Multiple Choice Questions

Part A -

1. The basic premise of strain theory is that crime occurs when:

a. there is a discrepancy between the materialistic values and goals cherished in our society and the availability of legitimate means for reaching these goals.

b. a society's values are too materialistic.

c. there is not enough value placed on doing the "right thing".

d. the economically and socially disadvantaged give up on the American dream.

e. one's level of stress far outweighs one's coping mechanisms.

2. Social control theory is an example of perspective.

a. the conformity

b. the confirmation

c. Merton's strain

d. the nonconformist

e. the learning

3. Which one of the following would NOT be a primary concern of sociological criminology?

a. personality characteristics of rapists

b. age characteristics of murderers

c. gender of victims of aggravated assault

d. relationship of victim to offender

e. none of the above

4. The psychodynamic approach explains behavior in terms of:

a. motives and drives.

b. personality traits.

c. free will.

d. logic.

e. heredity and family history.

5. Social control theorists contend that crime occurs when:

a. an individual's ties to the conventional order are weak.

b. an individual's ties to normative standards are nonexistent.

c. an individual behaves in a positive way.

d. a and b only

e. None of the above.

6. When examining the relationship between single-parent homes and delinquency, it is important to focus on:

a. socioeconomic status.

b. the past criminal behavior of the primary caregiver.

c. family size.

d. the number of employed adults in the home.

e. process rather than structure.

7. Snyder and Patterson's (1987) enmeshed parenting style is similar to Baumrind's style.

a. laissez -faire

b. lax

c. authoritarian

d. neglecting

e. authoritative

8. Research has shown that children who are both physically aggressive and have a high probability of becoming serious delinquents.

a. living in poverty

b. emotionally aggressive

c. socially rejected by peers

d. struggling in school

e. living in a single parent home

9. Several studies suggest that parental monitoring is especially important between the ages of:

a. nine to sixteen.

b. six weeks to five.

c. five to eighteen.

d. twelve to seventeen.

e. thirteen to sixteen.

10. Research on sibling influence on delinquency indicates:

a. the risk of delinquency is lower when the delinquent sibling is closer in age.

b. older siblings reinforce antisocial behavior regardless of the relationship between the siblings.

c. older siblings reinforce antisocial behavior only when the siblings have a close relationship.

d. the delinquent sibling reinforces antisocial behavior when siblings are of the same gender.

e. a and c only

11. Rudy rarely cries when his mother leaves the room and shows no reaction when his mother picks him up. Rudy is displaying signs of attachment.

a. avoidant

b. secure

c. ambivalent

d. enmeshed

e. unemotional

12. Which statement is NOT true about language impairment and antisocial behavior?

a. It increases frustration levels in children who have difficulty expressing themselves.

b. It teaches children to think outside the box and problem-solve in socially appropriate ways.

c. It can lead to peer rejection and poor academic performance.

d. It can be a strong predictor of later adult criminal behavior.

e. It is evident in the background of a high percentage of children diagnosed with conduct disorders.

13. The small group of nerve cells in the brain involved in aggressive behavior is called the and is part of the system.

a. amygdala; limbic

b. frontal lobe; central nervous

c. hippocampus; limbic

d. atempora; activating

e. lafleur; peripheral nervous

14. The phenomenon in which the brain's structure and function are affected by experience is called:

a. intelligence quotient.

b. elasticity.

c. durability.

d. plasticity.

e. neural synapse.

15. Most contemporary researchers of temperament focus on:

a. school-aged children.

b. incarcerated males.

c. families with two or more children.

d. infants.

e. pre-school girls.

16. According to Akers' differential association reinforcement theory, criminal behavior develops primarily as the result of:

a. frustration.

b. heightened expectancies that are innate in the individual.

c. social reinforcements given by significant others.

d. classical conditioning.

e. modeling.

17. Akers' differential association reinforcement theory is based largely on the criminological theory of:

a. Edwin Sutherland.

b. Albert Bandura.

c. Albert Cohen.

d. Walter Miller.

e. B.F. Skinner.

18. According to Julian Rotter, whether a particular pattern of behavior will occur depends on:

a. operant conditioning.

b. classical conditioning.

c. our ability to control biological drives.

d. biological programming.

e. our expectancies and how much we value the outcome.

19. The common human tendency to discount the influence of a situation and explain behavior by referring to the personality of an actor is called:

a. reductionism.

b. type I error.

c. ecological error.

d. fundamental attribution error.

e. type II error.

