Explanations for Crime
Social Learning Theory
SLT suggests antisocial behaviour is modelled and is imitated by observers. Role models are people that an individual identifies with in some way e.g. age, gender or someone with status. If the role model is observed doing something antisocial such as being aggressive, this information may be retained by the observer. They will the reproduce this behaviour when in a similar situation to that observed if they have the skills and ability to imitate this behaviour. In order for this to occur the individual observing must be motivated to do this – this can be internal motivation where they do it for the thrill, or external motivation which is based on positive and negative reinforcement. If the role model is seen being praised by their peer group for getting in a fight and gaining status for this the behaviour is likely to be imitated. Likewise, if someone sees someone stealing and being admired because they have the latest IPhone they may also copy due to negative reinforcement and removing the bullying they may receive for not having the latest fashion items. Punishment however can also apply – it the role model is seen being punished or there being a negative consequence to their actions e.g. being arrested, being unpopular; then the individual is less likely to imitate the behaviour.
Evaluation
Supporting evidence:
Bandura found that children imitated an adult role model hitting a Bobo doll. In particular, boys were more physically aggressive than girls who showed more verbal aggression. Both boys and girls were likely to imitate role models of the same sex as them, however girls were also likely to imitate the male role which may be based on the assumption that aggression is a male characteristic.
Opposing evidence:
However evidence such as Bandura is based in a lab where some children may experience demand characteristics. children may have been brought up to follow the orders of adults, so if they see an adult behaving like that to the Bobo doll feel that this is expected of them. It also did not measure whether the effects lasted outside of the lab, and therefore we cannot draw full conclusions from this
There may be a time lapse between observation and imitation which makes it difficult to say whether it was the observation which leads to the behaviour being imitated.
Opportunistic crime cannot be explained SLT as it does not involve seeing someone produce the behaviour first. Therefore it can only account for some crimes such as stealing which are easily observable rather than crimes such as murder
Just because someone witnesses a crime they may not copy it. There are a number of factors involved such as upbringing and personal experience which may affect whether or not behaviour is imitated.
It is unethical to study aggression and encourage it. Therefore lab experiments such as Bandura’s have been used, however the effects of this study may be unclear as they only focus on certain behaviour within a controlled environment.
Different explanation:
Self fulfilling prophecy says it is due to the effects of labelling that may lead to antisocial behaviour. This suggests it is the way someone is treated which may affect behaviour.
Also it may be biological factors such as personality. People who score high on extrovert, neuroticism and psychoticism have been associated with criminal behaviours
Application:
This theory suggests that by introducing positive role models and using reinforcement can help to rehabilitate offenders. It also could contribute to the watershed and rating certificates on film and video games.
Social Learning Theory
SLT suggests antisocial behaviour is modelled and is imitated by observers. Role models are people that an individual identifies with in some way e.g. age, gender or someone with status. If the role model is observed doing something antisocial such as being aggressive, this information may be retained by the observer. They will the reproduce this behaviour when in a similar situation to that observed if they have the skills and ability to imitate this behaviour. In order for this to occur the individual observing must be motivated to do this – this can be internal motivation where they do it for the thrill, or external motivation which is based on positive and negative reinforcement. If the role model is seen being praised by their peer group for getting in a fight and gaining status for this the behaviour is likely to be imitated. Likewise, if someone sees someone stealing and being admired because they have the latest IPhone they may also copy due to negative reinforcement and removing the bullying they may receive for not having the latest fashion items. Punishment however can also apply – it the role model is seen being punished or there being a negative consequence to their actions e.g. being arrested, being unpopular; then the individual is less likely to imitate the behaviour.
Evaluation
Supporting evidence:
Bandura found that children imitated an adult role model hitting a Bobo doll. In particular, boys were more physically aggressive than girls who showed more verbal aggression. Both boys and girls were likely to imitate role models of the same sex as them, however girls were also likely to imitate the male role which may be based on the assumption that aggression is a male characteristic.
Opposing evidence:
However evidence such as Bandura is based in a lab where some children may experience demand characteristics. children may have been brought up to follow the orders of adults, so if they see an adult behaving like that to the Bobo doll feel that this is expected of them. It also did not measure whether the effects lasted outside of the lab, and therefore we cannot draw full conclusions from this
There may be a time lapse between observation and imitation which makes it difficult to say whether it was the observation which leads to the behaviour being imitated.
Opportunistic crime cannot be explained SLT as it does not involve seeing someone produce the behaviour first. Therefore it can only account for some crimes such as stealing which are easily observable rather than crimes such as murder
Just because someone witnesses a crime they may not copy it. There are a number of factors involved such as upbringing and personal experience which may affect whether or not behaviour is imitated.
It is unethical to study aggression and encourage it. Therefore lab experiments such as Bandura’s have been used, however the effects of this study may be unclear as they only focus on certain behaviour within a controlled environment.
Different explanation:
Self fulfilling prophecy says it is due to the effects of labelling that may lead to antisocial behaviour. This suggests it is the way someone is treated which may affect behaviour.
Also it may be biological factors such as personality. People who score high on extrovert, neuroticism and psychoticism have been associated with criminal behaviours
Application:
This theory suggests that by introducing positive role models and using reinforcement can help to rehabilitate offenders. It also could contribute to the watershed and rating certificates on film and video games.