CCJS 454 Exam 1 questions & answers
graded A+ updated
what are the three steps of the research process, as proposed by Wallace in 1971? - correct
answer ✔✔1. develop a theory from observed data.
2. test the theory using observed data.
3. modify theory based on findings.
what is a theory? - correct answer ✔✔a logically related set of propositions that are used to
explain patterns in crime that we observe, and to direct research in criminology.
propositions are relationship statements that link together theoretical concepts.
describe general trends in property and violent crimes in the US since the 1960s. - correct
answer ✔✔crime rates peaked in the early 1990s.
crime rates were cut in half after 1990s. this drop was known as "the great crime decline."
1960 until 1990: rates for both crimes steadily increased.
1990: peak, turning point.
1990-2014: steady decrease.
2014-2016: slight uptick in recent years.
what is the fundamental correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔gender/biological sex
what are the basic correlates of crime?
,what are their general patterns in association with criminal behavior? - correct answer
✔✔*gender/sex: the fundamental correlate of crime/ single most powerful predictor of
criminal behavior. males are more likely to commit crime than females. them ore serious the
offense, the larger the gender disparity. for violent crimes, prevalence among females is very
low. one potential explanation is that boys and girls are socialized according to different cultural
templates. when crime is pathological, it is almost exclusively perpetrated by males.
*age: criminal behavior is more likely at younger ages due to underdeveloped prefrontal cortex.
crime-prone years are ages 15-20. age is inversely related to criminal behavior.
*race/ethnicity: blacks are overrepresented in crime data and offend at an equal rate to whites.
in terms of delinquency and gang violence, Hispanics have generally high criminal involvement.
race differences are most dramatic for the most extreme forms of crime, especially homicide.
temperament: the stable, heritable, usual ways that an individual regulates emotions/behaviors
and interacts with environmental stimuli. negative emotionality includes anxiety, fear,
depression, moodiness, etc.
personality: the relatively consistent ways that a person behaves, thinks, and feels. personality
functioning is an important correlate of antisocial behavior. antisocial personality disorder most
directly corresponds with criminal personality.
family/parenting: social learning tradition, poor bonding/genes/family environment/level of
affection. offenders are generally raised in disadvantaged neighborhoods. three important
factors are parental supervision, parent-child involvement, and parental rejection.
self-control/self-regulation: self control is the ability to modify one's behaviors and emotions in
the fact of social demands, taking into account neurocognition and behavior. low self control is
ch
, age-crime curve - correct answer ✔✔the relationship between chronological age and offending,
showing that the prevalence of offending heightens through childhood, explodes into
adolescence, and declines through adulthood.
where do we get our official data from? (2) - correct answer ✔✔administrative and survey data.
what is administrative data?
give at least one example.
what are its pros and cons? - correct answer ✔✔official data sourced from crime reports to
police, police arrest records, court records (sentencing data), and corrections data (prisons,
jails).
ex: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR): law enforcement agencies send crime data to FBI.
pros: not subject to people's memories or perceptions of crime.
cons: not all crimes are reported (dark figure)
what is survey data?
give at least one example.
what are its pros and cons? - correct answer ✔✔self-reports of criminal behavior or
victimization from a sample of the population, or school-based surveys of youth (delinquency,
substance abuse, arrest)
ex: National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS): national sample of US households,
administered bi-annually.
pros: helps to capture the dark figure of crime.
graded A+ updated
what are the three steps of the research process, as proposed by Wallace in 1971? - correct
answer ✔✔1. develop a theory from observed data.
2. test the theory using observed data.
3. modify theory based on findings.
what is a theory? - correct answer ✔✔a logically related set of propositions that are used to
explain patterns in crime that we observe, and to direct research in criminology.
propositions are relationship statements that link together theoretical concepts.
describe general trends in property and violent crimes in the US since the 1960s. - correct
answer ✔✔crime rates peaked in the early 1990s.
crime rates were cut in half after 1990s. this drop was known as "the great crime decline."
1960 until 1990: rates for both crimes steadily increased.
1990: peak, turning point.
1990-2014: steady decrease.
2014-2016: slight uptick in recent years.
what is the fundamental correlate of crime? - correct answer ✔✔gender/biological sex
what are the basic correlates of crime?
,what are their general patterns in association with criminal behavior? - correct answer
✔✔*gender/sex: the fundamental correlate of crime/ single most powerful predictor of
criminal behavior. males are more likely to commit crime than females. them ore serious the
offense, the larger the gender disparity. for violent crimes, prevalence among females is very
low. one potential explanation is that boys and girls are socialized according to different cultural
templates. when crime is pathological, it is almost exclusively perpetrated by males.
*age: criminal behavior is more likely at younger ages due to underdeveloped prefrontal cortex.
crime-prone years are ages 15-20. age is inversely related to criminal behavior.
*race/ethnicity: blacks are overrepresented in crime data and offend at an equal rate to whites.
in terms of delinquency and gang violence, Hispanics have generally high criminal involvement.
race differences are most dramatic for the most extreme forms of crime, especially homicide.
temperament: the stable, heritable, usual ways that an individual regulates emotions/behaviors
and interacts with environmental stimuli. negative emotionality includes anxiety, fear,
depression, moodiness, etc.
personality: the relatively consistent ways that a person behaves, thinks, and feels. personality
functioning is an important correlate of antisocial behavior. antisocial personality disorder most
directly corresponds with criminal personality.
family/parenting: social learning tradition, poor bonding/genes/family environment/level of
affection. offenders are generally raised in disadvantaged neighborhoods. three important
factors are parental supervision, parent-child involvement, and parental rejection.
self-control/self-regulation: self control is the ability to modify one's behaviors and emotions in
the fact of social demands, taking into account neurocognition and behavior. low self control is
ch
, age-crime curve - correct answer ✔✔the relationship between chronological age and offending,
showing that the prevalence of offending heightens through childhood, explodes into
adolescence, and declines through adulthood.
where do we get our official data from? (2) - correct answer ✔✔administrative and survey data.
what is administrative data?
give at least one example.
what are its pros and cons? - correct answer ✔✔official data sourced from crime reports to
police, police arrest records, court records (sentencing data), and corrections data (prisons,
jails).
ex: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR): law enforcement agencies send crime data to FBI.
pros: not subject to people's memories or perceptions of crime.
cons: not all crimes are reported (dark figure)
what is survey data?
give at least one example.
what are its pros and cons? - correct answer ✔✔self-reports of criminal behavior or
victimization from a sample of the population, or school-based surveys of youth (delinquency,
substance abuse, arrest)
ex: National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS): national sample of US households,
administered bi-annually.
pros: helps to capture the dark figure of crime.
