Learning theories (explanations for criminality)

Created by: kT
Created on: 10-01-13 17:15

Differential association theory

Sutherland: to develop into an offender someone needs to learn set of values/attitudes that support offending and specific behaviors for committing crimes.

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Evidence (DAT)

Osborne and West: when father had criminal convictions 40% of sons also had acquired one by 18. Compared with 13% of sons with non-criminal fathers.

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Limitations

Blackburn and others: the patterns seem confined to petty crimes, data is correlational because it is equally likely that individuals with deviant tendencies pick out deviant peers. It also cannot explain behavior at criminal level.

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Strengths

Does have some consistent evidence.

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Social learning theory

Bandura: behavior is learned through model, if model is punished behavior is less likely to be repeated etc

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Evidence: Bandura's Bobo doll study in 1963

Found that children who had seen model be punished for aggressive behavior towards bobo doll were less likely to repeat actions. There was a control group where the model behaved aggressively without consequence, children imitated actions more.

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Limitations (SLT)

Neglects naturalistic research (BLACKBURN), low ecological validity, says little about the conditions under which violence/criminality is learned.

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Strengths (SLT)

Bobo doll study supports the idea that children can learn behavior through observation.

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Osborne and West: when father had criminal convictions 40% of sons also had acquired one by 18. Compared with 13% of sons with non-criminal fathers.

Back

Evidence (DAT)

Card 3

Front

Back

Card 4

Front

Does have some consistent evidence.

Back

Card 5

Front

Bandura: behavior is learned through model, if model is punished behavior is less likely to be repeated etc

Back

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Learning theories (explanations for criminality)