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Ch. 5
Criminology
77
Criminal Justice
Undergraduate 2
05/23/2014

Additional Criminal Justice Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Positivism
Definition
the branch of social science that uses the scientific method of the natural sciences and suggest that human behavior is a product of social, biological, psychological, or economic forces
Term
Psychopathic Personality
Definition
a personality characterized by a lack of warmth and feeling, inappropriate behavior responses, and an inability to learn from experience. Some psychologists view psychopathy as a result of childhood trauma; others see it as a result of biological abnormality
Term
Atavistic anomalies
Definition
the physical characteristics (enormous jaws and strong canine teeth) of criminals that show they are throwbacks to more primitive times
Term
Biological Determinism
Definition
the view that criminality is the result of inherited physical traits; a belief that criminogenic traits can be aquired through indirect heredity from a degenerate family whose members suffered from sich ills as insanity, syphilis, and alchoholism, or through direct heredity-being related to a family of criminals
Term
Criminal anthropology
Definition
the field of study that believes that serious offenders inherit criminal trait; eary efforts to discover a biological basis of crime through measurement of physical and mental processes
Term
Inheritance school
Definition
traced the activities of serveral generations of families believed to have an especially large number of criminal members
Term
Somatotype
Definition
a system developed for categorizing people on the basis of their body build
Term
Biosocial Theory
Definition
an intergrated theoretical approach that suggests physical, environmental, and social conditions work in concert to produce human behavior
Term
Biophobia
Definition
the view that no serious consideration should be given to biological factors when attempting to understand human nature
Term
Sociobiology
Definition
stresses that biological and genetic conditions affect how social behaviors are learned and perceived
Term
Reciprocal altruism
Definition
even when they come to the aid of others, people are motivated by the belief that their actions will be reciprocated and that their gene survival capability will be enhanced
Term
Trait Theory
Definition
if biological (genetic) makeup controls human behavior, it follows that it should also be responsible for determining whether a person chooses law-violating or conventional behavior
Term
Equipotentiality
Definition
view that all individuals are equal at birth and are thereafter influenced by their environment
Term
Hypoglycemia
Definition
occurs when glucose in the blood falls below levels necessary for normal and efficient brain functioning
Term
Androgens
Definition
male sex hormones that produce aggressive behavior
Term
Testosterone
Definition
the most abundant androgen and principal male steroid hormone that controls secondary sex characteristics such as facial hair and voice timbre
Term
Neocortex
Definition
the part of the brain that controls sympathetic feelings toward others
Term
PMS
Definition
the onset of the menstrual cycle triggers excessive ammounts of the female sex hormone that affects antisocial, aggresive behavior
Term
Cerebral Allergies
Definition
allergies that cause an excessive reaction in the brain
Term
Neuroallergies
Definition
allergies that affect the nervous system
Term
Neurophysiology
Definition
the study of brain activity
Term
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Definition
records the electrical impulsives given off by the brain
Term
Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD)
Definition
an abruptly appearing, maladaptive behavior that interrups an individual's lifestyle and life flow that is related to an abnormality in teh cerebral structure
Term
Learning Disability
Definition
a type of minimal brain disfunction in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language
Term
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Definition
a condition in which a child shows a developmentally inappropriate lack of attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity
Term
Conduct Disorder
Definition
behaviors such as fighting that are early signs that the child is among the most at risk for persistant antisocial behaviors continuing into adulthood
Term
Chemical restraints or chemical straitjackets
Definition
antipsychotic drugs such as Hadol, Stelazine, Prolixin, and Risperdal that help control levels of neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine)
Term
Arousal Theory
Definition
for a variety of genetic and environmental reasons, some people's brains function differently in response to envronmental stimuli
Term
Contagion Effect
Definition
it is possible that what appear to be genetic effect picked up by the twin research is actually the affect of sibling influence on criminality
Term
Defective Intelligence
Definition
Charles Goring uncovered a significant relationship b/w crime and traits as feeblemindedness, epilepsy, insanity, and defective social instinct, which he called "defective intelligience"
Term
Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic perspective
Definition
focus is on early childhood experience and its effect on personality
Term
Behaviorism
Definition
stresses social learning and behavior modeling as the keys to criminality
Term
Cognitive Theory
Definition
analyzes human perception and how it affects behavior
Term
ID
Definition
the primitive part of an individual's mental makeup present at birth; it represents unconcious biological drives for sex, food, and other life-sustaining necessities
Term
Pleasure principle
Definition
the ID requires instant gratification w/o concern for the rights of others
Term
Ego
Definition
the part of the personality that compensates for the demands of the ID by helping the individual guide his or her actions to remain w/i the boundaries of social convention
Term
Reality Principle
Definition
ego takes into account what is practical and conventional by societal standards
Term
Superego
Definition
develops as a result of incorporating w/i the personality the moral standards and values of parents, community, and significant others. It is the moral aspect of an individual's personality; it passes judgement on behavior
