PSYC 3402 Midterm Exam UPDATED
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What factors determine what a crime is? - CORRECT ANSWER Social connections,
politics, culture, etc.
Muncie's definitions of crime (11) - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Legal (punishable under
the state)
2. Moral (violating religion, punishable by supreme beings) 3. Social (punishable by the
community)
4. Psychological (hurts others)
Define: crime - CORRECT ANSWER Intentional behaviour, violates the Criminal
Code,
What are the current crime trends in Canada? - CORRECT ANSWER Half of
Canadians believe it is increasing; actually depends on the type of crime (EX. increase in
IPV, decrease in gun violence)
Why do we measure crime? - CORRECT ANSWER Impacts policy, aids in the
evolution of the CJS
What is an issue with the media covering crime? - CORRECT ANSWER Over-
represent violent and sexual crimes, exaggerate police success and risk of victimization
Define: correlate of crime - CORRECT ANSWER A variable that is statistically
associated with crime
Define: risk factor (as a predictor) - CORRECT ANSWER A variable that precedes the
outcome of interest and increases the probability that the outcome will occur
, Define: causal risk factor - CORRECT ANSWER A risk factor that when
changed/manipulated results in changes in the outcome of interest
Define: protective factors - CORRECT ANSWER Positive attributes (internal or
external) which reduce the likelihood of reoffending
What are the central 8 risk factors - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Criminal history
2. Criminal personality
3. Criminal associates
4. Criminal attitudes
5. Substance use
6. Marital status
7. Education and employment deficits
8. Unstructured leisure time
Characteristics of a good theory - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Parsimony + simplicity
2. falsifiable
3. Empirically based
4. Interdisciplinary compatibility
Define: genotype - CORRECT ANSWER Unobservable genetic characteristics
Define: phenotype - CORRECT ANSWER Totality of observable, behavioural
characteristics
Are there multiple pathways to antisocial and criminal behaviour? - CORRECT
ANSWER Yes, genes and the environment interact
Define: concordance rate - CORRECT ANSWER The percentage of individuals who
match one another on a specific trait or characteristic
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What factors determine what a crime is? - CORRECT ANSWER Social connections,
politics, culture, etc.
Muncie's definitions of crime (11) - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Legal (punishable under
the state)
2. Moral (violating religion, punishable by supreme beings) 3. Social (punishable by the
community)
4. Psychological (hurts others)
Define: crime - CORRECT ANSWER Intentional behaviour, violates the Criminal
Code,
What are the current crime trends in Canada? - CORRECT ANSWER Half of
Canadians believe it is increasing; actually depends on the type of crime (EX. increase in
IPV, decrease in gun violence)
Why do we measure crime? - CORRECT ANSWER Impacts policy, aids in the
evolution of the CJS
What is an issue with the media covering crime? - CORRECT ANSWER Over-
represent violent and sexual crimes, exaggerate police success and risk of victimization
Define: correlate of crime - CORRECT ANSWER A variable that is statistically
associated with crime
Define: risk factor (as a predictor) - CORRECT ANSWER A variable that precedes the
outcome of interest and increases the probability that the outcome will occur
, Define: causal risk factor - CORRECT ANSWER A risk factor that when
changed/manipulated results in changes in the outcome of interest
Define: protective factors - CORRECT ANSWER Positive attributes (internal or
external) which reduce the likelihood of reoffending
What are the central 8 risk factors - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Criminal history
2. Criminal personality
3. Criminal associates
4. Criminal attitudes
5. Substance use
6. Marital status
7. Education and employment deficits
8. Unstructured leisure time
Characteristics of a good theory - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Parsimony + simplicity
2. falsifiable
3. Empirically based
4. Interdisciplinary compatibility
Define: genotype - CORRECT ANSWER Unobservable genetic characteristics
Define: phenotype - CORRECT ANSWER Totality of observable, behavioural
characteristics
Are there multiple pathways to antisocial and criminal behaviour? - CORRECT
ANSWER Yes, genes and the environment interact
Define: concordance rate - CORRECT ANSWER The percentage of individuals who
match one another on a specific trait or characteristic
