Cognitive Explanations - Cognitive Distortions

Question 1

What are cognitive distortions?

Answer 1

● This is a form of irrational thinking. A person’s perception of events distorts their view
of reality. Such distortions may make an offender deny or distort the reality of their
behaviour.
● Two examples include: Hostile Attribution Bias and Minimisation

Question 2

What is Hostile Attribution Bias

Answer 2

-In particular they are more likely to see anger as aggression -. They themselves are inclined to respond by being
aggressive and are more likely to engage in violent criminal behaviour.

Question 3

What is minimalisation?

Answer 3

Allows offenders to reduce any negative interpretation of their own behaviour.
This means that negative emotions can be reduced.
Minimalisation allows offenders to reframe their activity as acceptable or even
morally right. e.g stealing from a wealthy family is ok

Question 4

A03 - Schonenberg and Aiste (2014).

Answer 4

• In one study of HAB, violent offenders were more
  likely to interpret expressions of anger as aggression.
• Schonenberg and Aiste (2014)
  showed emotionally ambiguous faces to 55 violent offenders in prison and compared their responses to matched control
  ‘normal’ participants.

-The offenders were more
likely to interpret any picture that had some expression of anger as an expression of
aggression.

-Hence, misinterpretation of non-verbal cues (e.g.
facial expressions) may at least partly explain aggressive behaviour in susceptible individuals.

• However, there were differences in the
  interpretations, therefore whilst the findings may support the HAB it doesn’t account for the
  responses of every offender for all types of crimes: limiting its applicability.

Question 5

A03 - Kennedy and Grubin (1992) – sex offenders

Answer 5

• In one study, convicted sex offenders did appear to minimalise the nature and impact of their crimes.

-Kennedy and Grubin (1992) found that sex offenders’ accounts of their crimes often
downplayed their behaviour.
-For example, the offenders suggested that the victim’s
behaviour contributed in some way to the crime. Some also simply denied that a crime
had been committed.

-However, rather than being specifically linked to criminal behaviour, it may be that
minimalisation is part of a fairly ‘normal’ behaviour.
- All people try to blame events on external sources as a way to protect the self.
-After all, outside of the criminal context, post hoc excuse-making is widely viewed as normal, healthy, and socially rewarded
behaviour. In this way minimalisation is not especially deviant behaviour.

-This questions minimalisation as a full explanation for offenders’ behaviour.

Question 6

A03 - HAB as a treatment for offenders

Answer 6

• However, HAB can support treatment of convicted offenders.

-Heller et al (2013) used cognitive behavioural techniques to reduce judgement and
decision-making errors (cognitive distortions).

• Those participants who attended 13 one-hour sessions had a 44% reduction in arrests
  compared to a control group.

-Hence, this explanation has made important contributions for the reduction/prevention of
criminal behaviour.