Psychological - Cognitive

Question 1

3 cognitive explanations for offending

Answer 1

1. Moral development
2. Hostile attribution bias
3. Minimalisation

Question 2

Kohlbergs levels of moral development

Answer 2

1. Preconventional
   - punishment orientation, instrumental/ personal gain
2. Conventional
   - good boy/girl orientation, maintenance of social order
3. Post conventional
   - individual rights, morality of conscience

Question 3

Kohlbergs theory of moral development

Answer 3

As children get holder their decisions/ judgements about right & wrong become sophisticated

Question 4

How Kohlbergs theory links to offending

Answer 4

• moral dilemma technique found offenders tend to be at the pre-conventional level

• offenders my commit crime to gain rewards if the can get away with it

Question 5

Offenders more egocentric & show less empathy

Answer 5

• individual who reason at higher level tend to empathise more & exhibit behaviours such as honesty and generosity

Question 6

What are cognitive distortions

Answer 6

• information processing characterised by faulty thinking
• research shows it’s more typical for offenders to interpret behaviour and justify their actions

Question 7

What are cognitive distortions

Answer 7

• information processing characterised by faulty thinking
• research shows it’s more typical for offenders to interpret behaviour and justify their actions

Question 8

What is hostile attribution bias

Answer 8

The tendency to judge ambiguous situations or the actions of others as aggressive and threatening when in reality they’re not

Question 9

What is minimalisation

Answer 9

Downplaying a significant event

E.g burglars may use euphemism as a way to minimise the seriousness of their actions

Question 10

Strength of moral development
- evidence support

Answer 10

Hollin & palmer
• compared moral reasoning of offenders & non-offenders on a SRM-SF scale
• offenders show less mature moral reasoning

Question 11

Limitation of moral reasoning
- offence type

Answer 11

Thornton & Reid
• found crimes which were for financial gain were more likely to show pre-conventional level than if impulse crime
• pre-conventional moral reasoning tends to be associated with comes in offenders believe they have a good chance of avoiding punishment

Question 12

Strength of cognitive distortions
- application to therapy

Answer 12

• in CBT offenders are helped to face up to what they have done + have a less distorted view of their actions
• reduced denial + minimalisation in therapy is associated with less reoffending

Question 13

Limitation of cognitive distortions
- offence type

Answer 13

Sheldon
• found online sex offenders experience more cognitive distortions than contact sec offenders
• previous history of sex offending also more likely to use distortions as justification of behaviour