Q&A Hero

Q: Life course theorists seek to understand why people enter a criminal way of life and, once they do, this alters the trajectory of their criminal involvement. a. True b. False

Q: Latent trait theories hold that human development is controlled by a "master trait" present at birth or soon after. a. True b. False

Q: Developmental theories attempt to explain the natural history of a criminal career encompassing its onset, continuation, and termination. a. True b. False

Q: Kids who get into minor scrapes as youth but whose misbehavior ends when they enter adulthood are known as__________________________.

Q: _____is lacking in thought or deliberation in decision making.

Q: ______refers to a person's ability to exercise restraint and control over his feelings and behaviors.

Q: Positive, life-sustaining relations with individuals and institutions are referred to as__________________________.

Q: _____are life events that alter the development of a criminal career.

Q: The concept of ______suggests that people change and develop as they mature.

Q: The concept of_____assumes that the propensity of an individual to participatecriminal behavior is a relatively stable trait.

Q: A hidden trait that guides human behavior is a _____trait.

Q: An unchanging feature like defective intelligence may make some people crime prone is the backbone of_____________ theory.

Q: A pattern of persistent offending across the life course is referred to as a .

Q: Gottfredson and Hirschi link the propensity to commit crime to two latent traits - an impulsive personality and a lack of self-control. Explain how these traits result in crime.

Q: According to Wilson and Herrnstein's crime and human nature concept, how and why does crime happen?

Q: What are latent traits and how are latent traits linked to the onset and persistence of crime?

Q: Define and discuss Sampson and Laub's turning points in a criminal career. Include the concept of social capital in your response.

Q: How is age of onset related to crime and criminality?

Q: Identify and describe the various pathways to crime as categorized by Rolf Loeber and his associates.

Q: What is problem behavior syndrome and how is it linked to criminality?

Q: Discuss the two distinct developmental viewpoints - life-course and latent trait theories.

Q: Identify and discuss the principles of life course theories.

Q: Provide a summary of developmental theory's evolution including those theorists important in this theory's history.

Q: Annie is regretful that she was working a lot while Harry was a child because now as an adult Harry is committing violent acts. At the age of twenty, Harry was arrested and charged with a violent armed-robbery. According to Loeber, which pathway did Harry most likely take to get to his violent criminal career.a. authority avoidance b. authority conflictc. covert d. overt

Q: Harry was expelled from school one day after he was caught bullying another classmate. Harry's actions are consistent with which pathway?a. authority avoidance b. authority conflictc. covert d. overt

Q: When Harry was twelve years old, his mother saw that he began to display signs of disobedience and acting very stubborn. Which pathway is described by Harry's stubborn behavior?a. authority avoidance b. authority conflictc. covert d. overt

Q: When Harry turns thirteen, Annie recognizes that Harry is forgetful and does not really put thought behind his actions. This characteristic is referred to as:a. impulsiveb. population heterogeneity c. self-controld. state dependence

Q: Annie is a single mother raising her son Harry on her own. Harry's father left when Annie was pregnant. In fact, Annie knows very little about Harry's father because she only knew him for a few months prior to her getting pregnant.Annie has been working a lot. She averages about 50 hours per week at work. This means she is not home when Harry gets home from school. He is often home alone for several hours after school where Annie is not able tomonitor his behavior. Annie is concerned that Harry will not develop_____exercise restraint and control over his feelings if she is not around to guide him. a. self-controlb. self-esteem c. self-imaged. self-sufficiency

Q: Mr. Smith is really concerned that Todd will drop out of school because he has no guidance at home. Mr. Smith is also concerned Todd's criminal record will make it impossible for Todd to find a job. Todd's problems are an example of:a. cumulative disadvantage b. latent traitsc. social capital d. turning points

Q: Mr. Smith is concerned that one of his female students, Jenny, suffers from problem behavior syndrome (PBS).Which of the following behaviors would not be a symptom of problem behavior syndrome?a. ADHDb. early pregnancyc. educational overachievement d. smoking

Q: Mr. Smith is very concerned for his troubled students. He was to build a positive, life-sustaining relationship with his students. This attempt at building a positive relationship is an example of:a. cumulative disadvantage b. turning pointsc. state dependence d. social capital

Q: One student Chris is a true problem for Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith has heard that Chris has been arrested multiple times, beginning at ten years of age. According to life course theory, when were the seeds of a criminal career planted for Chris?a. infantsb. preschoolc. elementary school d. middle school

