CRIM 103 – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
Criminal behaviour - Answers - An intentional act or omission that is legally defined as a
crime
What does criminal behaviour require? - Answers - Mens rea (intent) and actus rea
(action)
Social construction - Answers - The process of defining crime as social and political in
nature
Consensus theory - Answers - Crime is defined in a manner broadly agreed upon
society
Conflict theory - Answers - Crime is determined by socially powerful groups
What are some reasons that crime is a social construct? - Answers - - create laws that
reflect sense of right and wrong
- May be an old behaviour but a new crime
- definitions of crime vary
- May be illegal at one time or in one place but not the other
Violence - Answers - An intentional act of threatened, attempted, or actual physical
harm directed against a none-consenting person
Physical violence - Answers - An intentional act that causes physical insult or injury to
another person
What is the main distinction separating instrumental violence from reactive violence? -
Answers - Motivation
Instrumental violence - Answers - - violence committed to achieve an identifiable goal
- most likely planned
Reactive violence - Answers - - violence committed in response to frustration or a
perceived insult, provocation, or attack
- spontaneous acts of violence
- high emotional arousal (anger)
Macro theory - Answers - A large scale theory that explains phenomena at societal or
broad group level
,Micro theory - Answers - A small scale theory that explains phenomena at an individual
level
Inter-individual differences - Answers - variations that exist between two or more
individuals
intra-individual differences - Answers - variations in performance within the same
individual
According to the age-crime curve, what happens as people mature? - Answers - They
are less likely to commit crimes
According to the age-crime curve, adolescent crime is... - Answers - Very common,
almost the norm
According to the age-crime curve, delinquency is... - Answers - Often a passing phase
Descriptive designs - Answers - - case studies
- info about individual factors or variables
- rich source of info but limitations due to lack of scientific validity
- limitation = provides no info about interrelationships of different variables
Correlational designs - Answers - - longitudinal research design - research design that
involves making several observations of the same study participants over a period of
time
- correlation ❌ = causation NO!
- third variable
Classic experimental designs - Answers - - random assignment
- experimental group
- control group
- strength = causal inferences
- weakness = trying to control all extraneous variables
- quasi-experimental designs - a research design that incorporates some of the features
of a true experiment
Meta-analysis - Answers - - method of analysis that involves combining the results of
many studies on particular subject to generate a statistical estimate of the overall
magnitude of their findings
- value rests on having clear inclusion criteria outlining which studies are to be included
- powerful way to summarize and understand the significance of research findings
Robert Bardo - Answers - - was obsessed with actress Rebecca Schaeffer and stalked
her
- showed up at her door and shot her dead
- California enacted the first anti-stalking law in the USA
, The Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study - Answers - - studies a cohort of males born in
1945
- studied them for 8 years (10-18 years old)
- 35% of them were delinquents
Behavioural genetics - Answers - The field of study concerned with understanding the
influence of genetics on the expression of characteristics and behaviours within a
population
evolutionary psychology - Answers - The field of study concerned with understanding
how natural selection shapes and influences mental processes and behaviour
Chromosome - Answers - A microscopic structure that contains DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - Answers - A long, coiled, threadlike strand consisting of
small segments known as genes, which constitutes the biological instructions for a
certain characteristic or part of the body
Gene - Answers - A small segment of DNA that constitutes the biological instructions for
a certain characteristic or part of the body
Polymorphism - Answers - A gene that exists in more than one form
Allele - Answers - An alternative form of a gene that exists in more than one form
Polygenic - Answers - A trait or characteristic that is under the influence of multiple
genes
How many chromosomes do males have? - Answers - 22 regular chromosomes plus
XY
How many chromosomes do woman have? - Answers - 22 regular chromosomes plus
XX
How many genes do monozygotic twins share? - Answers - 100%
How many genes do dizygotic twins share? - Answers - 99.5% genes
Concordance rate - Answers - The percentage of two individuals who match one
another with respect to the presence of a particular characteristic or condition
What does it mean if concordance rates are higher in MZ twins then DZ twins? -
Answers - The trait is more genetic then a matter of environment
