Insufficient Deterrence. A condition in which people refrain from engaging in a desirable activity, even when only mild punishment is threatened. What effect does insufficient punishment have on negative behaviors?
What is insufficient justification and deterrence?
a) insufficient justification: when people freely perform an attitude-discrepant behavior without a large reward. b) insufficient deterrence: when people refrain from engaging in a desirable activity even when only mild punishment is threatened. 3. Click to see full answer.
Why is specific deterrence not effective?
Another mark against the effectiveness of specific deterrence is that increasing the severity of an offender’s punishment does not actually work to deter crime. This is because, on average, criminals tend not to know a lot about the punishments associated with the crimes they commit.
What is “deterrence”?
Deterrence — the crime prevention effects of the threat of punishment — is a theory of choice in which individuals balance the benefits and costs of crime. In his 2013 essay, “Deterrence in the Twenty-First Century,” Daniel S. Nagin succinctly summarized the current state of theory and empirical knowledge about deterrence. [1]
What are the two types of deterrence?
Types of Deterrence. There are two main types of deterrence: (1) specific deterrence, and (2) general deterrence. Specific deterrence is a type of deterrence that is aimed at the specific individual being charged with a crime.
What is an example of insufficient justification?
One group of participants was given $1 for lying while another group was given $20 to lie. They found that the $1 group rated the task as being a lot more fun than the $20 group. The insufficient justification effect occurred.
What is an example of insufficient punishment?
Using it. To stop someone doing something, don't threaten massive punishment. Threaten only just enough (or use some other minimal technique) to stop them for a while.
What is insufficient justification in psychology?
Insufficient justification is an effect studied in the discipline of social psychology. It states that people are more likely to engage in a behavior that contradicts their personally held beliefs when they are offered a smaller reward, in comparison to a larger reward.
What is Postdecisional dissonance?
A major category of cognitive dissonance is known as postdecision dissonance. This refers to the distress that occurs after one makes a decision. Whenever individuals decide between a set of desirable alternatives, their decision will result in dissonance.
What does minimal justification mean?
When someone does something and there is minimal justification for them doing it, this creates more dissonance than if they can explain it through a significant rationale. The dissonance then acts to make them internally justify the action, saying 'I wanted to do it anyway because I like doing that sort of thing.
What is dissonance reduction?
the process by which a person reduces the uncomfortable psychological state that results from inconsistency among elements of a cognitive system (see cognitive dissonance).
What is sufficient justification?
adj. 1 enough to meet a need or purpose; adequate. 2 (Logic) (of a condition) assuring the truth of a statement; requiring but not necessarily required by some other state of affairs.
What is hypocrisy induction?
The induced-hypocrisy paradigm is based on Dissonance Theory, which states that when a person preaches one thing but does another the person experiences feelings of dissonance (Aronson, 1992, 1999).
What is the rationalization trap?
*Rationalization Trap occurs when we act to reduce dissonance; It can end up as a whole set of justifications and rationalizations that lead to ridiculous or even immoral actions.
Which is an example of cognitive dissonance?
Another common example of cognitive dissonance is the rationalization that takes place when people dieting “cheat.” How many times have you committed to healthy eating when a doughnut, muffin, or another delicious-looking food item threatened to take you off course? Maybe you thought, “Eh, it's only one doughnut.
What is the difference between dissonance and regret?
What is the difference between post-decision dissonance and buyer's remorse? Post-decision dissonance is a feeling of anxiety whether the correct decision was made and buyer's remorse is a feeling of regret and a decision you wish you could take back.
What is cognitive coherence?
Based on a connec- tionist cognitive architecture, coherence-based reasoning shows that the decision-making process progresses bidirectionally: premises and facts both determine conclusions and are affected by them in return.
What is general deterrence?
General deterrence focuses more on teaching the general public a lesson, rather than just the individual being charged with the crime. The idea is that, if the individual is punished harshly, the public will see that harsh punishment and be dissuaded from engaging in the same or similar activity. A good example of this is the death penalty.
How does deterrence work?
