stress and criminal behaviours test

Question 1

strengths of beta blockers

Answer 1

beta blockers are proven to help the nerves of musicians
neftel et al (1982) took a group of musicians and gave them either beta blockers or a placebo 6.5 hours before they were performing, and found that the beta blocker group had a lower heart rate and more accuracy in playing complex instruments than the placebo group. they also had reduced stage fright.
this means that beta blockers target the physiological symptoms of stress e.g. heart rate and muscle tension which allows them to perform more effectively
this is a strength because it provides evidence on the versatility of beta blockers, showing that they can be used for off label uses such as for musicians which broadens their real world applicability.

Question 2

weaknesses of beta blockers (different types)

Answer 2

different types of beta blockers have different effects on stress. schweizer et al (1991) compared different beta blockers to a placebo for students takimng a maths test. and found that although all beta blockers helped reduce physical effects, there were different ratings in stress among the group. this means that beta blockers dont help to show cause and effect as they dont have a uniform effect across all types.
W- this is a weakness because it limits the reliability of beta blockers as a universal treatment for stress.

Question 3

weaknesses of beta blockers (long term)

Answer 3

poor long term effectivity, beta blockers dont address the psychological and emotional side of stress e.g. irrational thoughts or situational pressures
this means that if the person is irrational or has a strong tupe A personality then this is untreated. sit may be more appropriate for long term coping
weakness because sit is needed long term to treat the cause and drug therapy is only. effective short term

Question 4

strength of SIT

Answer 4

evidence of effectiveness in reducing anxiety and stress and increasing performance
sheehy and horan (2004) first year law students and did 4 weekly sessions of SIT for 90 minutes. ppts who had sit had lower anxiety levels. academic performance of those predicted to be in bottom 20% also had signficant improvements after sit
E- sit is useful in addressing both the emotional and cognitive aspects of stress and equips individuals with coping strategies to allow them to manage stress better.
W- strength because it demonstrates the practical, long term benefits of sit in real world contexts such as education

Question 5

weaknesses of SIT

Answer 5

difficulty to pinpoint which of the three components is the effective part since they overlap. Moses and Hollandsworth (1985) randomly allocated 24 dental phobics to one of 4 conditions. found that some had stage one, whereas others had stage one along with other elememts and coping skills training

this means that its hard to isolate which part of the therapy had the most signiifcant impact since iot could be the initial conceptualisation stage or skills acquisition and application.
reduces psychologists ability to improve or refine sit making the therapy potentially less efficient.

Question 6

what is the first individual differences explanation of stress, and explain it’s key characteristics

Answer 6

hardy personality, developed by kobasa. hardy individuals have 3 key characteristics, commitment, challenge and control.

Question 7

what do each of the three characteristics for the hardy personality mean

Answer 7

commitment reflects and engaged attitude towards life, allowing individuals to find meaning even in stressful situations. control means that they believe they can influence events rather than being passive victims of stress. finally, challenge refers to viewing stressors as opportunities for growth rather than as threats.

Question 8

how do the hardy personality traits act as a buffer towards stress

Answer 8

these traits act as a buffer against stress by fostering resilience, helping hardy individuals adopt active coping strategies, utilising social support and practicing self care.

Question 9

how does bartone (1999) support the hardy personality theory

Answer 9

soldiers with high hardiness experiences fewer negative health effects, such as ptsd and depression even under significant stress

Question 10

how did kobasa eat al (1986) similarly to bartone (1999) support hardy personality

Answer 10

found that a hardy personality was a more effective stress buffer than exercise or social support

Question 11

second individual differences explanation of stress

Answer 11

distinction between type A and type B personalities, introduced by Friedman and Rosenman.

Question 12

how are type A personalities characterised

Answer 12

competitive, hostile, impatient, workaholic and prone to rapid speech. these traits make them more likely to activate the fight or flight response leading to higher levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

Question 13

what does type A activated flight or flight system lead to over time

Answer 13

elevated blood pressure and heart rate increasing the risk of wear and tear on blood vessels which can cause stress related illnesses such as CHD and a stroke

Question 14

how are type B individuals in contrast to type A

Answer 14

relaxed, calm, flexible and better at expressing their emotions which makes them less susceptible to the negative effects of stress. Friedman and Rosenman conducted the western collaborative group study (1960-1961) on men aged 39-59.

Question 15

what happened to the sample of men in the western collaborative group study for type A and B personalities

Answer 15

these men were assessed for type A personalities through interviews designed to elicit impatience and hostility (type A personalities)

Question 16

what was found in western collaborative group study

Answer 16

over 8.5 years, 257 ppts experienced heart disease, 70% if which were identified as type A. other variables such as diet and smoking were controlled, showing that personality differences play a role in stress related illnesses

Question 17

what’s the first social psychological explanation of criminal behaviour

Answer 17

sutherlands differential association theory.

