Chapter 3: Psychological Approaches to Understanding Crime

1. Strain theory suggests that crime is the consequence of social structures

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: A

2. Possible causes of crime proposed by the strain theory include all except

  1. Inequalities in society
  2. Unemployment
  3. Abuse of authority
  4. An extra chromosome

Answer: D

3. A key limitation of the strain theory is that it is

  1. Only concerned with society’s influence on crime
  2. Difficult to research the theory empirically
  3. Only concerned with evolutionary influences on crime
  4. Based solely on one person’s data

Answer: B

4. Lombroso suggested that offenders could be identified from non-offenders by

  1. The social groups they adhere to
  2. Facial features/physical characteristics *
  3. Sexual arousal from photographs
  4. Psychophysiological responses

Answer: B

5. Social learning theory suggests that crime is committed by those who

  1. Cannot meet goals any other way
  2. Value anti-social  behaviour over pro-social behaviour
  3. View pro-social behaviour as aberrant
  4. Imitate peers and have that behaviour reinforced by societal rewards.

Answer: D

6. Identify the chromosomal anomaly that was wrongly linked to increased criminality

  1. Turner Syndrome
  2. XYY Syndrome
  3. Edwards Syndrome
  4. Fragile X Syndrome

Answer: B

7. Monozygotic twins are

  1. Conjoined twins
  2. Identical twins
  3. Fraternal twins
  4. non-identical twins

Answer: B

8. Adrenaline  has masculinising and anabolic effects in both sexes and has been linked to increases in aggression

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: B

9. Which neurotransmitter is of particular interest in studies of aggression

  1. GABA
  2. Tryptophan
  3. Serotonin*
  4. Acetylcholine

Answer: C

10. Availability of serotonin  can be increased via all the following drugs except

  1. Serotonin agonists
  2. MAO inhibitors
  3. 5-HT inhibitors
  4. Statins

Answer: D

11. Psychopathy is disorder which results in a lack of empathy, exploitation of others, and impulsiveness which might be seen as providing an evolutionary advantage to the individual diagnosed with it

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: A

12. Which theory has not been explored as a possible explanation of the crime of rape

  1. Biological Theory
  2. Evolutionary Theory
  3. Social Learning Theory
  4. Feature Integration Theory

Answer: D

13. Eysenck’s personality theory explores traits that he believed were socially and genetically determined including lycanthropy

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: B

14. Biosocial theory is an attempt to link biological characteristics and cognitive learning styles

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: B

15. Harrower’s Integrated Theory (1998) is intended to provide an integrated theoretical framework for explaining rape.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: A