Lesson 6 - Cognitive Explanations Flashcards
What is moral reasoning?
Moral reasoning refers to the process by which an individual draws upon their own value system to determine whether an action is right or wrong.
Who created the stage theory of moral development and when?
Kohlberg (1973)
What is the stage theory of moral development?
Kohlberg proposed that the quality of peoples judgements of what is right and what is wrong could be summarised by a stage theory of moral development which is based off of peoples responses to moral dilemmas.
Describe the 3 stages of moral development:
Level 1 - Pre-conventional reasoning - Individual shows concern for self-interest and external rewards and punishments
Level 2 - Conventional reasoning - Individual does what they think is expected of them by others
Level 3 - Post-conventional reasoning - Individuals develops more autonomous decision making based on principles of right and justice
How is moral reasoning classified for offenders?
Pre-conventional level (1)
What does the pre-conventional level mean in detail?
This means that a person is punishment or reward orientated. This is immature reasoning which typically lasts from ages 3-7. Teenagers and adults who still reason in this way may commit crime if they can do it without receiving punishment or while receiving a rewards
What is an advantage of moral reasoning?
+ Palmer and Hollin (1998) compared moral reasoning between 210 female non-offenders, 122 male non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using 11 moral dilemmas such as taking things that do not belong to you and discovered how the offenders showed much less mature moral reasoning than the non-offenders.
What is a disadvantage of moral reasoning?
- The stage/level of moral reasoning may depend on the type of offence committed. For example, Thornton and Reid (1982) found that those who committed crime for financial gain (reward), such as a robbery, were more likely to show pre-conventional reasoning compared to impulsive crimes, such as an assault where there was generally NO reasoning evident.
What are cognitive distortions?
Cognitive distortions are faulty and irrational ways of thinking that make people perceive themselves, other people and the world inaccurately and negatively.
What is hostile attribution bias?
Hostile attribution bias is the tendency to judge ambiguous situations, or the actions of others, in a highly aggressive or threatening way when, in reality, they’re really not. Offenders may misread non-aggressive situations which may trigger a disproportionate, often violent, response. This can lead offenders to blame the victim for having ‘started it’.
What is minimalisation?
Minimalisation is where offenders perceive their actions as trivial and downplay the impact of their crime on the victim which is usually done to avoid feeling guilt. Offenders use euphemisms for their offences as a part of minimalisation for example, a burglar may say they were ‘doing a job’ etc;
Who are prone to minimalisation?
Sex offenders
What is an advantage of cognitive distortions?
+ Understanding cognitive distortions have been beneficial in the treatment of of criminal behaviour. The dominant approach to rehabilitating sex offenders is cognitive behavioural therapy which encourages people to ‘face up’ to what they done and help develop a less distorted view of their actions. A reduced incidence of cognitive distortions in therapy is highly correlated with a reduced risk of offending.
What are 2 disadvantages of cognitive distortions?
- Despite the cognitive approach explaining thinking it doesn’t explain the source of these thoughts (nature/nurture). For instance, were you born with these thoughts or were you socialised to start thinking them.
- Cognitive distortions cannot be observed or measured meaning that the cognitive explanation of criminal behaviour is not scientific.
