Psych Explanations Ao3 - Cognitive Flashcards
Strengths - irl application
CBT aims to challenge irrational thinking
Offenders encouraged to face up to what they have done and create a less distorted view of their actions
These offenders who accept what they’ve done are less likely to re offend
Types of offence
Gathered questionaiire responses from sexual offences
Non contact sex offenders used more cog distortions then contact sex offenders (abused children)
Those who had a history of offending were more likely to use distortions such as justification
Suggests distortions are not used in the same way by all offenders
Kolbergs theory of moral reasoning
Moral reasoning refers to how an individual draws on their own value system to determine whether an action is right or wrong.
• Kohlberg suggested that people’s decisions and judgements on issues of right or wrong can be summarised in a stage theory of moral development - the higher the stage, the more sophisticated the moral reasoning, which results in a more logically consistent and morally mature form of understanding.
• People progress through the stages as a consequence of biological maturity and by having opportunities to discuss and develop their thinking (e.g. perspective taking).
• The theory was developed by interviewing boys and men about the reasons for moral decisions.
3 levels
Pre conventional morality
Convential morality
Post conventional reality
List and explain 2 stages of pre conventional morality
Punishment orientation; reasoning based on wherever if not the act will lead to punishment
Reward orientation; reasoning based on what can be gained
Conventiaonl morality stages
‘Good boy’ or ‘good girl’ orientation
Reasoning based on what others expect
4: Social order orientation
Reasoning based on doing duties as a citizen
Desricbe stages of post conventional morality
5: Social contract and individual rights orientation
Reasoning based on what is impartially right; democratic rules can be challenged if they infringe on the rights of othe
6: Conscience orientation
Reasoning based on one’s own ethical principles
Linking levels to Criminal behaviour
Criminals are more likely to be classified at the pre-conventional level.
• The pre-conventional level is characterised by a need to avoid punishment (punishment orientation) and gain rewards (reward orientation), and is associated with less mature, child-like reasoning.
• Individuals at this level may commit crime if they can avoid punishment or gain rewards in the form of money, respect etc. because they believe that breaking the law is justified if the rewards outweigh the costs or if punishment can be avoided.
Strength - research support
Palmer and Hollin (1998)
• Compared moral reasoning in 332 non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using the Socio Moral Reflection Measure.
• The offender group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-offender group.
• Consistent with Kohlberg’s predictions.
Evaluation - type of offence
Thornton and Reid (1982)
• Found that people who committed crimes for financial gain were more likely to show pre-conventional moral reasoning than those convicted of impulsive crimes e.g. assault.
• PCMR tends to be associated with crimes in which offenders believe they have a chance of getting away with it.
Research support for kolberg
P; There is research evidence to support Kohlberg’s theory of moral development.
E; Palmer and Hollin (1998) compared moral reasoning between 210 female non-offenders, 122 male non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using 11 moral dilemma-related questions. The delinquent group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-delinquent group.
EL: This is consistent with Kohlberg’s predictions about offenders being classified at the pre-conventional level of moral reasoning, supporting his theory. It has been suggested that this may be due to a lack of role playing opportunities in childhood, and therefore such opportunities should be provided.
Limitation low internal validity
P; The cognitive explanations are more descriptions of the criminal mind.
E; They are essentially ‘after the fact’ theories, and although they may be useful when predicting reoffending, they tend not to give us much insight into why the offender committed the crime in the first place.
EL; This suggests that the theories may not be entirely internally valid as cause and effect cannot be established.
Limitation - sample bias
P; Kohlberg’s theory was only based on samples of men and boys and yet assumed to apply to all people (beta bias)
E; When Kohlberg studied women, he found that they were less morally developed than men. His beta bias meant that he ended up exaggerating the differences between men and women (alpha bias).
EL; Gilligan’s (1982) research found that men favoured a justice orientation whilst women favoured a caring orientation. Neither is ‘better’, they are just different. As such, Kohlberg’s theory cannot be considered an externally valid theory of offending behaviour as it may not apply to women in the same way as men.
Strength- treatment irl app
P; Understanding the nature of cognitive distortions is beneficial in the treatment of offending behaviour.
E; The dominant approach in rehabilitating sex offenders is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which encourages offenders to ‘face up’ to what they have done and establish a less distorted view of their actions. Studies suggest that reduced incidence of denial and minimalisation in therapy is highly correlated with a reduced risk of reoffending, and this is a key feature of anger management.
El: This supports that cognitive explanations have important real-world applications and therefore external validity. If by changing offenders’ thoughts it can help to reduce reoffending risk, it implies that cognitive distortions may have played a role in their offending initially.
Limitation - doesn’t give insight as to why offending happens in the first place
P; The cognitive explanations are more descriptions of the criminal mind.
E: They are essentially ‘after the fact’ theories, and although they may be useful when predicting reoffending, they tend not to give us much insight into why the offender committed the crime in the first place.
EL: This suggests that the theories may not be entirely internally valid as cause and effect cannot be established.
