JUST 2890 - Criminology - Exam Two: Clemson University
(Matthew Costello) with complete solution
What was Thomas Hobbes' View of Human Nature?
Universal entitlement, all-out war, and life is, "short, nasty, and brutish."
What are the basic assumptions of Control Theory?
Everyone has potential-and motivation-to violate law.
What increases the likelihood of crime, according to Travis Hirschi?
weakening of social ties.
What bonds are most important when it comes to reducing criminality?
Attachment, involvemenet, commitment, and morality.
How does Self-Control Theory explain crime, according to Michael Gottfredson and
Travis Hirschi?
If there is low self-control and opportunities, it will equal crime.
Whenever crime committing tendencies are stable, self-control is constant.
How do persistent criminals neutralize crime, according to Gresham Sykes and David
Matza?
By breaking the control of conventional definitions or morality
Eric Stewart Article: How were the data collected?
National educational longitudinal study
Eric Stewart Article: What were the key findings?
Bigger schools had more misbehaviors and those that have more school attachment,
commitment and belief in school are less likely to be deviant.
Eric Stewart Article: How did the author explain the findings?
Stewart finds a strong support that strong social bonds reduce delinquent activities and
vice versa with weak social bonds.
What are some of the critiques of control theories?
Places too much importance on the bonds relative to an individual and society and fails
to explain adult criminal behavior and serious instances of youth crime.
How is identity formed according to Charles Cooley (Looking Glass Self?
We become who others think we are.
What is crime/deviance, according to labeling theory?
Society creates crime and assigns shared meanings to acts. Labels create criminals.
What are some potential consequences of being labeled deviant/criminal? (4 answers)
Believing the negative label and acting accordingly, losing law-abiding friends, gaining
deviant/criminal friends, and fewer legitimate opportunities.
How was the Pygmalion study set up? (classroom study)
The students were given a "pre test" and the researchers told the teachers some of the
students who showed unusual potential for intellectual excellence. The students that
were told to the teachers were actually random and had nothing to do with the initial
test.
What were the findings of the Pygmalion study? (classroom study)
That the children who were told to have potential for intellectual excellence scored far
higher than the other children.
How was the experiment designed for the blue/brown eyes labeling experiment?
, Ms. Elliott divided the blue eyed and brown eyed students against each other saying
that blue eyes were superior one day, then saying that brown eyes were better because
they had more melanin, which makes you smarter.
What were the findings of the blue/brown eye experiment?
That people will believe the labels that are put on them and people who see the labels
will treat them according to the labels. (i.e, blue eyed kid was told they were not smart,
so they began having difficulty with problems and the brown eyed children began saying
that it was because they had blue eyes.)
Labeling Example: Saints and Roughnecks
What did William Chambliss find?
That the way the children are treated and told makes them more likely to go down that
path, because they are molded into what they are going to be.
Labeling Example: Labeling and Employment. What did Devah Pager find?
That white criminals were more likely to be hired than black non-criminal civilians. Also,
that the criminal label makes it far less likely for someone to be hired.
What is restorative justice?
a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through
reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
Carla Schultz article What is her argument regarding sex offender registries?
That the current system of tracking sex offenders is doing more harm than good.
What are some critiques of the labeling theory? (2 answers)
That it ignores factors such as differences in socialization, attitudes, and opportunities. It
does not explain the reasons for the behavior that comes to be labeled as deviant.
What is white-collar crime?
In course of legitimate occupation by persons in respected positions (usually)
What are occupational and corporate crime? (2 answers)
- Occupational: for personal gain
- Corporate: for corporate and maybe personal gain.
What did Rossi, Bose, and Berk find regarding public attitudes towards white-collar
crime?
Most did not condone it, but they rated it less seriously.
How does routine activity theory explain elite crime/deviance?
That when there is a likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable
guardian, crime is more likely. These three categories are often open to white-collar
criminals.
How does drift/neutralization theory explain elite crime/deviance?
It explains how the offender disassociates themselves with the crime in order to take the
blame off of themselves.
Micael Benson Article How did he collect data for the study?
Interviews with a sample of 30 convicted white-collar offenders
Micael Benson Article What were some common neutralization techniques used by
white-collar criminals in the study?
Offenders lessened the severity of the crime and blameworthiness.
Blickle and colleagues article How did they collect data for the study?
Paper and pencil scales from 150 current managers and 76 white collar criminals.
