cognitive explanations for offending behaviour Flashcards
level of moral reasoning, cognitive distortions (DAT and min)) completed
what are the 2 cognitive explanations
level of moral reasoning and cognitive disortions (inc hostile attribution bias and minimalisation)
what is level of moral reasoning
the way a person thinks about right and wrong creating moral B
the higher the LOMR the more B is driven by what is right and less by just avoiding punishment and the disapproval of others
what is the stage theory of moral reasoning
the higher the stage the more sophisticated the reasoning
preconventional level (stages 1+2)
conventional level (stage 3+4)
post-conventional level (stages 5+6)
what is the preconventional level of moral reasoning
links to criminality, individuals accepts rules and judge actions based on their consequences, actions that result in punishment are bad vs rewards are good
1- doing right to avoid punishment
2- right bring rewards to themselves
how does the preconventional level link to criminality
offenders are likely to be classed in stages 1+2 whereas non are likely to have progressed further.
PCL- avoid punishment and gain rewards, its a less mature/childlike reasoning. adults and adolescents who reason at this level may commit crime if they can get away with it or gain rewards eg money/increased respect
what is the conventional level of moral reasoning
conform to social rules but not out of self interest, this ensures positive human relationships and social order
3- doing right because of what other expect to please others
4- doing right cus its obeying laws, helping society and its your duty
what is the post conventional level of moral reasoning
beyond unquestioning compliance to the norms of soc, defines morality in terms of abstract moral principles that apply to all societies and situations
5- doing whats morally right even if its against the law, right is what is democratically agreed on
6- right cus of inner conscience/self chosen principles
the assumption of PCL for offenders is supported by studies that suggest that offenders are often…
more egocentric (self centred) and display poorer social perspective taking skills, higher LOMR then you sympathise with rights others and exhibit more conventional behaviours such as honesty, generosity and non violence
strength of LOMR: palmer and hollin compared…
compared moral reasoning in 332 non offenders and 126 convicted offenders using the socio moral reflection measure short form (SRM-SF) which contains 11 moral dilemm-related questions (such as not taking things that belong to others)
the offender group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non offender group
therefore this is consistent with kohlbergs predictions suggesting a link between moral reasoning and crime
limitation of LOMR: thornton and reid found that people who commited crimes for …
that people who commited crimes for financial gain eg robbery were more likely to show preconventional (1+2) moral reasoning than those who convicted of impulsive crimes eg assault
PCMR tends to be associated with crimes in which offenders believe they have a good chance of avoiding punishment, therefore the theory may not apply to all forms of crime
s/l of LOMR: thinking vs B, useful ie …., however …
kohlbergs theory is useful ie it provides insight into the mechanics of the criminal mind (that offenders are more childlike and egocentric when it comes to moral judgements than the law abiding maj
however moral thinking is not the same as moral B, kohlbergs moral reasoning is more likely used to justify B after it has happened
what are the 2 examples of cognitive distortions
hostile attribution bias
minimalisation
what are cognitive distortions
errors/biases in peoples information processing systems, characterised by faulty thinking.
error in which offenders interpret other peoples behaviour and justify their own actions
faulty, biased and irrational ways of thinking that mean we perceive ourselves and others inaccurately and usually negatively
what is hostile attribution bias inc eg of study
the tendency to judge/misinterpret ambiguous situations or the actions of others as aggressive +/ threatening when in reality they may not be, assuming confrontation but not.
misreading nonaggressive cues triggering disproportionate and violent response
eg schoneneberg and jusyte: 55 violent offenders and non aggressive control group, presented images of emotionally ambiguous facial expressions and the violent offenders were significantly more likely to perceive them as angry and hostile
where does hostile attribution bias come from
childhood ie those who were identified as aggressive and rejecting were more hostile than children classed as aggressive and accepting
so develop biased difference early on
what is minimalisation
a type of deception that involves downplaying the significance of an event or emotion. a common strategy when dealing with feelings of guilt
egs of minimalisation
burglars may describe themselves as “doing a job” or “supporting my family” as a way of minimising the seriousness of their offences
studies have suggested those who commit sexual offences are particularly prone, as a way of coping and decreasing guilt
barbaree found that amount 26 incarcerated rapists 54% denied they had committed an offence at all, and a further 40% minimised the harm they caused to the victim
strength of cognitive distortions: CBT harkins
cbt focusses on challenging irrational thinking, offenders are encouraged to acknowledge how theyve acted and establish a less distorted view of their actions
harkins suggested that reduced incidence of denial and minimalisation in therapy is highly associated with a reduced risk of offending
therefore the theory of cognitive disortions can be considered useful because it offers a practical value (RWA)
limitation of cognitive distortions: howitt and sheldon gathered questionnaires from…
from sex offenders and found that noncontact sex offenders (ie sex images on the internet) used more cognitive distortions than contact sex offenders (ie those physically engaging in abusing children).
they also found that if individuals had previously engaged in offending they also had an increased likelihood of using cogdis as a form of justification (min)
therefore the level of distortion will depend on the type of offence used suggesting distortions are not used in the same way by all offenders
limitation of cognitive distortions: says how but not why/describes but not explains
useful at describing mind of criminal, and useful for reducing reoffending lt as understanding that offenders use min is a good starting point for therapy
however they do not predict future OB because even if someone did have cogdis it doesnt mean they they will then go on to be an offender
