Gudjonsson&Bownes: Attribution (Cognitive)

Question 1

Method?

Answer 1

Used the Gudjonsson+Singh 42 item ‘Blame Attribution Inventory’ (GBAI) to measure the offenders type of offence and attribution of blame

Question 2

PPs

Answer 2

80 criminals serving sentences in Northern Ireland
•20 had committed violent crimes e.g homocide and gracious bodily harm
(Mean age 29)
•40 sex offenders (mean age 41 for paedophiles and 28 for others)
•20 committed property offences
(Mean age 29)

Question 3

Results?

Answer 3

Mean scores on GBAI:
•External attribution: violence 5.8, sexual 2.4
•Mental element: sexual 5.7, property 4.0
•Guilt: sexual 12.7, property 5.5

Question 4

Conclusions?

Answer 4

• offenders attribute blame differently according to their crime
• G&B compared results to an earlier study carried out in England+found consistency
• higher level of eternal attribution in NI due to terrorist troubles

Question 5

What is the GBAI?

Answer 5

A psychometric test that measures where your natural tendency is to lay blame, either:
•external attribution= blaming other people or circumstances
•mental element attribution= blaming mood or states of mind out of character

Question 6

Strengths of study?

Answer 6

• second study in England and Iceland= cross cultural validity
• internal reliability as GBAI standardised
• useful for rehabilitation+possible prevention

Question 7

Weaknesses of study?

Answer 7

• Reductionist= focuses on dispositional
• construct bias as GBAI invented by G&B
• ethno and androcentric sample
• low population validity as small sample

Question 8

Aim?

Answer 8

To examine the relationship between type of offence and the attributions offenders make to their criminal act.