Antisocial behavior
behavior that is intended to cause harm to others or is indifferent
to others
Behavior theory
the view that rewards and punishments strongly influence behavior
Biochemical view
the view that crime is a function of diet and other biochemical
influences
Biological positivism
the scientific search for biological explanations of behavior
Causation
a relationship between two things in which one thing causes the other
Cesare Beccaria
an Italian criminologist and economist considered the father of
classical criminology
Cesere Lombroso
an early criminologist who argued that criminality comes from
biological traits
Classical criminology
a theoretical perspective suggesting that people choose to
commit crime
Cognitive theory
the view that individual reasoning strongly influences behavior
Correlation
a relationship between two things
Empathy
the capacity to put oneself in another person’s shoes and understand their
experience
Evolutionary view
the view that ingrained characteristics, evolved over time, influence
crime
Falsifiability
the possibility that a hypothesis can be proven false
Genetic view
the view that criminal traits are inherited
Ibn Rushd (Averroes)
a key thinker of the Islamic Golden Age who studied Aristotle
Insanity defense
argument that a person is not responsible for their act due to a
mental disorder
IQ
stands for intelligence quotient; a test score intended to measure a person’s
intelligence
Islamic Golden Age
a period from the 8th century to the 13th century when scholars in
the Islamic world
Italian School of Criminology
an approach that focuses on identifying biological traits
of criminals
Karl Popper
a Austrian-British philosopher who emphasized the need for falsification
in science
Mental ilness
a condition that affects a person’s mood, behavior, or thoughts
Neurological view
the view that criminals suffer brain impairment
Personality
reasonably stable patterns of behavior that distinguish one person from
another
Phrenology
the pseudoscientific study of human skulls to identify character traits and
thoughts
Physiognomy
the pseudoscientific use of a person’s appearance to determine their
character
Positivist School
an approach that focused on the scientific search for explanations of
behavior
Preclassical period
human history prior to the 17th century
Primary prevention
programs that seek to treat personal problems before they
manifest as crime
Prosocial behavior
behavior that is intended to help others
Pseudoscience
practices that appear based on the scientific method but are
significantly flawed
Psychodynamic theory
the view that early childhood experiences strongly influence
development
Rational choice theory
a framework based on the idea that a person makes decisions
rationally
Reason
the ability to think things through in a logical way
Secondary prevention
programs that provide treatment after a person has violated the
law
Social learning theory
branch of behavior theory that focuses on the influence of life
experiences
Social-cognitive learning theory
social learning that is based on perceptions of our
environment
The Enlightenment
a movement in 17th and 18th century Europe focused on reason
social contract - an agreement among members of society to live in a system of rules and laws
Thomas Aquinas
a Catholic priest who promoted the idea that reason can be used to
understand the world
Trait theory
the view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological and
psychological traits