FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE Gene Environment Correlations rGE Environments are heritable People choose environments that suit them as well This produces gene environment correlations 3 types of rGEs Passive when ones genotype and environment both come from same source Evocative or reactive when the genotype causes certain reactions from the environment Active when the genotype is involved in the selection of environments that are compatible with one s genetic tendencies Passive Parents Childs Genotype Childs Environment Evocative or Reactive Genotype Behavior Environmental Reaction Active Genotype Testing for rGEs Environment 1 Environment 2 Environment 3 Calculate heritability estimates for environment Determine whether genetic polymorphisms are associated with environment difficult to determine between passive and evocative Learning Theories Southerland s Differential Association theory Criminal behavior is learned just as any other behavior Behavior is learned via communication with others Occurs within intimate personal groups Motives or drives are based upon whether the definition of a law is favorable or Learning criminal behavior includes learning of techniques motives drives rationalizations and attitudes unfavorable motives or drive to disobey them These motives vary in frequency duration priority and intensity most relevant features of social relations A person becomes delinquent when they decide more laws are unfavorable and gain longer duration more delinquency Priority is weakly associated with delinquency Criminal behavior learning involves same mechanisms for learning any other behavior Criminal behavior is not explained by needs values Delinquency When an individual has an excess of definitions of the law that are favorable to disobeying violating them over unfavorable definitions to disobey violate aka when someone has learned to want to violate the law favorable more than they want to obey unfavorable Quiz question Peers primarily influence delinquency through process of Answer Attitude Transference Attitude transference focuses on peers influence into delinquency The person finds their peers behavior matters more and they use imitation and vicarious reinforcement Burgess Akers Sutherland did not describe how learning occurs Burgess Akers sought to explain precise learning mechanisms used in Differential Association Principles of operant and respondent conditioning Criminal Behavior is conditioned by punishment reward reinforcements Stimuli thought of reward or reinforcement of reward provides cues for behavior Four central concepts to learning Differential Association strongest relationship to delinquency Primary variable Interactional normative Measured as of friends who are involved in delinquency Based on perception of their friends Definitions General specific positive negative and neutralizing Differential reinforcement strongest relationship to delinquency Imitation Greater association with delinquent peers greater delinquency Goes back to imitation and vicarious reinforcement Support mostly found for prediction drug abuse and minor forms of deviance not a general theory Response effect respondents impute their own delinquency in reporting about their friends delinquency Friendship nomination data o Respondents report their own behavior o Respondents identify their friends o Friends are asked about their own behavior o Friends identify their friends more reliable than perception data Characteristics of friendship network data o Density degree to which members know interact and communicate with each other o Centrality individual s position within the friendship network o Popularity number of friendship nominations Friends delinquency was associated with respondent s delinquency direct measure More dense delinquent network high density predicted more delinquency Central location in the delinquent network high centrality predicted more delinquency Popularity predicted some involvement in delinquency Selection effects delinquency increases exposure to delinquent peers For example Criminals are more likely to meet more criminals due to the nature of where they are what they are doing who they are with Social causation delinquent peers come before delinquency For example Kids start hanging with the wrong crowd go down the wrong path Selection process o Behavioral similarity o Attitude similarity o Risk similarity o Gender race ethnic similarity Influence process o Status gain loss o Loyalty o Ridicule o Diffusion of responsibility Delinquent peers Delinquency Prior Delinquency Delinquent Peers Effect of delinquency on delinquent peers is LARGER than the effect of delinquent peers on delinquency o Selection effect once again criminals are more likely to meet other criminals Boys who joined gangs are more delinquent before joining the gang Selection effect criminals likely to meet other criminals After joining gang delinquency increased Social causation gang influences them to commit crimes After exiting the gang increased delinquency stopped Environmental Influences Gottfredson Hirschi parents create self control in their children monitor recognize and punish deviant behavior Wright Beaver influence of parental socialization on self control tends to be overestimated Executive functions of prefrontal cortex QUIZ QUESTION o Behavior inhibitions regulating o Self Regulation Self control o Emotion control Beaver examine whether levels of self control are parental socialization or biogenic factor o Fine and gross motor skills both predicted low self control o Parenting measures had small inconsistent effects on self control Adverse Negative environments affect brain development She covered this many times May be important Poor brain development leads to antisocial behaviors Negative environments toxins o Prenatal before birth early life exposure disrupts brain development o Cigarette smoke lead alcohol etc o Children are more likely to absorb toxins and not detoxify them Negative environment malnutrition o Linked to antisocial behavior in children adults o Neurocognitive deficits link malnutrition to antisocial behavior Negative environment abuse and neglect o Greatest risk for antisocial behavior is abuse neglect criminogenic environment o Stress hormones from severe abuse neglect disrupt brain development o Example of passive rGE Environments that affect brain development are the most important o Influence criminal behavior across life course o Shared environments
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