Q: Mr. Smith is a middle school teacher. He teaches 8th grade history. In his class are thirteen and fourteen year olds. The majority of his class happens to be boys. Mr. Smith is noticing changes in behavior is some of his students.Mr. Smith wants to speak with George's parents. Mr. Smith believes that George is relatively a good kid but has begun to disrespect him and bullying other children. Which of the developmental theories proposes that George's potential criminal propensity can be reduced if Mr. Smith helps George's parents understand proper parenting techniques?a. life course theory b. propensity theory c. trajectory theory d. latent trait theory

Q: All of the following are elements of impulsivity EXCEPT:a. Adventuresome b. Imprudentc. Lacks tenacity d. Sensitive

Q: According to Loeber, which pathway begins with aggression and then leads to violence?a. authority conflict b. covertc. overtd. state dependence

Q: According to the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development which group was more likely to experience life failure?a. non-offendersb. very low-rate chronic offenders c. high adolescence peak offenders d. high-rate chronic offenders

Q: Which concept assumes that the propensity of an individual to participate in criminal behavior is relatively stable and unchanging over one's life course?a. authority conflict b. early onsetc. population heterogeneity d. state dependence

Q: According to developmental theorists, when should interventions be introduced to people at risk of committing crimes?a. pre-schoolb. elementary grades c. high schoold. college

Q: Which empirical evidence supports the general theory of crime?a. Low self-control is significantly related to antisocial behavior and the association can be seen regardless of culture or national setting.b. The general theory of crime is tautological, or involves circular reasoning.c. Regional and ecological patterns in the crime rate are associated with differential levels of self-control. d. High moral standards can inhibit crime even among impulsive individuals.

Q: Although criminal offenders are people predisposed to crime, they are not robots who commit crime without restraint. According to the general theory of crime, change in the frequency of criminal activity is a function of a. change in one's level of impulsivity.b. change in one's level of self-control. c. change in criminal opportunity.d. change in environmental conditions.

Q: Which of the following theories addresses the different classes and types of offenders associated with crime?a. life course b. propensity c. classicald. trajectory

Q: Gottfredson and Hirschi claim that the principles of self-control theory a. predominantly explain violent crime.b. predominantly explain property crime. c. predominantly explain street crime.d. can explain all varieties of criminal behavior.

Q: Gottfredson and Hirschi trace the root cause of poor self-control to a. lack of education.b. inadequate child-rearing practices. c. weak social bonds.d. peer associations.

Q: According to the general theory of crime, people who are risky and want immediate gratification possess a. high self-esteem.b. low self-esteem. c. high self-control. d. low self-control.

Q: The general theory of crime is criticized for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:a. Impulsivity is only one personality trait correlated with crime. b. Does not explain racial and gender differences in crime.c. Assumes that criminal propensity does not change. d. Overly focusing on white-collar crime.

Q: In their general theory of crime, Gottfredson and Hirschi consider the criminal offender and the criminal act as_______concepts. a. separateb. balanced c. competing d. opposite

Q: Which of the following statements regarding gender differences and the general theory of crime is accurate?a. The GTC predicts gender differences in self-control and crime.b. There is little evidence that males are more impulsive than females. c. Females are more likely to persist in crime due to low self-control.d. Male juvenile offenders exhibit greater impulse control than female juvenile offenders until approximately sixteen years of age when levels equalize.

Q: According to Wilson and Herrnstein's crime and human nature view, a criminal incident occurs when an individual chooses criminal over conventional behavior. What factor influences this choice?a. social capital b. a latent traitc. low self-control d. peer influence

Q: According to latent trait theory, when does a latent trait appear?a. at birth or soon after b. during childhoodc. during adolescenced. during early adulthood

Q: Which of the following statements is inaccurate in terms of the empirical research supporting Laub and Sampson's age-graded theory?a. Criminality appears to be dynamic and is affected by behaviors occurring over the life course.b. People who get involved with the justice system as adolescents may find that their career paths are blocked well into adulthood.c. Criminal career trajectories are impossible to reverse, even if life conditions improve. d. Accumulating social capital reduces crime rates.

Q: Laub and Sampson identify life events that enable adult offenders to desist from crime. Accordingly, they identify transitions as short-term events embedded ina. trajectories.b. social capital.c. marital relationships. d. pathways.

Q: Which of the following is NOT one of the significant life-changing events which reduces criminality, according to Laub and Sampson?a. buying a carb. joining the military c. getting marriedd. getting a job

Q: Laub and Sampson's research indicates that building_____and strong social bonds reduces the likelihood of long-term deviance. a. knowledgeb. social capitalc. marketable skills d. financial capital

Q: Life course theories integrate personal, social, socialization, situational and cognitive factors to explain human behavior. Personality and intelligence are_____ factors that can explain the onset and continuation of criminality.a. personal b. socialc. socializationd. cognitive

Q: Life course theorists examine offending patterns and trends. Terrie Moffit describes adolescent-limited offenders as a. angry adolescents.b. typical teenagers. c. classic persisters. d. standard youth.

