreamed, he continues to go to work each day and diligently complete the tasks assigned to him. This is most consistent with which form of adaptation in Merton's theory of anomie/strain?
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Ritualistism
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According to anomie/strain theory, individuals who accept traditional goals, but reject the accepted means of achieving them, are known as retreatists.
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False
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Generally speaking, anomie theories focus on crime as the result of:
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Lack of legitimate opportunities
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One weakness of Miller's theory of "focal concerns" is that it fails to explain middle- and upper-class criminal behavior.
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True
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Albert Cohen suggested that lower-class delinquency is shaped by the availability of both illegitimate and legitimate opportunities.
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False
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According to containment theory, the internalization of conventional behavior would constitute which of the following?
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Inner containment
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An individual commits a crime because he has "nothing better to do with his time." This indicates a lack of which of the following social bonds?
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Involvement
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The primary theme of this theoretical tradition concentrates on learning, socialization, and subcultural transmission of criminal values.
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Social process
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Which of the following theorists is credited with general strain theory, in which it was acknowledged that strain can result from a variety of negative relationships or experiences?
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Robert Agnew
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The proposal that crime is rooted in low self-control and the pursuit of self-interest is consistent with which of the following theories?
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General theory of crime
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An individual commits a crime because he has "nothing to lose." This indicates a lack of which of the following social bonds?
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Commitment
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According to Émile Durkheim, the development of modern urban-industrial societies has resulted in changing norms, confusion, and lessened social control over the individual.
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True
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How does power control theory explain the gender difference in criminality?
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Boys are exposed to fewer parental controls.
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Shaw and McKay made extensive use of maps and official statistics in their studies of juvenile delinquency.
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True
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The "institutional anomie theory" attributes crime to the:
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American Dream
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The "Chicago School" is associated with which of the following?
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Urban ecology
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Shaw and McKay made extensive use of maps and official statistics in their studies of juvenile delinquency.
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True
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Cloward and Ohlin's primary contribution to the field of criminology was their basic premise that some crime can be attributed to social disorganization.
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False
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Social control theories emphasize criminality as a learned or culturally transmitted process.
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False
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According to Cloward and Ohlin's differential opportunity theory, retreatist subcultures develop in stable slum neighborhoods in which a hierarchy of available criminal opportunities exist.
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False
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Which term did Émile Durkheim coin to refer to normlessness within society?
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Anomie
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A group of juveniles who attend a district school commit an act of vandalism against a neighboring school district, explaining that it was necessary to defend their own mascot. This is an example of:
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Appeal to a higher authority
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An offender arrested for drug use states, "But I'm not hurting anyone else." This is reflective of:
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Denial of harm
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One weakness of Merton's theory of anomie/strain is that it does not provide a good explanation for economic crimes.
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False
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Social trends in modern urban-industrial societies result in changing norms, confusion, and lessened social control over the individual. This condition creates:
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Anomie
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Building from differential association theory, Akers and Burgess believe that behavioral conditioning, including the classical concepts of rewards and punishment, affects whether one chooses to engage in crime.
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True
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According to Cloward and Ohlin, "double-failures" enter which type of criminal subculture?
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Retreatist
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Someone who supports anomie theory as an explanation for crime would suggest which policy?
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Policies to create greater opportunities