20. Milgram's famous studies on obedience to authority indicate that:

a. people pay little attention to authority figures once they become adults.

b. in general, Americans are not obedient or conforming.

c. most people are obedient to authority even if it causes pain to others.

d. children are less obedient to authority than adults.

e. adults are more obedient to authority than children.

21. Which of the following conclusions is supported by Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment?

a. Situational variables are powerful determinants of behavior.

b. An individual's personality is more important than situational factors in determining behavior.

c. Most people remain true to their principles, even when put into psychologically compelling situations.

d. People do not easily become deindividuated.

e. One's spiritual beliefs largely determine behavior.

22. Behaviorism is to as social learning is to

a. biological drives; socialization

b. objectivity; subjectivity

c. reinforcement; environmental stimuli

d. past; present

e. environmental stimuli; cognition

23 According to Sutherland's theory of differential association:

a. criminal behavior can be learned only by associating with others who are criminal.

b. violent behavior is biologically determined.

c. criminal behavior is learned like any other behavior.

d. criminal behavior is learned primarily through classical conditioning.

e. None of the above.

24. If Bandura's position is essentially correct, then aggressive and violent behavior can be substantially reduced by:

a. providing appropriate models.

b. physically punishing children for aggressive behavior.

c. allowing children to blow off steam in socially desirables ways.

d. controlling the sale of guns and weapons in our society.

e. reducing high school truancy.

25. The belief that all behavior is at the mercy of stimuli in the environment is called:

a. the ecological fallacy.

b. situationism.

c. fundamental attribution error.

d. empiricism.

e. expectancy theory.

Part B -

1. One of the criticisms of "Stand-Your-Ground" laws is that they:

a. obligate the potential victim to flee.

b. promote racial discrimination.

c. encourage confrontation.

d. pertain to homeowners in high socioeconomic neighborhoods.

e. require an individual to be in grave danger before using force.

2. The psychodynamic approach to the treatment of aggressive behavior would most likely emphasize:

a. appropriate modeling.

b. reinforcement.

c. reduction of aggressive energy through supervised aggressive behavior.

d. avoidance of aggressive-provoking stimuli.

e. None of the above.

3. The social learning approach to the reduction of aggressive behavior would most likely emphasize:

a. appropriate modeling.

b. reinforcement for nonaggressive behavior in situations where aggressive behavior was previously demonstrated.

c. punishment of aggressive models.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

4. According to the social learning position, the manifestation of aggressive behavior depends on:

a. what happens to the model as a consequence of his or her behavior.

b. the reinforcement gained as a result of the behavior.

c. the attention and cognitive ability of the observer when watching the model.

d. All of the above.

e. a and b only

5. Malicious gossip is an example of what type of human aggression?

a. direct active verbal

b. indirect active verbal

c. direct passive verbal

d. indirect passive verbal

e. directive instrumental

6. Cognitive scripts are behavioral patterns for certain situations that are to change.

a. available; relatively easy

b. persistent; resistant

c. innate; impossible

d. aggressive; relatively easy

e. simple; impossible

7. The tendency of a variety of people across the country to model or copy particular criminal activity portrayed by the entertainment media is called:

a. contagion effect.

b. copy-cat syndrome.

c. escalation.

d. circular imagining.

e. media modeling.

8. The tendency to perceive hostile intent in others even when it is totally lacking is called:

a. hostile preference.

b. Meckel's syndrome.

c. hostile attribution bias.

d. inductive bias.

e. grisi siknis.

9. During early stages of frustration or general arousal, cognitive processes appear to have little influence beyond the immediate appraisal that the situation is aversive. This description outlines a stage of what model of aggression and violence?

a. cognitive expectancy theory

b. neo-frustration-aggression model

c. cognitive neoassociation model

d. weapons effect model

e. cognitive scripts model

10. The type of aggression that includes anger expressions, temper tantrums, vengeful hostility, and more generally "hot-blooded" aggressive acts is called:

a. proactive aggression.

b. mediated aggression.

c. aggressive mimicry.

d. reactive aggression.

e. expressive aggression.

11. Which statement is untrue about gender differences in status offenses?

a. Girls are more likely than boys to be taken into custody for status offending.

b. Recent research suggests that gender differences in offending may be explained by innate biological factors.

c. Girls are more likely to run away from home because of victimization in the home.

d. Historically, girls and boys' socialization resulted in impacted gender differences.

e. None of the above.

