CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR PSYC3402 MIDTERM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS | PSYC3402 MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST
2026/2027
Define crime - correct answer ✔✔a social construct, intentional behaviour that violates the criminal
code
What exception is there to the definition of crime? - correct answer ✔✔child-perpetrated antisocial
behaviour
Why care about the definition of crime? - correct answer ✔✔it impacts how new Canadians adapt,
crime statistics, and how we evaluate the impact of criminal justice interventions
What is prevalence? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases/events at one points in time (ex. on July 1st,
12 murders occurred in Canada)
What is prevalence rate? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases divided by the relevant population (ex.
,000)
What is incidence? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases/events occurring during a specific time period
(ex. from July 1st-7th there was 12 murders in Canada)
What is incidence rate? - correct answer ✔✔number of incidents by the relevant population
What is crime rate? - correct answer ✔✔the number of crimes committed per 100,000 population
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program - correct answer ✔✔publishes an annual summation of the
incidence and rate of reported crimes throughout the US
General Social Survey (GSS) - correct answer ✔✔survey of a random sample of about 1,500 U.S. adults
and is available for many researchers to analyze
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) - correct answer ✔✔longitudinal and cross-
sectional self-report study investigating the extent of delinquency among young people (0-25 y/o)
Approximately 540,000 youth across Canada admitted to at least _____ act of delinquency during the
previous year - correct answer ✔✔one
What is the "dark figure" of crime? - correct answer ✔✔the amount of unreported or undiscovered
crime
What are some weaknesses with victimization surveys? - correct answer ✔✔underreporting,
overreporting, age limitations, understanding of questions,
, Why should we measure crime? - correct answer ✔✔impacts policy & behaviour, aids in evaluation of
the CJS, facilitates theory construction and evaluations
What is a correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔a variable that is positively associated (correlated)
with criminal behaviour
How do we discover a correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔cross-sectional research designs, statistics
(correlations)
What are some problems with correlates? - correct answer ✔✔cannot infer causality
What is a risk factor (predictor)? - correct answer ✔✔a variable that precedes the outcome of interest
and increases the probability that the outcome will occur
How do we discover a predictor of crime? - correct answer ✔✔longitudinal design, statistics
What are some problems with risk factors (predictors)? - correct answer ✔✔cannot infer causality,
typically correlated with multiple risk factors that could also predict outcome of interest
What is a causal risk factor? - correct answer ✔✔a risk factor that when changed/manipulated results in
changes in the outcome of interest
Central Eight - correct answer ✔✔criminal history, c.personality, c.associates, c.attitudes, substance
abuse, martial status, education/employment deficits, unstructured leisure time
Big Four - correct answer ✔✔criminal history, criminal personality, criminal associates, criminal attitudes
Who published On the Origin of Species in 1859? - correct answer ✔✔Charles Darwin
What was the main tenet of Darwin's work? - correct answer ✔✔humans evolved from ancestral species
via natural selection
How does natural selection work? - correct answer ✔✔potential adaptation in organism's genes by
change (ex. mutation) → organism's reproductive success enhances → selection pressures decide
whether mutation becomes a successful adaptation
How long ago was the hunter and gathering era? - correct answer ✔✔1.8 million - 10,000 years ago
The Hunter and gathering era was defined by: - correct answer ✔✔foraging, living off wild planets and
hunting animals, harsh living conditions
Reproductive success - correct answer ✔✔how good an organism is at having children and keeping them
alive so that the offspring can procreate and pass the successful adaptation into the next gene pool
Selection pressures - correct answer ✔✔environmental pressures found within niches that determine
whether or not a random mutation gives an organism a reproductive edge
ANSWERS | PSYC3402 MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST
2026/2027
Define crime - correct answer ✔✔a social construct, intentional behaviour that violates the criminal
code
What exception is there to the definition of crime? - correct answer ✔✔child-perpetrated antisocial
behaviour
Why care about the definition of crime? - correct answer ✔✔it impacts how new Canadians adapt,
crime statistics, and how we evaluate the impact of criminal justice interventions
What is prevalence? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases/events at one points in time (ex. on July 1st,
12 murders occurred in Canada)
What is prevalence rate? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases divided by the relevant population (ex.
,000)
What is incidence? - correct answer ✔✔number of cases/events occurring during a specific time period
(ex. from July 1st-7th there was 12 murders in Canada)
What is incidence rate? - correct answer ✔✔number of incidents by the relevant population
What is crime rate? - correct answer ✔✔the number of crimes committed per 100,000 population
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program - correct answer ✔✔publishes an annual summation of the
incidence and rate of reported crimes throughout the US
General Social Survey (GSS) - correct answer ✔✔survey of a random sample of about 1,500 U.S. adults
and is available for many researchers to analyze
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) - correct answer ✔✔longitudinal and cross-
sectional self-report study investigating the extent of delinquency among young people (0-25 y/o)
Approximately 540,000 youth across Canada admitted to at least _____ act of delinquency during the
previous year - correct answer ✔✔one
What is the "dark figure" of crime? - correct answer ✔✔the amount of unreported or undiscovered
crime
What are some weaknesses with victimization surveys? - correct answer ✔✔underreporting,
overreporting, age limitations, understanding of questions,
, Why should we measure crime? - correct answer ✔✔impacts policy & behaviour, aids in evaluation of
the CJS, facilitates theory construction and evaluations
What is a correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔a variable that is positively associated (correlated)
with criminal behaviour
How do we discover a correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔cross-sectional research designs, statistics
(correlations)
What are some problems with correlates? - correct answer ✔✔cannot infer causality
What is a risk factor (predictor)? - correct answer ✔✔a variable that precedes the outcome of interest
and increases the probability that the outcome will occur
How do we discover a predictor of crime? - correct answer ✔✔longitudinal design, statistics
What are some problems with risk factors (predictors)? - correct answer ✔✔cannot infer causality,
typically correlated with multiple risk factors that could also predict outcome of interest
What is a causal risk factor? - correct answer ✔✔a risk factor that when changed/manipulated results in
changes in the outcome of interest
Central Eight - correct answer ✔✔criminal history, c.personality, c.associates, c.attitudes, substance
abuse, martial status, education/employment deficits, unstructured leisure time
Big Four - correct answer ✔✔criminal history, criminal personality, criminal associates, criminal attitudes
Who published On the Origin of Species in 1859? - correct answer ✔✔Charles Darwin
What was the main tenet of Darwin's work? - correct answer ✔✔humans evolved from ancestral species
via natural selection
How does natural selection work? - correct answer ✔✔potential adaptation in organism's genes by
change (ex. mutation) → organism's reproductive success enhances → selection pressures decide
whether mutation becomes a successful adaptation
How long ago was the hunter and gathering era? - correct answer ✔✔1.8 million - 10,000 years ago
The Hunter and gathering era was defined by: - correct answer ✔✔foraging, living off wild planets and
hunting animals, harsh living conditions
Reproductive success - correct answer ✔✔how good an organism is at having children and keeping them
alive so that the offspring can procreate and pass the successful adaptation into the next gene pool
Selection pressures - correct answer ✔✔environmental pressures found within niches that determine
whether or not a random mutation gives an organism a reproductive edge
