Advanced Crim.
October 26, 2014
Ch. 2 Homework
1. When a person is around a deviant person, they tend to start imitating the deviant. Imitation refers to the engagement in behavior after the observation of similar behavior in others. Whether or not the behavior modeled by others will be imitated is affected by the characteristics of the models, the behavior observed, and the observed consequences of the behavior. If a person sees that the deviant person is getting away with the deviant behavior, they are going to imitate the deviant person to see if they can get by with it as well.
2. Definitions are one's own attitudes or meanings that one attaches to given behavior. Definitions are orientations, rationalizations, definition of the situation, and other evaluative and moral attitudes that define the commission of an act as right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable, justified or unjustified. In social learning theory, these definitions are both general and specific. General beliefs include religious, moral, and other conventional values and norms that are favorable to conforming behavior and unfavorable to committing any deviant or criminal acts. Specific definitions orient the person to particular acts or series of acts.
3. The probability that an act will be committed or repeated is increased by rewarding outcomes or reactions to it, which may obtain approval, money, food, or pleasant feelings. That is referred to positive reinforcement. The likelihood that an action will be taken is also enhanced when it allows the person to avoid or escape aversive or unpleasant events are referred to as negative reinforcement.
4. Social learning process is one in which the balance of learned definitions, imitation of criminal
