Flashcards
Introduction to Criminal Behavior
Cards in this deck (36)
- 1Antisocial BehaviorClinical term reserved for serious habitual behavior, especially that involving direct harm to others
- 2Classical TheoryTheory of human behavior that emphasizes free will as a core concept
- 3Clearance RateThe proportion of reported crimes that have been "solved" through the arrest and turning over for prosecution of at least one person. Crimes may also be cleared through exceptional means, such as death of a person about to be arrested
- 4CognitionsThe internal processes that enable humans to imagine, gain knowledge, reason, and evaluate. The attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts that people hold about the environment, relationships, and themselves
- 5Conformity PerspectiveThe theoretical position that humans are born basically good and generally try to do the right and just thing
- 6Crime RateIn government statistics, the number of crimes known to police per 100,000 population
- 7CriminologyThe multidisciplinary study of crime
- 8Dark FigureThe number of crimes that go unreported in official crime data reports
- 9Deterrence TheoryThe theory that argues that threat of punishment will prevent crime
- 10Developmental ApproachExamines the changes and influences (risk factors) across a person's lifetime that contribute to the formation of antisocial and criminal behavior or, alternatively, that protects individuals with many risk factors in their lives
- 11Differential Association TheoryFormulated by Edwin Sutherland, a theory of crime that states that criminal behavior is primarily due to obtaining values or messages from others, including but not limited to those who engage in crime.
Includes: Whom the person associates, how long, how early, how frequently, and how personally meaningful the associations are. - 12FalsificationThe process of testing a theory whereby if it is discovered that even one of its propositions is found not to be supported, the theory cannot be valid
- 13General Theory of CrimeBased on the assumption that lack of self-control is the core factor in criminal behavior
- 14Hate Crime Statistics ActFederal as well as state laws that require police to track and report crimes motivated by bias or hate against victims based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, or other protected status
- 15Hierarchy RuleIn the UCR program, the rule that requires that only the most serious crime in a series be reported in the crime statistics
- 16Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)Crimes committed against persons by their current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends
- 17Just-World HypothesisA belief that one gets what one deserves in the world
- 18Learning PerspectiveThe theoretical position that humans are born basically neutral and behaviorally a blank state. What they become as individuals depends on their learning experiences rather than innate predispositions
- 19ModelA graphic or descriptive illustration intended to add clarity to a theory. Examples are the dual-process model of psychopathy, the dynamic or developmental cascade model, and the dual systems model of adolescent development
- 20Monitoring the Future (MTF)A self-report survey administered to high school students nationwide focusing on drug use and abuse
- 21National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)A government-sponsored survey of victims of crime, intended to collect data from the victim's perspective on crimes both reported and not reported to the police
- 22National Incident-Based Reporting Survey (NIBRS)The FBI's system of collecting detailed data from law enforcement agencies on known crimes and arrests
- 23Nonconformist PerspectiveThe theoretical perspective that humans will naturally try to get away with anything they can, including illegal conduct, unless social controls are imposed
- 24Positivist TheoryTheory that argues prior experiences or influences determine present behavior
- 25Psychiatric Criminology (Forensic Psychology)The branch of criminology that focuses on individual aspects of behavior, particularly internal forces and unconscious drives.
- 26Psychological CriminologyThe branch of criminology that examines the individual behavior and especially the mental processes involved in criminal behavior
- 27Self-Control TheoryA heavily researched theory in criminology that proposes that crime and antisocial behavior are the result of an individual's deficits in ability to control his or her behavior. Controversial aspect of the theory is that self-control is a stable trait and well in place before adolescence is reached
- 28Self-Report (SR) DataInformation about crime and antisocial behavior gathered from the offenders themselves. In recent years many self-report studies focus on substance use and abuse
- 29Social Control TheoryTheory in criminology that proposes individuals are prevented from committing antisocial behavior or crime because of bonds they hold to society, such as their attachments to parents or significant others
- 30Social Learning TheoryA theory of human behavior based on learning from watching others in the social environment. This leads to an individual's development of his or her own perceptions, thoughts, expectancies, competencies, and values
- 31Sociological CriminologyThe branch of criminology that examines the demographic, group, and societal variables related to crime
- 32Status OffencesA class of illegal behavior that only persons with certain characteristics or status can commit. Used here to refer to the behavior of juveniles. Examples include running away from home, violating curfew, buying alcohol, or skipping school
- 33Strain TheoryA prominent psychological explanation for crime based on Robert Merton's theory that crime and delinquency occur when there is a perceived discrepancy between the materialistic values and goals cherished and held in high esteem by a society and the availability or legitimate means for reaching these goals
- 34Theory VerificationA process whereby a scientific theory is tested through observations and analysis. If the process falsifies the theory, the theory must be revised to account for the observed events
- 35Trait or DispositionRelatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way across time and place. Traits are believed by some psychologists to be the basic building blocks of personality
- 36Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)The FBI's system of gathering data from law enforcement agencies on the crimes that come to their attention and on arrests.
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- Description
- Study set created based off of Key Concepts in Chapter One of Curt R. Bartol and Anne M. Bartol's "Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach"
- Created by
- Courtney Hill
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