(Matthew Costello) with complete solution
What was Thomas Hobbes' View of Human Nature?
Universal entitlement, all-out war, and life is, "short, nasty, and brutish."
What are the basic assumptions of Control Theory?
Everyone has potential-and motivation-to violate law.
What increases the likelihood of crime, according to Travis Hirschi?
weakening of social ties.
What bonds are most important when it comes to reducing criminality?
Attachment, involvemenet, commitment, and morality.
How does Self-Control Theory explain crime, according to Michael Gottfredson and
Travis Hirschi?
If there is low self-control and opportunities, it will equal crime.
Whenever crime committing tendencies are stable, self-control is constant.
How do persistent criminals neutralize crime, according to Gresham Sykes and David
Matza?
By breaking the control of conventional definitions or morality
Eric Stewart Article: How were the data collected?
National educational longitudinal study
Eric Stewart Article: What were the key findings?
Bigger schools had more misbehaviors and those that have more school attachment,
commitment and belief in school are less likely to be deviant.
Eric Stewart Article: How did the author explain the findings?
Stewart finds a strong support that strong social bonds reduce delinquent activities and
vice versa with weak social bonds.
What are some of the critiques of control theories?
Places too much importance on the bonds relative to an individual and society and fails
to explain adult criminal behavior and serious instances of youth crime.
How is identity formed according to Charles Cooley (Looking Glass Self?
We become who others think we are.
What is crime/deviance, according to labeling theory?
Society creates crime and assigns shared meanings to acts. Labels create criminals.
What are some potential consequences of being labeled deviant/criminal? (4 answers)
Believing the negative label and acting accordingly, losing law-abiding friends, gaining
deviant/criminal friends, and fewer legitimate opportunities.
How was the Pygmalion study set up? (classroom study)
The students were given a "pre test" and the researchers told the teachers some of the
students who showed unusual potential for intellectual excellence. The students that
were told to the teachers were actually random and had nothing to do with the initial
test.
What were the findings of the Pygmalion study? (classroom study)
That the children who were told to have potential for intellectual excellence scored far
higher than the other children.
How was the experiment designed for the blue/brown eyes labeling experiment?
, Ms. Elliott divided the blue eyed and brown eyed students against each other saying
that blue eyes were superior one day, then saying that brown eyes were better because
they had more melanin, which makes you smarter.
What were the findings of the blue/brown eye experiment?
That people will believe the labels that are put on them and people who see the labels
will treat them according to the labels. (i.e, blue eyed kid was told they were not smart,
so they began having difficulty with problems and the brown eyed children began saying
that it was because they had blue eyes.)
Labeling Example: Saints and Roughnecks
What did William Chambliss find?
That the way the children are treated and told makes them more likely to go down that
path, because they are molded into what they are going to be.
Labeling Example: Labeling and Employment. What did Devah Pager find?
That white criminals were more likely to be hired than black non-criminal civilians. Also,
that the criminal label makes it far less likely for someone to be hired.
What is restorative justice?
a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through
reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
Carla Schultz article What is her argument regarding sex offender registries?
That the current system of tracking sex offenders is doing more harm than good.
What are some critiques of the labeling theory? (2 answers)
That it ignores factors such as differences in socialization, attitudes, and opportunities. It
does not explain the reasons for the behavior that comes to be labeled as deviant.
What is white-collar crime?
In course of legitimate occupation by persons in respected positions (usually)
What are occupational and corporate crime? (2 answers)
- Occupational: for personal gain
- Corporate: for corporate and maybe personal gain.
What did Rossi, Bose, and Berk find regarding public attitudes towards white-collar
crime?
Most did not condone it, but they rated it less seriously.
How does routine activity theory explain elite crime/deviance?
That when there is a likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable
guardian, crime is more likely. These three categories are often open to white-collar
criminals.
How does drift/neutralization theory explain elite crime/deviance?
It explains how the offender disassociates themselves with the crime in order to take the
blame off of themselves.
Micael Benson Article How did he collect data for the study?
Interviews with a sample of 30 convicted white-collar offenders
Micael Benson Article What were some common neutralization techniques used by
white-collar criminals in the study?
Offenders lessened the severity of the crime and blameworthiness.
Blickle and colleagues article How did they collect data for the study?
Paper and pencil scales from 150 current managers and 76 white collar criminals.
