Unit 1: The World of Criminology
This famous 1971 experiment by Philip Zimbardo studied the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or guard.
What is the Stanford Prison Experiment?
This famous psychoanalyst proposed that imbalances between the Id, Ego, and Superego could contribute to criminal behavior.
Who is Sigmund Freud?
This theory suggests that visible signs of disorder, like broken windows, can encourage more serious crime in a neighborhood.
What is the Broken Windows Theory?
These crimes typically involve taking property but usually do not involve directly harming other people.
What are crimes against property?
A person commits a crime without intent, such as accidentally causing death, highlighting the legal distinction between mens rea and actus reus.
What is involuntary manslaughter?
This Latin term means “guilty mind” and refers to the intent to commit a crime.
What is mens rea (criminal intent)?
This term describes theories, like phrenology or Lombroso’s methods, that claim scientific validity but rely on anecdotal evidence and are not supported by modern science.
What is pseudoscience?
According to this theory, youth with few legitimate opportunities are more likely to commit crimes or engage in antisocial behavior.
What is Differential Opportunity Theory?
This term refers to the theft of property without directly confronting a person, such as shoplifting or stealing a bike.
What is larceny?
This interdisciplinary field studies criminal behavior by combining psychological, biological, and sociological perspectives, examining factors like intent, opportunity, social environment, and learned behavior to understand why individuals commit crimes.
What is criminology?
This term refers to the physical act of committing a crime — the “guilty act” that must occur for criminal charges to apply.
What is actus reus?
This theorist founded phrenology, studying head shape as a supposed indicator of personality and criminal tendencies.
Who is Franz Joseph Gall?
This type of deviance occurs when society labels an individual as a criminal, influencing their identity and future behavior.
What is secondary deviance?
This type of murder is deliberate, often premeditated, and can occur during the commission of another serious crime.
What is first-degree murder?
This legal defense allows a person to use reasonable force to protect themselves and shows a lack of criminal intent.
What is self-defense?
This social learning psychologist demonstrated that children imitate aggressive behavior they observe in adults, as seen in the Bobo doll study.
Who is Albert Bandura?
This theory suggests that criminal behavior is learned through observing others and the consequences of their actions, similar to how any behavior is acquired.
What is Social Learning Theory?
This type of assault involves threats or physical fights without a weapon and usually causes less serious injury.
What is simple assault?
This debate in criminology explores whether deviant behavior is inherited or shaped by environment.
What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
This theory connects body types—ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph—to personality traits and potential criminal behavior.
What is Sheldon’s somatotype theory?
This social theory examines why certain neighborhoods experience higher crime rates, often due to poverty, lack of supervision, and environmental factors.
What is social disorganization theory?
This crime involves setting fire to a property and can be classified as first, second, or third degree depending on intent and presence of people.
What is arson?