12. A boy who hits at age three, shoplifts at age ten, commits burglary at age 19, and rapes at 26 would be considered a(n):

a. life-course persistent offender.

b. ADHD offender.

c. adolescent-limited offender.

d. antisocial offender.

e. incorrigible delinquent.

13. Which of the following is not a characteristic of successful intervention programs for serious juvenile offenders?

a. follows developmental principles

b. focuses on the juvenile's family

c. begins early in the developmental trajectory of the child

d. uses peer groups as models for change

e. respects cultural backgrounds

14. Most of the crime of the young is committed by:

a. AL offenders.

b. LCP offenders.

c. psychopaths.

d. gang members.

e. ADHD offenders.

15. Poor interpersonal skills, conduct disorders, and difficult temperaments are often found in the background of offenders.

a. AL

b. ADHD

c. LCP

d. delinquent

e. status

16. The age at which an individual is no longer considered a juvenile offender:

a. is 16.

b. varies from state to state.

c. is 17.

d. is 18.

e. ranges from 5 to 13.

17. prevention consists of working with children and adolescents who demonstrate some early signs of aggressive, antisocial, conduct disorder, or delinquent behavior but have not yet been formally classified as delinquent.

a. Primary

b. Multisystemic

c. Tertiary

d. Indicated

e. Secondary

18. Those psychopaths who commit antisocial or violent acts because of severe emotional problems or inner conflicts are referred to as psychopaths.

a. primary

b. mentally disordered

c. secondary

d. psychotic

e. disassociative

19. Robert Hare's research focuses on the of the psychopath.

a. family background

b. neurological features

c. socioeconomic status

d. intelligence

e. antisocial tendencies

20. The behavior of the psychopath appears to be primarily an attempt to:

a. receive sexual satisfaction.

b. obtain adequate stimulation.

c. relive his or her childhood.

d. avoid punishment.

e. get back at society.

21. The childhood of the psychopath is often characterized by:

a. hyperactivity.

b. cruelty to animals.

c. enuresis.

d. fire setting.

e. poor school performance.

22. Criminal psychopaths make up about what percent of the adult prison population?

a. 5-8%

b. 15-25%

c. 85-0%

d. 45-55%

e. 30-43%

23. A psychopath would most likely explain his/her criminal behavior by saying:

a. "I did it because everyone else was doing it."

b. "I did it for the hell of it."

c. "I did it because it is what I do best."

d. "I did it for the money."

e. "I did it because I've been wronged."

24. The core behavioral dimension that reflects a socially deviant lifestyle, such as impulsiveness, excessive needs for stimulation, and lack of realistic goals is referred to as psychopathic:

a. factor I.

b. factor 2.

c. factor 3.

d. factor 4.

e. asymmetry.

25. Robert Hare's research studies have found that criminal psychopaths appear to be deficient in:

a. linguistic processing.

b. common sense.

c. intelligence.

d. logic.

e. boundary apathy.

Part C -

1. The most common form of intrafamilial violence involves:

a. siblings.

b. spouses.

c. parent acting violently toward a child.

d. child acting violently toward a parent.

e. step-child acting violently toward step-parent.

2. In family violence, the term "battering" is generally reserved for:

a. heterosexual physical violence.

b. psychological abuse.

c. emotional abuse.

d. physical violence.

e. sexual violence.

3. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1974 made what activity a federal crime?

a. trading in unregistered guns for cash

b. ownership of assault-type weapons

c. juvenile possession of handgun ammunition

d. shooting animals without a license

e. owning a pistol without a license

4. The likeliest candidates for elder abuse appear to be:

a. African American women ages 75-85, upper class.

b. African American women ages 55-65, lower class.

c. white women ages 75-85, upper class.

d. white women ages 75-85, lower class.

e. African American males ages 75-85.

5. Terrorist activity is often included in which of the FBI's category of homicide?

a. group cause homicide

b. criminal enterprise murder

c. personal cause murder

d. sexual homicide

e. politically motivated homicide

6. The most effective way of breaking the wife-abuse cycle appears to be to:

a. change the abuser's attitudinal system.

b. change an abuser's social network.

c. use legal sanctions.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

7. When a caregiver fabricates or intentionally causes symptoms in those they are caring for in order to seek and obtain medical treatment, it is usually a case of:

a. the woozle effect.

b. phanerothyme.

c. Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

d. Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

e. Guillain-Barre syndrome.