Question 18

what does DAT propose

Answer 18

criminal behaviour is learnt through interactions with others in close social groups

Question 19

key idea of DAT

Answer 19

people are exposed to attitudes, values and behaviours that are either favourable or unfavourable towards crime. if an individuals exposure to favourable attitudes outweighs unfavourable attitudes they are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour.
for example, if someone grows up in a community where theft or violence is normalised they are more likely to learn and adopt these behaviours through observation, imitation and reinforcement,

Question 20

what does sutherland also emphasise

Answer 20

frequency, duration and intensity of these social contacts plays a significant role in shaping a persons likelihood of engaging in crime.

Question 21

what’s the second social psychological explanation

Answer 21

gender socialisation which suggests that differences in how boys and girls are raised influence their likelihood of engaging in criminal acts

Question 22

what are the differences between boys and girls socialisation according to sutherland (1949)

Answer 22

boys are socialised to be risk takers, independent and tough whereas girls are socialised to conform, express their feelings and are often closely supervised. as a result, boys are more likely to engage in delinquent behaviour.

Question 23

what does social learning theory highlight in the gender socialisation theory

Answer 23

that boys observe and imitate their fathers who may act as absent or elusive role models, as noted by cohen (1955). this leads to boys developing “compensatory compulsory masculinity” expressed through aggression and anti social behaviour.

Question 24

how are girls socialised in comparison to boys

Answer 24

controlled more strictly by societal structures, as suggested by Heindensihn (1985) who suggested that women’s roles in a patriarchal society e.g. caregiving, limits their opportunities to commit crime.

Question 25

what individual differences can be applied to anger management

Answer 25

cognitive distortion

Question 26

why does cognitive distortions apply to anger management

Answer 26

criminals often have hostile attribution bias, where they they often think the worst of people e.g. if someone smiles at them they’ll think they’re making fun of them. leads to anger which anger management developed by novaco (2011) conducted inside of prisons and outside e.g. during probation

Question 27

strengths of DAT

Answer 27

• ability to explain how crim behaviour is learned through social interactions
• akers et al (1979) surveyed 2500 adolescents and found that peer influence, including differential reinforcement and imitation accounted for 68% of the variance in marijuana use and 55% in alcohol use
• means that criminal behaviour can be attributed to the social environments individuals are exposed to, such as interactions with peers who promote offending
• strength because it highlights the importance of environmental factors in criminal behaviour, offering practical strategies for reducing crime through interventions targeting social influences

Question 28

weaknesses of DAT

Answer 28

• supporting evidence is correlational
• cox eat al (2014) argued that it is difficult to establish whether individuals adopt criminal behaviour from peers or whether they seek out others with similar tendencies
• this means that the theory cannot conclusively determine whether socialisation causes criminal behaviour or merely reflects pre existing tendencies
• this is a weakness because it limits the reliability of the theory and makes it harder to apply confidently in real world crime prevention

Question 29

weakness of gender socialisation

Answer 29

• lack of consistent evidence supporting the chivalry hypothesis
• carlen (1997) found that women who adhered to traditional gender roles e.g, being good mothers, were less likely to be imprisoned but this was not always linked to the severity of their offences
• this means that the justice system may not consistently treat women more leniently, as other factors, such as class or race, may influence sentencing decisions
• this is a weakness because it challenges the generalisability of the theory, suggesting that other structural inequalities also need to be considered

Question 30

strength of gender socialisation

Answer 30

• it’s explanation of gender differences in crime rates
• dabbs eat al (1987) he found within a prison population 9/11 with the highest testosterone levels had committed violent crimes. 10 out of 11 inmates with the lowest testosterone levels had committed non-violent crimes.
• means that biological differences, influenced by gender socialisation, may predispose men to higher levels of aggression explaining their over representation in violent offences
• strength because the theory is supported by nature and nurture, making it a more holistic approach

Question 31

strength of amygdala

Answer 31

• high predictive validity
• pardini et al (2015) studied 503 males 20 years later after being earlier studied at the age of 6-7 between 1987-1987. they had selected a subgroup of 56 men who had shown aggressive behaviour since childhood and found that men with low amygdala volume showed higher levels of aggression. this is a strength because it shows that men with low amygdala activity are at a higher risk of committing future violence which gives a high predictive validity also allowing preventative measures to be put into place

Question 32

weakness of amygdala

Answer 32

part of a much wider system of connected structures and doesn’t operate on its own to determine criminal behaviour . works together with orbifrontal cortex which is located in the prefrontal cortex which is said to influence self control and impulsive behaviour. this means that, you cannot isolate the role of the amygdala and you cannot establish a true cause and effect relationship. this is a weakness because it lessens the reliability of the biological explanation