cognitive explanations Flashcards
What did Kohlberg propose about criminal behaviour?
Applied moral reasoning
Criminals have lower level
Group of violent youths were lower in moral development than non violent youths - even after controlling for social background
What is level 1 of moral reasoning?
Preconventional morality
Stages 1 and 2
What are is stage 1 of moral reasoning?
Punishment orientation - rules are obeyed to avoid punishment
What is stage 2 of moral reasoning?
Instrumental orientation or personal gain - rules are obeyed for personal gain
What is level 2 of moral reasoning?
Conventional morality
Stages 3 and 4
What is stage 3 of moral reasoning?
Good boy or girl orientation - rules obeyed for approval
What is stage 4 of moral reasoning?
Maintenance of social order - rules obeyed to maintain order
What is level 3 of moral reasoning?
Postconventional morality
Stages 5 and 6
What is stage 5 of moral reasoning?
Morality of contract and individual rights - rules obeyed if they’re impartial - democratic rules challenged if they infringe on rights
What is stage 6 of moral reasoning?
Morality of conscience - establishes their own rules in accordance with ethical principles
What is the Heinz dilemma?
Woman is sick
Doctor charges lots for drug
Should Heinz steal it?
What level of moral reasoning are criminals at?
Preconventional - need to avoid punishment and gain rewards
Childlike reasoning
Commit crime at this level to get away with it
What is the evidence to support the link between moral reasoning and criminality?
Offenders are more egocentric and have less social perspective skills
At higher levels people sympathise more and are less violent
What are cognitive distortions?
Errors in people’s info processing system - faulty thinking
Linked to how criminals interpret behaviour
What are two examples of cognitive distortions?
Hostile attribution bias
Minimalisation
What is hostile attribution bias?
Tendency to misinterpret others as confrontational
Non aggressive cues misread, triggers violent response
Describe Schonenberg and Justye’s research?
55 violent offenders given ambiguous facial expression images
More likely to perceive them as hostile
What are the roots of hostile attribution bias?
Roots lie in childhood
Dodge and Frame - children shown ambiguous provocation
Children identified as aggressive interpreted it as more hostile
What is minimalisation?
Downplay seriousness of offence, application of euphemistic label
Those who commit sexual offences are particularly prone
Describe research into minimalisation
Barbaree - 54% of incarcerated rapists denied committing offence
40% minimised harm
Pollock and Hashmall - 35% of child molesters said crime was non sexual
36% said it was consensual
Evaluation - level of moral reasoning evidence
Palmer and Hollin - compared offenders to non offenders
Used Socio Moral Reflection Measure Short Form containing moral dilemmas
Delinquent group showed lower moral reasoning
Evaluation - alternative theories of moral reasoning
Gibbs - revised version, mature and immature
Level 1 - decisions guided by avoidance of punishment
Level 2 - empathy and social justice
Argued post conventional level was culturally biased
Evaluation - application of research
Rehabilitation of sex offenders involves CBT
Reduced denial and minimalisation correlated with reduced risk of reoffending
Evaluation - individual differences
Robbers more likely to show pre conventional level - belief of evading punishment
Intelligence a better predictor - low IQ = lower moral reasoning but less likely to commit crime
Evaluation - descriptive not explanatory
Describes criminal mind but doesn’t explain it
Helpful for predicting reoffending but doesn’t give us insight into original crime
