High-Crime Communities Tend to Have a Higher Percentage of African

question 30

Short Answer

High-crime communities tend to have a higher percentage of African American residents. Explain why data suggest that the percentage of African American residents in a community does not have a causal effect on crime rates.

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Definitions:

Shaping

A method used in behavior therapy and training that involves reinforcing successive approximations of a target behavior until the desired behavior is achieved.

Spontaneous Recovery

A phenomenon in psychology where a previously extinguished response re-emerges after a period of no exposure to the conditioned stimulus.

Positive Reinforcer

An event or item that, when presented after a behavior, increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Reinforcer

A stimulus whose removal after a particular behavior increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future.