Term
Conscience
Definition
1 or 2 parts of the superego; it distinguishes b/w what is right and wrong
Term
Ego Ideal
Definition
part of superego; directs the individual into morally acceptable and responsible behaviors that may not be pleasurable
Term
Eros
Definition
the instinct to preserve and creat life
Term
Thanatos
Definition
the death instinct, which is expressed as aggression
Term
Oral stage
Definition
named by Freud, it is the first year of life in which a child attains pleasure by sucking and biting
Term
Anal stage
Definition
the second and third years of life in which the focus of sexual attention is on the elimination of bodily wastes
Term
Phallic stage
Definition
occurs during the third year when children focus their attention on their genitals
Term
Oedipus complex
Definition
a stage of development where males begin to have sexual feelings for their mothers
Term
Electra complex
Definition
a stage of development when females begin to have sexual feelings for their fathers
Term
Latency
Definition
begins at age 6; during this period feelings of sexuality are repressed until the genital stage begins at puberty
Term
Fixated
Definition
an adult who exhibits behavior traits charactic of those encoutered during infantile sexual development
Term
Inferiority complex
Definition
coined by Alfred Adler, it describes peoiple who have feeling of inferiority and compensate for them with a drive for superiority
Term
Identity crisis
Definition
a period of serious personal questioning people undertake in an effort to determine their own values and sense of direction
Term
Latent deliquency
Definition
a predisposition that psychologically prepares youth for antisocial acts
Term
Bipolar disorder
Definition
a condition in which a person's moods alternate b/w period of wild elation and deep depression
Term
Attachment Theory
Definition
a view, associated with John Bowlby, that suggest the ability to form attachments, that is an emotional bond to another person , has important lasting psychological implicatiuonsthat follow people across the life span
Term
Alexithymia
Definition
a deficit in emotion cognition that prevents a person from being aware of their feelings or being able to understand or talk about their thoughts or emotions; they seem robotic and emotionally dead
Term
Psychosis
Definition
includes severe mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar (manic depression), and schizophrenia
Term
Disorders
Definition
the condition in which a person exhibits illogical and incoherent thought processes and a lack of insight into their behavior
Term
Schizophrenia
Definition
the conditions in which a person may hear nonexistent voices, hallucinater, and make innappropriate behavioral responses
Term
Paranoid Schizophrenic
Definition
suffers complex behavior delusions involving wrongdoing or persecution; they think everyone is out to get them
Term
Social Learning
Definition
the branch of behavior theory that proposes that people are not actually born with the abilty to be violent but that they learn to be aggresive through their life experiences
Term
Behavior Modeling
Definition
process of learning behavior (noteably aggression) by observing others; the models may be parents, criminals in the neighborhood, or characters on TV or in movies
Term
Moral Development
Definition
concerned with the way people morally represent and reason about the world
Term
Humanistic Psychology
Definition
stresses self-awareness and "getting in touch with feelings"
Term
Information Processing
Definition
focuses on the way people process, store, encode, retrieve, and manipulate information to make decisions and solve problems
Term
Personality
Definition
the reasonably stable patterns of behavior, incluidng thoughts and emotions that distinguish one person from another
Term
Sadistic personality disorder
Definition
an extreme disorder defined by a repeat pattern of cruel and demaning behavior. People suffering from this are prone to engage in violent attacks including homicides motivated by sexual sadism
Term
Psychopathy
Definition
a term commonly used to describe people who have an anti-social personality. While used interchangibly with the term sociopath, psychologists distinguish a psychopath as someone who is a product of a defect or aberration w/i them self
Term
Sociopath
Definition
a term commonly used to describe people who have anti-social personality. While used interchangibly with psychopath, phychologists distinguish a sociopath as someone who is a product of a destructive home environment
Term
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
Definition
the test that has subscales designed to measure many different personality traits, including psychopathic deviation (Pd scale), schizophrenia (Sc), and hypomania (Ma)
Term
Califonia Personality Inventory (CPI)
Definition
has been used to distinguish deviants from nondevient groups
Term
Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)
Definition
allows researchers to assess such personality traits as control, aggression, alientation, and well-being
Term
Intelligence
Definition
a term that refers to a person's ability to reason, comprehend ideas, solve problems, think abstractly, understand complex ideas, learn from experience, and discover solutions to complex problems
Term
Nature Theory
Definition
a theory that argues intelligences is largely determines genetically, that ancestry determines IQ, and that low intelligence, as demonstrated by low IQ, is linked to criminal behavior
Term
Nurture Theory
Definition
a theory that aruges intelligence must be viewed as partly biological but primarily sociological and that low IQs result from an environment that also encourages delinquent and criminal behavior
Term
Primary Prevention Programs
Definition
programs that seek to treat personal problems before they manifest themselves as crime
Term
Secondary Prevention Programs
Definition
provide treatment such as psychological counseling to youths and adults after they have violated the law
Term
Tertiary Prevention Programs
Definition
prevention programs that are required by a probation order, part of a diversionary sentence, or associated with aftercare following a prison sentence
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