Hank is a sociologist investigating the causes of crime. He is interested in how some areas of the city have traditions of crime that persist over generations, and how individuals easily move into groups following those traditions. What theory of deviance is guiding Hank's research?

Answer: Differential association theory

Explanation:

In disciplines such as criminology, the differential association theory was first developed by sociologist Edwin Sutherland under which he proposed that via communication with others, individuals tend to learn attitudes, values, motives and techniques for criminal behavior. The theory tends to incline mostly towards learning theory of deviance. This theory usually focuses on how an individual learns to become a criminal, but also does not tend to concern oneself with why they do so.