Criminology

• What was the main focus of Cooper and Mackie's study (1986)?

  They investigated the effects of playing video games on aggression in children.
• What was the prediction made by Cooper and Mackie regarding violent video games?

  Playing a violent game would lead to increased aggression towards others.
• What type of experiment did Cooper and Mackie conduct?

  It was a laboratory experiment.
• What research design was used in the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  Independent measures design was used.
• What was the independent variable in the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  The type of game played.
• What was the dependent variable in the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  The measurement of aggression levels.
• How many children participated in Cooper and Mackie's study?

  84 children.
• What age group did the participants in the study belong to?(Cooper and Mackie)

  Children aged 9-11 years old.
• Why did the researchers use a range of games in their study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  To have a wider range of data for more reliable results.
• How were the children grouped during the experiment?(Cooper and Mackie)

  Children were put into groups of two, one playing and one observing.
• How were participants allocated to the conditions of the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  Participants were allocated randomly.
• How long were the children asked to play the game?(Cooper and Mackie)

  For 8 minutes.
• What was the purpose of counterbalancing in the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  To avoid any influence from the order of play and observation.
• What task were the children asked to perform in the test afterwards?(Cooper and Mackie)

  To press a buzzer based on how much punishment they thought was deserved.
• What conclusion did Cooper and Mackie reach regarding aggressive games?

  Playing or watching an aggressive game impacts aggressive behavior in girls since they had less exposure to video games normally and therefore reacted with greater arousal
• What effect did the researchers suggest might occur if girls played aggressive games?(Cooper and Mackie)

  It may lead to a disinhibition effect, making aggression seem socially acceptable.
• What types of games were included in the study?(Cooper and Mackie)

  Missile command, Pac-man, paper and pen games, martial figures, basketball, etc.
• How did the researchers measure aggression in the children?(Cooper and Mackie)

  By observing their behavior with toys and recording aggressive actions.
• What was suggested about children who had less exposure to video games?(Cooper and Mackie)

  They had less aggressive attitudes.
• What are violent offences?

  Aggressive crimes resulting in physical harm or death to the victim
• What defines drug-related crimes?

  Crimes involving using or trading illegal substances
• What are acquisitive crimes?

  Crimes where capital or belongings are acquired through illegal methods
• What are sexual crimes?

  Crimes where a victim is forced to commit or submit to a sexual act against their will
• What are anti-social crimes?

  Criminal acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress to the victim
• What is deterrence?

  A method of scaring people away from committing a crime
• What is the purpose of prison?

  Locking dangerous people away to protect society
• What is a fine in the context of punishment?

  Payment as a punishment
• What is community service?

  Giving up your own time to support the community
• What are the types of crime?

  • Violent offences
  • Drug-related crimes
  • Acquisitive crimes
  • Sexual crimes
  • Anti-social crimes
• What are the methods of punishment?

  • Deterrence
  • Prison
  • Fine
  • Community service
• Social learning theory suggests that beaviour is learnt throughbseeing others be rewarded or punished for their actions
• Examples of deterrants

  1. P rison
  2. C ommunity service
  3. F ines
• Tyes of crime

  1. Aquisitive (crimes where belongings are taken through illegal means)
  2. Sexual (A victim is forced to submit to a sexual act against their will)
  3. Violent (Agressive crimes resulting in injury or death to the victim)
  4. Anti social (Criminal acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress to the victim)
  5. Drug related (Trading in or using illegal drugs)
• Heaven conducted a longitudinal study
• Heaven's hypothesis was that psychoticism, extraversion and self esteem would score higher or lower depending on how likely people were to practise delinquency
• Heaven asked 282 adolescents to answer a questionnaire about Eysenck's ideas and also his own. He asked them to do this again two years later
• Heaven's results showed that there was a positive correlation between psychoticism and delinquency at time 1 but a weaker correlation at time 2
• One weakness of Heaven's study was that it has age bias, only aged 13-15 children were used
• Another weakness of Heaven's study was that there was cultural bias. It was only conducted in New South Wales, Australia
• Eysenck believed that criminal behaviour was due to high levels of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism