Psychological Explanations: Cognitive Explanations Flashcards
What are the two types of cognitive explaination?
- Level of moral reasoning
- Cognitive distortion
What is the level of moral reasoning?
Process which an individual draws upon their own value system to determine whether an action is right or wrong
Who proposed the stages of moral development?
Kolhberg
What are the different levels of moral developments?
- Level 1 = pre conventional morality
- Level 2 = Conventional morality
- Level 3 = Post conventional morality
When does the pre conventional morality stage normally occur?
Up to 9 years old
When does the conventional morality stage normally occur?
9 to adolescence
When does the post conventional morality stage normally occur?
Adolescence +
Finish the sentence: The higher the stage the more….
sophisticated with reasoning
What personality does people with a higher stage tend to have?
- More sympathy
- Reasoning depends more on the right of other people
- More convectional behaviours
What are different types of convectional behaviours?
Honesty, generosity and non-violence
What did Kohlberg et al (1973) do?
Moral dilemma on criminal offenders and non-criminals
What did Kohlberg et al (1973) find?
Offenders have a more preconventional level whilst non-criminals have progressed to conventional and beyond
How is preconvectional characterised by?
- Need to avoid punishment and gain a reward
- Less mature
What did Kolhberg suggest why a criminal may commit a crime based on the stages of moral reasoning?
Offenders only commit a crime if punisment is avoided or gain a reward
What did Chandel (1973) find about the offenders personality?
- more self-centred (egocentric)
- less sympathetic
What is cognitive distortion?
Fault, biased and irrational way of thinking that mean we perceive ourselves, other people and the world inaccuracy and negatively
What are two examples of cognitive distortion?
- hostile attribution bias
- minimalisation
What is hostile attribution bias?
Judge ambiguous situations/action as aggressive and/or threatening when in reality they may not be
What type of cognitive distortion did Schönenberg and Justye (2014) study?
Hostile attribution bias
What did Schönenberg and Justye (2014) find?
Violent offender more likely to perceive ambiguous facial expressions as aggressive. (Misreading of non-aggressive cues)
What is minimisation?
Downplaying significance of an event or emotion (common strategy when dealing with feelings of guilt)
What types of cognitive distortion did Pollock and Hashmall (1991) study?
Minimalisation
What did Pollock and Hashmall (1991) find?
- 35% of sample of child molesters argued the crime they committed was non-sexual
- 36% said the victim consented
Did Palmer and Hollin (1998) support or limit the levels of moral reasoning?
Support
What did Palmer and Hollin (1998) do?
Used a scale of 11 moral dilemma-related questions on criminals and non-criminals
What did Palmer and Hollin (1998) find?
Offender less mature moral reasoning than control group
Who argues against Palmer and Hollin (1998)?
Blackburn (1993)
What did Blackburn (1993) argue?
Delinquents May show poor moral development due to lack of role playing in childhood
Who suggests they may be a better theory of moral reasoning?
Gibbs (1979)
How did Gibbs improve Kohlberg’s theory?
- Mature guided by conscience
- Immature guided by reward and avoidance by punish reasoning
Why did Gibbs say that Kohlberg’s theory be abandoned?
- Culturally biased (towards Western culture)
- Does not represent ‘natural’ maturation stage of cognitive development
What is the application of cognitive distortion?
Help treat criminal behaviour by therapies such as CBT
As studies shown a correlation in reduction of denial and minimisation in therapy?
Yes
Is there an individual differences in levels of moral reasoning?
Yes
Why is there being an individual difference in levels of moral reasoning?
Not all personals may fit in the correct levels of stages
Is the cognitive explanation explanatory or descriptive?
Descriptive
Is it a limitation that the cognitive explanation being descriptive?
Yes