8. Research on family violence indicates:

a. participants in family violence were themselves childhood victims of family violence.

b. no clear or consistent evidence that individuals who violently attack family members were themselves childhood victims of family violence.

c. spouse batterers have a history of being physically and sexually abused as children.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

9. Alcohol and drug abuse appear to:

a. play a causal role in family violence.

b. exacerbate but not cause in family violence.

c. cause child abuse but not spouse abuse.

d. cause spousal abuse but not child abuse.

e. a and d only

10. According to the text, criminal profiling is currently most useful in identifying the perpetrator of what type of offense?

a. serial homicide

b. drug-induced crime

c. political crimes

d. serial rape

e. aggravated assault

11 The tendency to gather evidence that confirms one's pre-existing expectations, while failing to seek contradictory information, is called:

a. biased profiling.

b. pre-existing orientation.

c. tunnel effect.

d. skewed reconnaissance.

e. confirmation bias.

12. A serial violent offender who does not specifically search for victims is using which one of Rossmo's four hunting patterns?

a. Poacher

b. Scavenger

c. Trapper

d. Hunter

e. Troller

13. A term coined by Havelock Ellis that refers to self-arousal and the self-gratification of sexual arousal is:

a. autoeroticism.

b. authochthonous.

c. autoplasty.

d. autophagy.

e. autopagnosia.

14. The primary difference between what qualifies as serial murders and what qualifies as mass murders is:

a. premeditation.

b. the selection of victims.

c. a cooling-off period.

d. the number of victims.

e. the weapons used.

15. The murders at Virginia Tech in 2007 is an example of:

a. domestic terrorism.

b. spree murder.

c. serial murder.

d. classic mass murder.

e. b and d only

16. The strongest determining factor of victim selection for most serial murders is the of the victim.

a. availability

b. appearance

c. sexuality

d. psychological characteristics

e. social isolation

17. Which of the following is not listed in the text as a motive of male serial murderers?

a. domination

b. sexual excitement

c. media attention

d. material gain

e. game playing

18. Jenkins' 1988 study of serial killers in England found that:

a. serial killers had a long history of violent offenses before caught.

b. serial killers began killing at a late age.

c. serial killers had extensive juvenile records.

d. many were divorced.

e. the majority were former police officers.

19. What practice accounts in part for the fact that ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in arrest statistics?

a. racial profiling

b. geographic profiling

c. psychological autopsy

d. criminal profiling

e. None of the above.

20. Bandura believes that terrorists justify their horrific acts in what way?

a. through a process of cognitive restructuring

b. by associating themselves with religious zeal

c. by accepting responsibility for their actions

d. by denying that their actions are truly harmful

e. through a process of learned helplessness

21. A process that reduces human beings to the level of nonhuman animals without individuality, dignity or autonomy is known as:

a. animal morphism.

b. deferred prosecution.

c. dehumanization.

d. degradation.

e. deindividuation.

22. Terrorists may view their actions as stemming from the dictates of authorities and leaders rather than from their own personal responsibility. This process is called:

a. dehumanization.

b. deindividuation.

c. dichotomy of the identity.

d. disassociation.

e. displacement of responsibility.

23. Diffusion of responsibility is similar to the concept of:

a. deindividuation.

b. risky shift.

c. authority conformity.

d. moral destruction.

e. maturation-degeneration hypothesis.

24. When a person lacks motivation to act after exposure to unpleasant events over which he feels he has not control, he is probably experiencing:

a. learned helplessness.

b. learned aversion.

c. proactive depression.

d. nuchal rigidity.

e. Erickson's industry versus inferiority stage of moral development.

25. Highly violent anti-abortion activists are placed in which one of the FBI terrorists groups?

a. radical misogynists

b. religious radicals

c. psychologically motivated terrorists

d. radical psychological terrorists

e. special interest extremists

Part D -

1. Available research on shoplifting indicates that it is:

a. almost exclusively a female offense.

b. neurotically motivated.

c. performed principally by teenagers.

d. largely due to spontaneous impulses rather than careful planning.

e. performed by those in need.

2. Which of the following does not appear to determine whether or not a person is arrested for shoplifting?

a. the value of the item stolen

b. the address of the shoplifter

c. the gender of the shoplifter

d. the shoplifter's resistance to being apprehended

e. None of the above.

3. In Moore's study of 300 convicted shoplifters, over half were designated as:

a. amateurs.

b. emotionally disturbed.

c. semi-professional.

d. impulse shoplifters.

e. older women.

4. Softlifting is defined as:

a. the stealing of items worth less than fifty dollars.

b. the illegal duplication of copyrighted software.

c. shoplifting when someone else orders the crime.

d. legal piracy.

e. commercial shoplifting.

