psych explanations: cognitive

Question 1

what is this explanation composed of

Answer 1

1. level of moral reasoning
2. cognitive distortions

Question 2

who was the first researcher to apply the concept of moral reasoning to offending behaviour

Answer 2

kohlberg (1968)

Question 3

what did kohlberg propose

Answer 3

peoples decisions and judgements on issues of right and wrong can be summarised in a stage theory of moral reasoning
–> higher the stage, more sophisticated the reasoning

Question 4

what did kohlberg base is theory off of

Answer 4

on peoples responses to series of moral dilemmas (eg. heinz dilemma)

Question 5

what have many studies shown regarding the moral reasoning of offenders

Answer 5

offenders often show lower level of moral reasoning compared to non-offender

Question 6

what did kohlberg et al. (1973) find

Answer 6

using his moral dilemmas, he found that a group of violent youths were at significantly lower level of moral development than non-violent youths (even after controlling social background)

Question 7

what is level 1 of kohlberg’s stage theory of moral reasoning

Answer 7

pre-conventional morality
- stage 1 = punishment orientation (rules obeyed to avoid punishment)
- stage 2 = instrumental orientation or personal gain (rules obeyed for personal gain)

Question 8

what is level 2 of kohlberg’s stage theory of moral reasoning

Answer 8

conventional morality
- stage 3 = ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’ orientation (rules obeyed for approval)
- stage 4 = maintenance of social order (rules obeyed to maintain social order)

Question 9

what is level 3 of kohlberg’s stage theory of moral reasoning

Answer 9

post-conventional morality
- stage 5 = morality of contract & individual rights (rules challenged if they infringe on rights of others)
- stage 6 = morality of conscience (individuals who have personal set of ethical principles)

Question 10

describe the link between levels of moral reasoning (kohlberg) & criminality

Answer 10

• offenders likely to be at pre-conventional level of kohlberg’s model (stages 1 & 2)
• non-offenders generally conventional level or beyond
• pre-conventional = need to avoid punishment & gain rewards –> associated with less mature/child-like reasoning
• adults/adolescents who reason at this level may commit crime if can avoid punishment or gain rewards eg. money, increased respect

Question 11

what studies support the idea that offenders most likely at pre-conventional level of moral reasoning

Answer 11

eg. chandler (1973)
- suggest offenders are often egocentric & show poorer social perspective-taking skills than non-offender peers
- individuals who reason at higher levels often sympathise with rights of others & exhibit more conventional behaviours eg. generosity, honesty

Question 12

what are cognitive distortions

Answer 12

errors/biases in peoples information processing system characterised by faulty thinking

Question 13

link between cognitive distortions & crime

Answer 13

the way in which offenders interpret other people’s behaviour & justify their own actions

Question 14

two types of cognitive distortions

Answer 14

1. hostile attribution bias
2. minimalisation

Question 15

describe hostile attribution bias

Answer 15

• tendency for violence often associated with tendency to misinterpret actions of others (eg. being confrontational when they aren’t)
• offenders may misread non-aggressive cues which triggers a disproportionate (often violent) response

Question 16

research conducted by schonenberg & jusyte ((2014) - hostile attribution bias

Answer 16

• presented 55 violent offenders with images of emotionally ambiguous facial expressions
• when compared with non-aggressive matched control group, the violent offenders were significantly more likely to perceive images as angry & hostile