Deterrence works to make people think twice about breaking the law. This is how traffic laws work. When the public is aware that they will receive a ticket or, in some cases, suspension of their licenses, for not obeying traffic laws, they are more likely to obey the laws and to drive carefully.
What is the difference between retributivism and deterrence?
Retributivism differs from deterrence in that, while deterrence aims at preventing crime, retributivism is more concerned about punishing people for the crimes they have already committed.
What is the objective of deterrence?
The objective of deterrence is to make the punishment harsh enough that the public will fear receiving a similar punishment, and will be dissuaded from engaging in similar criminal behavior in the future. Retributivism is a form of punishment that differs from deterrence. Instead, retributivism focuses on handing down a punishment ...
What are some examples of specific deterrence?
An example of specific deterrence can be found in a case wherein a judge handed down a particularly harsh sentence in order to teach a juvenile criminal defendant a lesson. In July of 2003, 16-year-old Terrance Jamar Graham was arrested after he and three of his peers tried to rob a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. One of the boys struck the manager of the restaurant in the head with a metal bar. The manager required stitches for his head injury. Ultimately, no money was stolen.
What are the punishments associated with specific deterrence?
Punishments associated with specific deterrence may include fines, prison sentences, or both, and the severity of the punishment typically determines the effectiveness of the deterrence. To explore this concept, consider the following specific deterrence definition.
What is deterrence in criminal justice?
Deterrence refers to the act of discouraging people from engaging in criminal behavior. This is typically done by assigning a suitable punishment for the behavior. While specific deterrence is customized for the individual who committed a crime in particular, deterrence is intended to sway the general public as a whole from participating in illicit ...
What happens if you don't give someone an external reason for not doing a desirable activity?
That is, if you don't give someone an external reason for not doing a desirable activity, they will construct an internal reason for why they didn't really even like it in the first place.
What is inadequate justification?
Insufficient justification is an effect studied in the discipline of social psychology. It states that people are more likely to engage in a behavior that contradicts their personally held beliefs when they are offered a smaller reward, in comparison to a larger reward. The smaller reward minimizes the cognitive dissonance generated by acting in ...
When punishing children, should one use mild threats instead of severe threats?
The results indicated that when punishing children, one should use mild threats instead of severe threats because these methods will only inflict external pressure which, in turn, undermines the value of intrinsic motivation to behave in the desired way.
What happens when you hold two psychologically inconsistent cognitions?
The researchers concluded that when people hold two psychologically inconsistent cognitions, dissonance arises .

Definition of Specific Deterrence
What Is Deterrence
- Deterrence refers to the act of discouraging people from engaging in criminal behavior. This is typically done by assigning a suitable punishment for the behavior. While specific deterrence is customized for the individual who committed a crime in particular, deterrence is intended to sway the general public as a whole from participating in illicit...
Types of Deterrence
- There are two main types of deterrence: (1) specific deterrence, and (2) general deterrence. Specific deterrence is a type of deterrence that is aimed at the specific individual being charged with a crime. General deterrence is a type of deterrence that is used to discourage the public at large from committing the same crime, or a similar one, to that which was committed by the per…
Effectiveness of Specific Deterrence
- Interestingly, the effectiveness of specific deterrence is a point of debate. For one thing, the certainty of being caught has been proven to be a far more effective deterrent than even the harshest of punishments. Also, just because an offender is sentenced to prison, this does not ensure the effectiveness of specific deterrence. Prison sentences, especially long ones, may hav…
Specific Deterrence Example Involving The Three Strikes Law
- An example of specific deterrence can be found in a case wherein a judge handed down a particularly harsh sentence in order to teach a juvenile criminal defendant a lesson. In July of 2003, 16-year-old Terrance Jamar Grahamwas arrested after he and three of his peers tried to rob a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. One of the boys struck the manager of the restaurant in the …
Related Legal Terms and Issues
- Felony – A crime, often involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor. Felony crimes are usually punishable by imprisonmentmore than one year.
- Misdemeanor– A criminal offense less serious than a felony.
- Writ of Certiorari – An order issued by a higher court demanding a lower court forward all records of a specific case for review.