Locus of Control Quiz

Protective and Risk Factors in Criminal Behavior

• High-risk youths can be protected from criminal careers through factors like positive family relationships, strong social networks, and supportive community programs.
• Factors predicting discontinuity of criminal offenses include life events such as employment stability and family dynamics.

Relationships Between Factors

• Risk factors increase the likelihood of engaging in criminal activities; they include poor family relationships and socioeconomic challenges.
• Protective factors enhance pro-social behavioral repertoires, promoting positive choices and behaviors among high-risk individuals.

Neurological and Biological Links

• Specific neurological disorders linked to criminal behavior include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• PET scanners are used to study brain activity in individuals with criminal behaviors, revealing patterns associated with aggression and impulsivity.

Biological Influences and Criminal Behavior

• BEAM (biological, emotional, and sociocultural factors) is a framework used to understand the interplay between biology and behavior.
• Hypoglycemia, a condition of low blood sugar, has been associated with increased aggression and possibly criminal behavior.

Cognitive and Behavioral Insights

• Components of social cognition related to criminal behavior include perception of social cues and the ability to empathize.
• High androgen levels are linked to increased aggression and impulsivity, potentially driving criminal behaviors.

Diet and Violence

• Biocriminologists assert that diet can significantly influence violent behaviors, suggesting a connection between nutrition and aggression.

Theories of Crime and Behavior

• The cognitive component of social cognition involves decision-making processes that affect criminal actions.
• Cognitive approaches to crime include theories that emphasize thought patterns and rationalizations, with behaviors driven by learned experiences and social contexts.

Research on Offenders

• Research on violent young offenders supports observations that impulsivity and lack of self-control are prevalent among this group.
• Self-control is inversely related to impulsiveness; high self-control typically mitigates impulsive criminal actions.

Offender Mindset and Criminology Perspectives

• Yochelson and Samenow describe the mind-set of offenders as focused on self-interest and justification of their criminal activities.
• The rational choice perspective posits that criminals weigh costs and benefits before engaging in crime, acting on perceived advantages.

Determinism, Free Will, and Criminal Behavior

• Determinism in criminology suggests that behaviors are influenced by biological and environmental factors, leaving little room for free will.
• Free will is considered the ability of individuals to make choices independent of biological and external influences.

Life Experiences and Criminal Activity

• Farrington's theory indicates that adverse life experiences, like trauma or instability, correlate with the likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior.
• Marriage typically acts as a stabilizing factor, reducing criminal activities by promoting responsibility and pro-social relationships.

Attitudes and Moral Development

• Ward's research finds a negative correlation between pro-social attitudes and violent behaviors; those with positive attitudes are less likely to engage in violence.
• Kohlberg's theory identifies six identifiable stages of moral development, consistent with cognitive and ethical growth.

Moral Development and Criminality

• The conventional stage of moral development emphasizes adherence to social norms and expectations.
• Ethical behavior is based on the development of moral reasoning, leading to justifiable actions in accordance with societal values.

Learning Approaches

• The social learning approach emphasizes that behaviors are acquired through observation and imitation of others.
• The rational choice approach examines individuals' decision-making processes in committing crimes, highlighting the calculated nature of criminal acts.

Moral Reasoning and Offenders

• There exists a connection between underdeveloped moral reasoning and serious offenders, who often struggle with ethical decision-making.