Week Nine - Cognitive Theories Flashcards
When did Cognitive Theories emerge?
1970s onwards
The majority of research conducted by cognitive psychologists concerns…
The majority of research conducted by cognitive psychologists concerns internal mental processes, such as attention and memory, and for this reason, is generally studied in a laboratory setting
One prominent idea surrounding the nature of criminal behavior concerns the notion of intelligence…
One prominent idea surrounding the nature of criminal behavior concerns the notion of intelligence.
When we talk about ‘intelligence’ we are generally referring to a person’s intellectual ability or IQ.
Your IQ relates largely to your ability to learn and adapt to various environments and, subsequently, often how successful you can expect to be; this is particularly relevant in relation to education and employment
Whilst many offenders are of above average intelligence…
Whilst many offenders are of above average intelligence, a large proportion of offenders have been identified as recording below average IQ scores. It is suggested by some that it is this limited capacity which results in the majority of criminal behavior
One of the first to propose this was Goddard (1914) in Feeble-Mindedness: Its Causes and Consequences…
One of the first to propose this was Goddard (1914) in Feeble-Mindedness: Its Causes and Consequences.
He proposed that low intelligence made criminals unable to learn socially acceptable conduct and resist offending behavior
Now recognized that low intelligence is a result of…
Now recognized that low intelligence is a result of poverty and other social factors, not a personality trait (Cullen et al, 1997 vs. Herrnstein and Murray, 1994)
There could be a number of other explanations as to why intelligence (both verbal and non-verbal) may be related to criminal behavior…
There could be a number of other explanations as to why intelligence (both verbal and non-verbal) may be related to criminal behavior, for example, there is a possibility that those with low intelligence could be more likely to be caught when committing crime
Despite the limitations in allowing us to understand and explain criminal behavior in relation to intelligence alone…
Despite the limitations in allowing us to understand and explain criminal behavior in relation to intelligence alone, there are many studies that include intelligence as a variable when assessing offenders.
There is now, though, the recognition that low intelligence might not be a personality feature of the individual per se, but in fact a result of poverty or other social factors
Instead of low intelligence causing crime…
Instead of low intelligence causing crime it could equally be possible that coming from a poor neighborhood influences the educational skills available to a person
There is extensive research to support the idea that people with low incomes and limited access to employment…
There is extensive research to support the idea that people with low incomes and limited access to employment are more likely to be involved in criminal activities
Aside from intelligence, there are other individual differences that have been implicated in the acquisition and maintenance of criminal tendencies…
Aside from intelligence, there are other individual differences that have been implicated in the acquisition and maintenance of criminal tendencies.
One such area is impulsivity. From a clinical perspective, being impulsive describes behaviors when people are likely to act almost on instinct and seldom weigh up the consequences of their actions The process of ‘acting without thinking’ has found a receptive audience amongst criminologists and phycologists in providing another way of explaining why some people commit crime and others largely don’t.
Early sociologists debated the idea that there were differences in the social classes’ ability to delay gratification…
Early sociologists debated the idea that there were differences in the social classes’ ability to delay gratification - people from higher social classes were assumed to be able to plan for the future and set a path to reap greater rewards in return for sacrificing earlier gains.
From a more individual perspective, criminals have been assumed to act in a way that…
From a more individual perspective, criminals have been assumed to act in a way that seeks to maximize their immediate desires without considering the likely future consequences that these actions may have, such as imprisonment.
Criminals are therefore assumed to have poor control mechanisms that cause them to seek immediate satisfaction of their needs.
However…
However, much crime is planned carefully (e.g. fraud, some robberies), impulsive behavior doesn’t necessarily lead to criminal behavior and spontaneity is good in some situations – adventure, openness, enthusiasm. Either way, it’s difficult to measure or use to predict prevalence of offending.
Yochelson and Samenow – thinking patterns of criminals…
‘Series of choices’ lead someone to become criminal
Criminal personality features range of thinking errors
However, ‘criminality’ definition is subjective and implies a different breed of person, No comparison/ctrl group – thinking errors also made by others?, Unrepresentative sample (ppl in institution, but Y&S over generalized)
