4 Theories of Individual Criminal Behavior Online Quiz Questions

A person comes to regard theft as acceptable after seeing peers praised for it and benefit from it. Which perspective most directly examines how this behavior may have been learned?

Researchers find that exposure to violence is associated with a higher likelihood of offending in a group. Which conclusion is best supported by a careful positivist interpretation?

A person plans a burglary after deciding that the expected reward outweighs the perceived chance of being caught. Which question most directly reflects a classical explanation of the decision?

Which principles are consistent with the classical approach to deterrence? Select all that apply.

Which statements describe mechanisms that psychological theories may examine without claiming that any single factor determines criminal behavior? Select all that apply.

A factor associated with offending in a group does not, by itself, establish that a particular individual will commit a crime.

According to the classical approach described here, increasing the severity of punishment alone is necessarily the most effective way to deter crime.

What term describes using punishment to prevent crime by influencing a person’s choices through its perceived costs?

What term describes a relationship between a risk factor and offending when the relationship alone does not prove that the factor caused the offending?

Imagine that a person commits an offense impulsively while under pressure. Explain how a classical theory and a psychological theory might each help interpret the behavior, and identify one reason neither perspective alone should be treated as a complete explanation.

A researcher studying an offense considers both the person’s choices and the circumstances that shaped those choices. Which statement best reflects how criminological perspectives can be used together?

A practitioner wants to use psychological explanations when designing an intervention. Which approach best reflects the strengths and limits of these theories?

A city wants to apply classical theory when responding to planned shoplifting. Which policy best reflects that theory's approach to deterrence?

True or false: If a person has one characteristic associated with increased offending, positivist theory establishes that the person will commit a crime.

What term describes using punishment to prevent crime by influencing a person's choices?

In a particular setting, a person sees theft modeled by others and notices that it is rewarded. Which psychological approach most directly explains how this experience could make theft more likely?

Which classical-school thinker argued that punishment should be sufficiently certain and prompt?

A researcher examines how a person's reasoning about rules, consequences, and other people's rights develops over time. Which psychological approach is most directly relevant?