5. A situation in which a shoplifter follows someone else's orders in committing the crime is referred to as:

a. vicarious gratification.

b. neutralization.

c. shoplifting by proxy.

d. softlifting.

e. coercive crime.

6. The most common form of violence in burglaries is:

a. aggravated assault.

b. forcible rape.

c. arson.

d. larceny-theft.

e. simple assault.

7. Which statement is true about carjacking?

a. Women are carjacked more than men.

b. The driver is frequently killed by the carjacker.

c. Eighty-seven percent of carjackers are drinking alcohol at the time of the crime.

d. Carjacking incidents are highest in urban areas.

e. Incidents often take place during the daytime.

8. Which one of the following individuals first used the term "white collar crime?"

a. Peter Letkemann

b. Edwin Sutherland

c. Gresham Sykes

d. Nelson Rockefeller

e. Marvin Wolfgang

9. What is the essential difference between occupational crime and corporate crime?

a. Occupational crime involves large sums of money; whereas corporate crime involves smaller amounts of money.

b. In occupational crime, the individual benefits; whereas in corporate crime, the corporation benefits from the crime.

c. Corporate crime is illegal, occupational crime is legal.

d. The perpetrator of corporate crime almost always is wealthy, which is not so in occupational crime.

e. All of the above.

10. Green's concept of occupational crime would include all of the following except:

a. a bank officer embezzling funds.

b. a corporation illegally dumping hazardous waste.

c. a police officer using excessive force against a suspect.

d. a restaurant employee stealing food from the restaurant.

e. All of the above are included in Green's concept of occupational crime.

11. In dealing with a barricade situation, which of the following is not recommended to hostage negotiators?

a. denying the hostage taker's desired excitement or stimulation

b. calm handling

c. threatening to involve the hostage-taker's family in negotiations

d. providing minimum media attention

e. prolonging the negotiation if necessary as long as some progress is being made

12. Which of the following is not one of the FBI's categories of hostage takers?

a. prisoners

b. criminals

c. politicals

d. terrorists

e. mentally disordered

13. The primary motive for adult arsons in this category includes jilted lovers, etc.

a. revenge

b. crime concealment

c. financial gain

d. vandalism

e. fame

14. The primary motive for juvenile firesetters appears to be:

a. parental revenge.

b. crime concealment.

c. financial gain.

d. anger.

e. fame.

15. stalkers do not seek a personal relationship with their targets.

a. Love obsession

b. Possessive

c. Vengeance

d. Erotomania

e. Simple obsession

16. Research on repetitive arsonists has recently identified some common characteristics. Which of the following is not one of them?

a. They feel they have little control over their environments.

b. They are usually from a socially disadvantaged segment of the population.

c. Their educational achievement is below average.

d. They have a discernible pattern of sexual deviations.

e. They often began firesetting in childhood.

17. Persistent, youthful firesetters tend to exhibit all of the following except:

a. hyperactivity.

b. impulsiveness.

c. conduct problems.

d. high study habits.

e. cruelty to animals.

18. The backgrounds of persistent firesetters reveal that they were often:

a. the target of punishment where fire was used as the painful stimulus.

b. from families with alcoholic parents.

c. sexually abused.

d. from broken homes.

e. the youngest child in the family.

19. Which psychiatrist contends that there is a relationship between sexual arousal and firesetting?

a. Miron

b. Bromberg

c. MacDonald

d. Lunde

e. Lindell

20. Which type of robbery occurs in urban areas and is less likely to be planned?

a. commercial robbery

b. bank robbery

c. street robbery

d. amateur robbery

e. strong-arm robbery

21. Which of the following is produced by narcotics?

a. hyperactivity

b. sleepiness

c. restlessness

d. inability to concentrate

e. elation

22. Heroin is usually classified as a:

a. semi-synthetic narcotic.

b. synthetic narcotic.

c. pseudo-narcotic.

d. polymorphous substance.

e. natural narcotic.

23. PCP is classified as a central nervous system:

a. depressant.

b. tranquilizer.

c. hallucinogen.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

24. Some experts regard as the most addictive drug available on the street, but other experts have questioned this assumption in recent years.

a. crack

b. heroin

c. dexedrine

d. PCP

e. marijuana

25. Which is not one of the four categories of drugs reported to the Department of Justice?

a. opium

b. synthetic narcotics

c. dangerous nonnarcotics

d. marijuana

e. alcohol