ps ex - cognitive Flashcards
what are the two cognitive explanations for offending?
level of moral reasoning, cognitive distortions
what is the level of moral reasoning?
Kohlberg 1968 – moral reasoning develops through stages that are progressively sophisticated (i.e. from primitive to advanced).
what study did kohlberg carry out?
longitudinal study, 12+ years.
75 m tested in hypothetical dilemmas, aged 10/16-22/28.
scores compared to other countries
what countries were the scores of the 75 men compared to? /5
Uk
canada
Mexico
Turkey
Taiwan
what is an example of a moral dilema?
the Heinz dilemma, woman with cancer could only be saved by 1 drug, very expensive and overpriced. Heinz (husband) couldnt afford it, should he steal it?
what did kohlberg find?
ppts progressed through stages as they got older, never went back in stages, invariant.
what are the three stages of development?
preconventional morality,
conventional morality,
postconventional morality
what occurs the in the pre-conventional stage?
consideration of self, reward and punishment steers behaviour
what occurs the in the conventional stage?
consideration of society, law and order steer behaviour, approval and social order.
what occurs the in the post-conventional stage?
own sense of morality, most complex, social contract and ethical principle.
what is the link to criminality?
Offenders classified at pre-conventional stage, e.g. ‘child-like’ moral reasoning, follow rules just to avoid punishment and gain rewards.
ao3 research support?
strength
Palmer and Hollin (1998), ev for link of level of MR and crime. compared MR in 300 non-off and 120 convicts. 11 q’s, offenders less mature as predicted
ao3 type of offence?
limitation
level of mr may depend on type off offence.
Thorton and Rein (1982), crimes for financial gain shoe pre-conventional MR more than impulse crimes, doesnt apply to all
cp- still supports the theory of moral reasoning
what are cognitive distortions?
Biased ways of thinking which may be used to rationalise or justify offending behaviour.
what are two examples of cognitive distortions?
hostile attribution bias, minimalisation
what is hostile attribution bias?
Judging situations as aggressive and/or threatening when in reality they may not be.
2 research studies that support H.A.B?
- Schonenberg and Justye (2014), 55 offenders exposed to ambiguous faces, more offenders saw face as violent than control group
- Dodge and Frame (1982), aggressive children saw interaction as violent, non aggressive accepted provocation
what is minimalisation?
Downplaying the significance of an event or emotion as a means of dealing with guilt.
2 reseach studies that support minimalisation?
Bandura (1973), euphemistic labels applied like “supporting my family”, minimises seriousness
Bardabee (1991), 26 convicted rapists studied. 54% deniedd wrongdoing, 40% minimised harm to victim
ao3 real life application?
strength, cognitive behavioural therapy aims to challenge irrational thinking. face up to actions.
less cognitive distortions may reduce risk of reoffending
ao3 type of offense?
Howit and Sheldon (2007), gathered questionaire responses from sexual offenders, non-contact off used more cognitive distortions than contact ones. previous offenders more likely to use.
