Cognitive (Psych explanations)

Question 1

What are the two Cognitive explanations for offending behaviour?

Answer 1

• Level of moral reasoning (Moral development,Link with criminality)
• Cognitive distortions (Hostile attribution bias, Minimalisation)

Question 2

What is Moral development? (Level of moral reasoning)

Answer 2

• Kohlberg was the first to apply moral reasoning to offending behaviour
• Kohlberg proposed people’s judgement on moral questions can be summarised in a stage theory of moral reasoning
• the higher the stage the more sophisticated the reasoning
• studies suggest low levels of moral reasoning are associated with offending behaviour
• Kohlberg found that a group of violent youths were at significantly lower level of moral development than non-violent youths

Question 3

What is the Link with criminality? (Level of moral reasoning)

Answer 3

• Offenders are likely to be at stage 1 or 2 (the pre-conventional level) of Kohlberg’s model
• This is characterised by a need to avoid punishment and gain rewards (child-like) and so commit crime if they can get away it or to gain rewards e.g money
• Supported by studies suggesting offender are egocentric

Question 4

What are cognitive distortions?

Answer 4

• Errors or biases in people info processing system (faulty thinking)
• how offenders justify their own actions and how they interpret the actions of others

Question 5

What is Hostile attribution bias? (Cognitive distortions)

Answer 5

• Assume others are being aggressive/confrontational when they’re not
• Schönenberg and Jusyte presented 55 violent offenders with images of emotional ambiguous facial expressions and compared results to control group
• found violent offender were significantly more likely to perceive the images as angry and hostile
• Dodge and Frame showed children a clip of ‘ambiguous provocation’
• children who were aggressive prior to the study interpreted situation as more hostile than non-aggressive

Question 6

What in minimalisation? (Cognitive distortions)

Answer 6

• Offenders attempt to deny or downplay the severity of the crime they committed a ‘euphemistic label’ for behaviour (Bandura)
• Studies suggesting offender those who commit sexual offences are prone to minimalisation
• Barbara found among 26 rapists 54% denied they committed an offence at all and 40% minimised the harm they had caused the victim

Question 7

What is research support for Levels of Moral reasoning?

Answer 7

• Palmer and Hollin compared moral reasoning in 332 non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using ‘Socio Moral Reflection Measure Short Form’ (SRM-SF) which contains 11 moral dilemma-related questions e.g keeping a promise
• offender group showed less mature moral reasoning than non-offender group

Question 8

What is a limitation for the level of moral reasoning?

Answer 8

• It may depend on the offence
• Thornton and Reid found those who committed financial crimes e.g robbery are more likely to show pre-conventional moral reasoning than impulsive criminals e.g assault
• Pre-conventional mortal reasoning associated with crime where offenders believe they can evade punishment
• Kohlbergs theory may not apply to all forms of crime

Question 9

What is real-world application of Cognitive distortions?

Answer 9

• CBT aims to challenge irrational thinking. Offender are encouraged to ‘face up’ to what they have done and gain a less distorted view of their actions
• Harkins suggested that reduced incidence of denial and minimalisation is associated with a reduced risk of reoffending. Practical value

Question 10

What is a limitation of cognitive distortions?

Answer 10

• Depends on the type of offence
• Howitt and Sheldon gathered questionnaire responses from sexual offenders
• found that non-contact sex offenders used more cognitive distortions than contact sex offenders
• those with previous offences were also more likely to use distortions
• suggests distortions are not used in the same way by all offenders