1 / 19

Learning Theories

Learning Theories. A Life of Crime?. Could you go out tomorrow and begin a life of crime? What kind of crime would get into? How would you get started?. Learning Theory. Criminal behavior is learned in a social context

eduardoj
Download Presentation

Learning Theories

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Learning Theories

  2. A Life of Crime? • Could you go out tomorrow and begin a life of crime? • What kind of crime would get into? • How would you get started?

  3. Learning Theory • Criminal behavior is learned in a social context • The main difference between criminals and non-criminals is what they have learned

  4. Edwin Sutherland’s (1934)Differential Association Theory • Criminal behavior is learned… • In interaction with other people… • Particularly intimate groups (family and peers)

  5. Differential Association Theory 4.Learning includes • Techniques • Motives/drives • Rationalizations/attitudes 5. Criminals learn to define the legal code as unfavorable

  6. The Heart of Differential Association Theory 6.Crime results from an excess of definitions favorable to law violations over definitions unfavorable to law violations(a ratio)

  7. Differential Association Theory 7. Differential associations vary in a. Frequency b. Duration c. Temporal priority d. Intensity

  8. Differential Association Theory 8. Learning crime is the same as learning anything else 9. Criminal and noncriminal behavior are the result of learned needs and values (desire for material success)

  9. Refining Differential Association Theory • Problem with Diff. Assoc. Theory • Learned attitudes -> behavior • Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess, Akers)

  10. Distinguishing Features ofDiff. Reinforcement Theory • Differential Reinforcement • Lifetime balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments -> probability of behavior • Imitation

  11. Overview • Differential Association Theory (Sutherland) • Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess and Akers)

  12. Limits of Learning Theory

  13. Ever Smoked Pot? Smoke Pot Weekly? How can we explain this?

  14. Becker’s View • The motivation to get high regularly is learned • Users must learn to experience pot smoking as pleasurable • Assumption: Users and non-users are fundamentally the same

  15. Necessary Condition, 1 • Learning the Technique

  16. Necessary Condition, 2 • Learning to connect the drug to its effects

  17. Necessary Condition, 3 • Learning to Enjoy the Effects

  18. Why is s/he a pothead? • Motivation to get high regularly is learned in the process of smoking • No learning, no motivation, no regular pot smoking

  19. Other Applications ofLearning Theory in Criminology

More Related