This research studies the problems of defining the concept of motive of crime in terms of the psychological concept of motives of human behavior. The purpose of this research is to define the motive of crime (which is yet undefined in spite of the longstanding existence of criminology) and to improve existing scientific theories regarding the…

The prediction of dangerousness and the insanity defense are two areas where psychologists provide research-based expertise to the courts. Teachers of psychology can use these topics to capture the attention of students and to show how psychological research and theory can inform and influence the legal system. Specifically, teachers can use the…

This article examines youth transitions and youth offending in tandem. It argues that the transition to adulthood is heavily implicated in the fact that most offending occurs in the youth phase. Drawing on a study of 20 male and 20 female persistent young offenders in Scotland, it explores young people's desire for integration with others in the…

Social learning theory provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding abuse and the teaching and learning of antisocial or criminal behavior in young offenders. This article examines social learning theory and the quality of parent-child relationships from the perspective of behavioral analysis, and provides a rationale for a…

The field of victimology has become an area of serious scientific enquiry only recently and now attracts a wide range of theories from within multiple disciplines. In this paper, the contribution that the science of behavior analysis can make to the conceptualization of the field is explored by investigating what makes people vulnerable to…

Until recently, attempts to understand and explain criminal offending have been grounded in theories from sociological, legal, and psychological perspectives. In the preceding twenty years, or so, however, some research in the field has endeavored to look at offending from a psychobiological viewpoint. This research concerns the potential…

An attempt to explore the slanting and focusing effects an attitude set can have on the recall and interpretative processes. Occupational groups membership is cited as the relevant variable: the study indicates that this variable influences the interpretation of environmental events not the recall of these events. (SE)

The emphasis of this NIMH report is to improve our understanding of the origins of violence and to suggest ways of acting on that knowledge to reduce the incidence of crime and violence in American society. Also included in this volume are details of work aimed at reducing the toll of such problems as alcoholism and suicide among our citizens; a…

Although both genetic and situational factors are implicated in criminality, the thesis here is that the latter may well be more important and more frequently encountered than many criminologists have acknowledged to date. (JB)

The effectiveness of various court-ordered punishment dispositions is evaluated. Subjects receiving "no punishment" had a lower probability of future crime than those receiving fines. Repeaters and nonrepeaters did not differ on type of crime, seriousness of crime, or on amount of fine paid at first offense. (Author)

Assumptions of applied behavior analysis are presented: (1) good practice should be good research; (2) behavioral goals, procedures, and effects should be socially validated; and (3) a systems perspective should be adopted when focusing on behavior analysis and intervention. (Author/JAC)

Highlights a longitudinal study on key factors in the metamorphosis of childhood aggression into adult crime in more than 400 males/females. Results (which began with study of 875 third graders in 1960) indicate that aggressive youngsters at age eight have much higher rates of criminal/violent behavior at age 30. (JN)

If correctional evaluation research is to contribute to the accumulation of practical knowledge, it should be designed to test abstract behavioral science principles that explain why a particular type of program should change the future conduct of a specific category of clientele. (Author)

An investigation was designed to test the proposition that people who are apprehensive about crime will exhibit a greater preference for crime drama that features the restoration of justice than will those people who are less apprehensive about crime. Undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory mass communications course served as subjects.…