Critical Thinking (Application) Exercise – 20 points – At least two pages of double spaced text are required.
Respond to the following questions.
I provided a model and breakdown of Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory in this module. Although we cannot prove a theory to be true, we can provide support for it, or prove it to be false.
A. Suppose you are describing Sutherland’s theory to your friend and upon hearing the principles of differential association she says, “There is no way that theory is valid. If it was valid, everyone who worked with criminal offenders in prisons, jails, or treatment centers should become criminal.” Do you agree with your friend’s interpretation of the theory? Justify your response.
B. How would you design a study to test Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory? What factors are important to consider? What does Sutherland mean by “definitions favorable to violation of law”? Is it even possible to test this theory?
