cognitive explanations- cognitive distortions

Question 1

what are cognitive distortions?

Answer 1

errors or biases in peoples information processing system, characterised by faulty thinking

Question 2

what is hostile attribution bias?

Answer 2

the tendency to judge ambiguous situations, or the actions of others, as aggressive and/or threatening when in reality they may not be, triggering a violent response

Question 3

Schonenberg and Justye (2014)

Answer 3

violent offenders were more likely to perceive images as angry and hostile compared to non-violent offenders

Question 4

Dodge and Frame (1982)

Answer 4

the roots of this behaviour may lie in childhood

children identified as aggressive were more likely to interpret situations as hostile

Question 5

what is minimalisation?

Answer 5

a type of deception that involves denying or downplaying the significance of an event or emotions

Question 6

Bandura (1973)

Answer 6

common strategy when dealing with feelings of guilt, a ‘euphemistic label’

e.g. burglars minimise themselves as ‘supporting my family’

Question 7

Barbaree (1991)

Answer 7

individuals who commit sexual offences are particularly prone to minimalisation
Barbaree- 26 incarcerated rapists, 54% denied, 40% minimised harm they had done

Question 8

strength

real-world application to therapy

Answer 8

cbt aims to challenge irrational thinking.
offenders encouraged to ‘face up’ to what they have done and establish less distorted view of actions.
studies suggest that reduced incidence of denial and minimilisation in therapy is highly associated with reduced risk of reoffending.

practical value for therapy and reducing rates of reoffending

Question 9

limitation- type of offence

Answer 9

howitt and sheldon (2007)- gathered questionnaire responses from sexual offenders. non-contact sex offenders used more cognitive distortions than contact sex offenders. previous history of offending more likely to use distortions as justification.

suggests distortions not used in same way by all offenders.

Question 10

issue

Answer 10

describes criminal mind and helps reduce reoffending through therapy.

hower doesn’t help predict future offender behaviour. distorted thinking doesn’t inevitably mean someone will become an offender.
more of a descriptive theory. doesn’t offer explanation for why offender behaviour originally begins.