cognitive explanation to crime: cognitive distortions Flashcards
what are cognitive distortions, how does it link to crime
errors or biases in peoples information processing system characterised by faulty thinking.
Distortions in thinking may be characteristic of specific types of crime.
what are two examples of cognitive distortions
hostile attribution bias
minimilisation
what is hostile attribution bias
misinterpretation of non verbal facial cues as being aggressive leading to a disproportional aggressive response.
Outline a study that supports hostile attribution bias (AO3)
Schonenberg and Jusyte presented 55 violent offenders with images of emotionally ambiguous facial expressions. When compared with a non aggressive matched control group, the violent offenders were significantly more likely to percieve the images as angry and hostile.
How does Schonenberg and Jusyte’s findings support cognitive distortions as an explanation for crime. (AO3)
supports that hostile attribution bias plays a role in crime as the offenders had a cognitive bias resulting in misinterpretation of facial expressions to be angry and hostile. This may explain their violent acts.
what is minimilisation
an attempt to deny or downplay the seriousness of an offence often to justify own actions. eg. Burglars may describe themselves as ‘supporting my family’. used to reduce guilt.
outline a study that provides support for minimilisation
Barbaree found among 26 incarcerated rapists, 54% denied they had commited an offence at all, further 40% minimised the harm they had caused to the victim.
how does Barbaree’s findings support minimilisation as a cognitive distortion of sexual offenders
shows criminals fail to recognise they had commited a crime or that they had caused harm. This demonstrates a cognitive skew that allows them to downplay the seriousness of crime in order to justify their actions or reduce guilt.
what is a real world application of understanding cognitive bias
theory has provided useful in treating criminal behaviour. CBT therapy aims to challenge irrational thinking. Offenders can be encouraged to confront the seriousness of their actions, and research has found that successfully overcoming denial is correlated with lower rates of re-offending.
why is this cognitive theory not a complete explanation of crime
does not explain where cognitive distortions come from, perhaps they have a biological basis. For example hostile attribution bias could be due to atypical amygala functioning/poor pre-frontal cortex activity resulting in impulsive aggressive acts. perhaps minimilastion develops through interaction with the environment and parenting style.
This is a more hollistic view and could provide an explanation for why some individuals do have these distortions and why some dont.