Q: One of the key principles of life course theory is thata. high verbal ability during childhood predicts persistence.b. persistent offenders begin their offending careers in late adolescence.c. the earlier the onset of criminality, the more specialized and violent the criminal career. d. the seeds of a criminal career are planted early in life.

Q: Why is early onset an important factor in the study of crime?a. Because the earlier that antisocial behavior is identified, the earlier that turning points can be implemented. b. Because latent traits may have gone unnoticed or unidentified at birth.c. Because early onset of antisocial behavior predicts later and more serious criminality.d. Because early onset of antisocial behavior is void of the crime-non-crime choice mechanism suggested by Wilson and Herrnstein.

Q: Aside from identifying several specific pathways to crime, what else did Loeber discover about criminal pathways?a. Some pathways do not lead to a sustained deviant career.b. Some people enter two and even three pathways simultaneously.c. Adult crime specialization is dependent upon the pathway taken to crime.d. Adolescents who simultaneously enter more than one pathway are the most likely to desist from crime as they mature.

Q: This type of offender is characterized by staying out of trouble during adolescence, until late in one's teenage years, then becoming a violent chronic offender.a. the abstainerb. the adolescent limitedc. the life course persister d. the late bloomer

Q: Using data from a longitudinal study of Pittsburgh youth, Loeber identified distinct pathways to crime. Which pathway begins at an early age with stubborn behavior?a. the authority conflict pathway b. the covert pathwayc. the overt pathwayd. the late bloomer pathway

Q: Which is an inaccurate statement about problem behaviors and problem behavior syndrome?a. All varieties of criminal behavior may be a part of a generalized problem behavior syndrome.b. People suffering from one problem behavior condition typically exhibit many symptoms of the rest.c. The more risk factors a person suffers, the greater the likelihood the individual will engage in antisocial behavior.d. Problem behavior syndrome portrays crime as the product of other social problems.

Q: Because they combine personal, social, socialization, cognitive, and situational factors, life course theories are described asa. multidimensional theories b. incorporated theoriesc. integrated theories d. dynamic theories

Q: According to life course theories, criminal opportunity, effective guardianship, and apprehension risk are____factors that can explain the onset, continuance, and desistance from crime. a. personalb. socialc. cognitive d. situational

Q: How do life course theorists view criminality?a. as an inflexible process b. as a dynamic processc. as an opportunity-driven process d. as a static process

Q: Latent trait theorists believe human development is controlled by a master trait present at birth or soon after that results ina. low intellectual development.b. verbal and physical aggression.c. an increased propensity to commit crime.d. a reduced ability to interpret social interactions.

Q: Developmental theories attempt to provide a natural history of criminal careers by encompassing a. its onset, continuation, and termination.b. delinquency and criminal behaviors.c. uni-dimensional and multidimensional treatment efforts. d. offenders' race/ethnicity, age, and gender.

Q: Public policy programs based on developmental theory a. focus on deterrence through strict punishments.b. include mechanisms for reintegrating offenders into society. c. provide self-help treatments aimed at adult offenders.d. feature multi-systemic treatments designed for at-risk youths.

Q: The integrative methodology in the early research of_______formed the basis of today's developmental approach.a. James Q. Wilson and Richard Herrnstein b. Eleanor Glueck and Sheldon Glueckc. Rolf Loeber and Marc LeBlancd. Marvin Wolfgang and Terri Moffitt

Q: Criminal late starters are more likely to be involved in violent crimes. a. Trueb. False

Q: Policies based on developmental theory feature multi-systemic treatment efforts designed for older habitual offenders. a. True b. False

Q: According to trajectory theory, some people enter multiple pathways to crime simultaneously. a. Trueb. False

Q: A person's perceived level of self-control changes as the individual grows into adulthood. a. Trueb. False

Q: The general theory of crime explains racial and gender differences. a. Trueb. False

Q: Gottfredson and Hirschi trace the root cause of poor self-control to inadequate child-rearing practices. a. Trueb. False

Q: The general theory of crime links the propensity to commit crime to low intelligence and body build. a. Trueb. False

Q: The crime and human nature model proposes that biological and psychological traits influence the crime-non-crime choice. a. True b. False

Q: Regardless of gender or environment, those who maintain a latent trait may be predisposed to crime and are in danger of becoming career criminals. a. True b. False

Q: According to latent trait theory, the propensity to commit crime is unstable, but the opportunity to commit crime remains stable over time. a. True b. False

Q: According to life course theory, criminal careers cannot be reversed even if life conditions improve. a. Trueb. False

Q: Building social capital supports conventional behavior and inhibits deviant behavior. a. Trueb. False