F7. Cognitive Explanations For Offending

Question 1

Kholberg 3 levels

Answer 1

Pre-conventional reasoning: based on reward and punishment
Conventional: based on external ethics
Post-conventional: based on personal ethics

Question 2

Which ‘level’ are criminals?

Answer 2

Pre-conventional: childlike and immature sense of reasoning

Question 3

Which ‘levell’ are non-criminals?

Answer 3

Conventional or post-conventional: display more civilised and empathetic behaviours

Question 4

Cognitive Distortion

Answer 4

Thought process with logical errors

Question 5

HAB (Hostile Attribution Bias)

Answer 5

Tendency of offenders to view emotionally ambiguous situations as threatening (automatic reaction to unusual situations).

Question 6

HAB research

Answer 6

55 violent offenders exposed to facial expressions that were neither clearly-hostile nor clearly-neutral. Overwhelming majority viewed expressions as hostile.

Question 7

Minimalisation

Answer 7

Tendency of offenders to under-exaggerate significance of crimes, and consequences for victims. Coping mechanism for guilt.

Question 8

Minimisation - research

Answer 8

35% of child molesters tried justifying crimes as ‘a way of showing affection’. 36% saw no issue as the ‘child consented’

Question 9

+ Eval: HAB

Answer 9

• Improved understanding of (cognitive biases + crimes) relationship
• CBT would reduce recidivism rate, inmates rehabilitated, contribute to society
• cost less (one less inmate)