Issues with twin studies - Answers - - sample sizes
Criminal behaviour - Answers - An intentional act or omission that is legally defined as a
crime
What does criminal behaviour require? - Answers - Mens rea (intent) and actus rea
(action)
Social construction - Answers - The process of defining crime as social and political in
nature
Consensus theory - Answers - Crime is defined in a manner broadly agreed upon
society
Conflict theory - Answers - Crime is determined by socially powerful groups
What are some reasons that crime is a social construct? - Answers - - create laws that
reflect sense of right and wrong
- May be an old behaviour but a new crime
- definitions of crime vary
- May be illegal at one time or in one place but not the other
Violence - Answers - An intentional act of threatened, attempted, or actual physical
harm directed against a none-consenting person
Physical violence - Answers - An intentional act that causes physical insult or injury to
another person
What is the main distinction separating instrumental violence from reactive violence? -
Answers - Motivation
Instrumental violence - Answers - - violence committed to achieve an identifiable goal
- most likely planned
Reactive violence - Answers - - violence committed in response to frustration or a
perceived insult, provocation, or attack
- spontaneous acts of violence
- high emotional arousal (anger)
Macro theory - Answers - A large scale theory that explains phenomena at societal or
broad group level
,Micro theory - Answers - A small scale theory that explains phenomena at an individual
level
Inter-individual differences - Answers - variations that exist between two or more
individuals
intra-individual differences - Answers - variations in performance within the same
individual
According to the age-crime curve, what happens as people mature? - Answers - They
are less likely to commit crimes
According to the age-crime curve, adolescent crime is... - Answers - Very common,
almost the norm
According to the age-crime curve, delinquency is... - Answers - Often a passing phase
Descriptive designs - Answers - - case studies
- info about individual factors or variables
- rich source of info but limitations due to lack of scientific validity
- limitation = provides no info about interrelationships of different variables
Correlational designs - Answers - - longitudinal research design - research design that
involves making several observations of the same study participants over a period of
time
- correlation ❌ = causation NO!
- third variable
Classic experimental designs - Answers - - random assignment
- experimental group
- control group
- strength = causal inferences
- weakness = trying to control all extraneous variables
- quasi-experimental designs - a research design that incorporates some of the features
of a true experiment
Meta-analysis - Answers - - method of analysis that involves combining the results of
many studies on particular subject to generate a statistical estimate of the overall
magnitude of their findings
- value rests on having clear inclusion criteria outlining which studies are to be included
- powerful way to summarize and understand the significance of research findings
Robert Bardo - Answers - - was obsessed with actress Rebecca Schaeffer and stalked
her
- showed up at her door and shot her dead
- California enacted the first anti-stalking law in the USA
, The Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study - Answers - - studies a cohort of males born in
1945
- studied them for 8 years (10-18 years old)
- 35% of them were delinquents
Behavioural genetics - Answers - The field of study concerned with understanding the
influence of genetics on the expression of characteristics and behaviours within a
population
evolutionary psychology - Answers - The field of study concerned with understanding
how natural selection shapes and influences mental processes and behaviour
Chromosome - Answers - A microscopic structure that contains DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - Answers - A long, coiled, threadlike strand consisting of
small segments known as genes, which constitutes the biological instructions for a
certain characteristic or part of the body
Gene - Answers - A small segment of DNA that constitutes the biological instructions for
a certain characteristic or part of the body
Polymorphism - Answers - A gene that exists in more than one form
Allele - Answers - An alternative form of a gene that exists in more than one form
Polygenic - Answers - A trait or characteristic that is under the influence of multiple
genes
How many chromosomes do males have? - Answers - 22 regular chromosomes plus
XY
How many chromosomes do woman have? - Answers - 22 regular chromosomes plus
XX
How many genes do monozygotic twins share? - Answers - 100%
How many genes do dizygotic twins share? - Answers - 99.5% genes
Concordance rate - Answers - The percentage of two individuals who match one
another with respect to the presence of a particular characteristic or condition
What does it mean if concordance rates are higher in MZ twins then DZ twins? -
Answers - The trait is more genetic then a matter of environment
Issues with twin studies - Answers - - sample sizes
