1. Learning Theory

2. Ever Smoked Pot? 69.8% Smoke Pot Almost Every Day? 14.3%
Yes
69.8%
Smoke Pot Almost Every Day?
Yes
14.3%
What motivates a person to go from
the first group to the second?

3. Becker’s View
Because pot is not physically addicting, the motivation to get high must be learned
Getting high takes practice
Users and non-users are fundamentally the same – only differ in what they have learned

4. Necessary Condition, 1 Learn techniques from others
Direct: instruction from “mentors”
Indirect: watching and imitating
If the proper technique is not learned, use will cease

5. Necessary Condition, 2 Learn to perceive the drug’s effects
Dizzy, thirsty, intense hunger, light-headed, rubbery legs, warped sense of time, paranoia
Sensations must be connected to the drug
If the user does not learn to connect the sensations to the drug, use will cease

6. Necessary Condition, 3 Learn to perceive the effects as enjoyable
Could be getting sick, going crazy, or having a great time
If the user does not learn to perceive the effects of the drug as pleasurable, use will cease

7. Conclusion: Motivation is Learned
Motivation is learned in the process of smoking
No need to consider other causes, such as stress, need for escape, low-self esteem
Bottom line: no learning, no motivation, no pot smoking

8. A Life of Crime? Could you go out tomorrow and start a life of crime?
What kind of crime would get into?
How would you get started?

9. Learning Theory
Deviant behavior is learned in intimate social contexts
Attitudes, values, norms, techniques, and motives
Deviants are the same as everyone else
The difference lies in what they have learned, from whom, and in what contexts

10. Edwin Sutherland’s (1934) Differential Association Theory
Deviant behavior is learned…
In interaction with other people…
Particularly intimate groups (family and peers)

11. Differential Association Theory
4. Learning includes
Techniques
Motives/drives
Attitudes: neutralizations, rationalizations
5. Deviants learn to define the conventional norms as unfavorable

12. The Heart of Differential Association Theory
6. Deviance results from an excess of definitions favorable to norm violations over definitions unfavorable to norm violations (a ratio)

13. Differential Association Theory
7. Differential associations vary in
a. Frequency of interaction
b. Duration of relationship
c. Temporal priority – first come
d. Intensity – emotional importance

14. Differential Association Theory
8. Learning deviance is the same as learning anything else
9. Deviant and non-deviant behavior are the result of learned motivations and values

15. Refining Differential Association Theory
Problem with Diff. Assoc. Theory
Learned attitudes -> behavior
Too vague, difficult to measure
Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess, Akers)
Behavior is influenced by its consequences
Rewards and punishments determine behavior

16. Distinguishing Features of Diff. Reinforcement Theory
Differential Reinforcement
Lifetime balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments -> probability of behavior
Imitation
Explains onset of behavior, but not persistence

17. Summary of Learning Theories
Differential Association Theory (Sutherland)
Deviance results from an excess of definitions favorable to norm violations over definitions unfavorable to norm violations (a ratio), focus on attitudes
Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess and Akers)
Deviance results from a lifetime balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that promote deviance (a ratio)
Imitation explains onset, but not persistence