Criminal psychology

Reinforcement

Achieve desired behaviour.

Punishment

Stop undesired behaviour.

Positive +

Something is added.

Negative -

Something is removed.

Positive reinforcer

Something good is added to continue desired behaviour.

Negative reinforcer

Something bad is removed to continue desired behaviour.

Positive punishment

Something bad is added to stop undesired behaviour.

Negative punishment

Something good is removed to stop undesired behaviour.

Examples of positive reinforcers:

• House point.

• Money.

Examples of negative reinforces:

• No chores.

• Taking away a sanction.

Examples of positive punishment:

• Sanction.

• Prison.

Examples of negative punishment:

• Take phone away.

• Take privileges.

What is operant conditioning?

When we do something to get rewarded or avoid punishment.

Why do people commit criminal acts?

If there is a reward or to stop something bad happening to them.

What is a primary reinforcer?

Reinforcer that satisfies biological needs.

→ food

→ water

What is a secondary reinforcer?

A reinforcer of no survival value but we associate with primary needs.

→ cars

→ money

Strengths: Operant conditioning

• Applications:

  • Explains how crime gets reinforced, represents a wide rang of crimes. (social approval major reinforcer)

• Application:

  • Explains how punishment decreases behaviour.

• Contributes to token economy.

Weaknesses: Operant conditioning

• Generalisable:

  • Not all crimes are due to punishment or reinforcers.

• Reductionist

  • Ignores other factors such as personality and genetics.

What is SLT?

Social learning theory - we learn behaviour for our role models.

What does ARRMI stand for?

• Attention

• Retention

• Reproduction

• Motivation (intrinsic / vicarious reinforcement)

• Identification

A - attention

To learn you must may attention.

R - retention

Must be able to store the behaviour in your memory.

R - reproduction

Doing the behaviour.

M - motivation

Intrinsic → personally enjoy it.

Vicarious reinforcement → see someone else being rewarded for the behaviour and want the reward yourself.

I - identification

You adapt to the behaviours, beliefs and value of a role model or group.

Strengths: SLT

• Bandura (1960)

  • Nursery aged kids shown aggressive behaviour.

  • Copied behaviour (same gender).

• Explain why not everyone who sees a crime becomes a criminal.

Weaknesses: SLT

• Short term

  • Bandura shows kid learn aggressive behaviour but it’s only short term.

  • Cannot ethically test if SLT leads to long term aggression.

• Not all crimes are due to role models.

Crime + genetics

• Criminality can run in families but research often ignores social factors.

Twin studies:

Monozygotic twins are more likely to both become criminals than dizygotic twins.

Christersent (1977) - Denmark

• Monozygotic males → 35% both criminals (dizygotic 13%).

• Monozygotic females → 21% both criminals (dizygotic 8%).

Adoption studies: Hutchings and Mednick

• 21% of adopted children with biological father with criminal record committed crimes.

• 10% of adopted children with adoptive father with criminal records committed crimes.

What was Eysenck’s personality theory?

Our personality has a biological basis and can be inherited.

Eysenck (1964)

Some characteristics make us more likely to commit a crime.

Extroversion

Outgoing. sociable and pleasure seeking.

Introversion

Reserved, quiet and shy.

Neuroticism

• Stable - calm, don’t overreact. (low)

• Unstable - act emotionally, impulsive and overreact.high)

Psychoticism

Display anti-social behaviour, lack of emotions or empathy towards others.

HighE score

• Low arousal level, seek external stimulation to increase biological arousal.

Low E score

• High arousal level, avoid thrilling activities to dampen biological arousal.

Holistic

Theory isn’t only about biological factors but personality traits and gif we are raised as the process of socialisation.

High PEN score

• Don’t feel anxieties of punishment.

• Quick to react.

• Sensation seeking. (antisocial behaviour)

• Lack empathy.

Dealing with high PEN score

• Punishment is ineffective because they don’t consider others feeling and anti social behaviour is exiting to them.

What is prison?

• Prisoner is locked away in a prison.

• Detained civil liberties.

• Privileges and freedoms taken.

Strengths: prison

• Removes criminal from the public keeping them safe.

• Removed opportunities to commit crimes.

• Moral view that crimes will be punished.

Weaknesses: prison

• Desert prevent reoffending or recidivism.

• Exposed to criminal role models.

• Difficult to live life after prison even for minor infractions.

What is a community sentencing?

• A criminal will do unpaid community service instead of going to prison.

Strengths: community sentencing

• Offenders are given a second chance to make up for their crime.

• More suitable for minor infractions and less likely to reoffend.

Weaknesses: community sentencing

• Too soft and ineffective.

• Still part of the public and can commit more crimes.

• Failure to complete community service.

What is restorative justice?

• Offender meets or communicated with the victim or people harmed to realise the effect of their crime.

Strengths: restorative justice

• High victim satisfaction.

• Offender realise faults.

Weaknesses: restorative justice

• Requires commitment from offender.

• Dosen’t prevent reoffending.

• Could cause trauma to victim.

What is the token economy program?

A program designed to reward prisoners for pro-social behaviour.

How is the token economy operant conditioning?

Prisoners are given a reward for displaying prosocial behaviour and not antisocial behaviour.

What type of reinforces are tokens?

Secondary reinforces that can be exchanged for privileges.

Strengths: token economy

• Hobbs and Holt (1976)

  • Short term increase in pro social behaviour in prisons compared to control.

• Economical

  • Other rehabilitation methods that use consolers are more expensive.

Weaknesses: token economy

• Reoffending

  • Used to control and manage prisoners behaviour.

  • If same tokens aren’t offered in real life criminals may reoffend.

• Commitment

  • Prison staff should reward pro social behaviour immediately or other reinforces will be sought.

Anger management

CBT for violent offenders to control their anger.

WHta is a psychopath?

Someone who is characterised by lack of empathy, guilt and emotion, displays selfishness and antisocial behaviour.

Features go anger management:

• Rehabilitation.

• Work with therapists in small groups.

• Understand triggers, how to cope and resolve conflicts.

What is CSA?

→ Cognitive preparation - reflect on anger.

→ Skill acquisition - learn skill to control anger.

→ Application practice - role play triggering situations to practice.

Strengths: anger management

anger = violent crimes

• Criminals selected are specific and are more likely to benefit.

• Serin (1999)

  • Decrease in reoffending compared to control.

• Ireland (200)

  • Prisoners felt less anger.

Weaknesses: anger management

• Assumes link between anger and violent crimes.

• Offenders can learn to control anger and use it to commit crimes.

• Rice (1977)

  • Psychopaths became more dangerous after acquiring ager skills.

• Howells (2005)

  • No effect on reoffending but made better criminals.

Bandura et al (1961): Aim

• To see whether children would imitate aggression that was role played by an observed adult.

• See if gender affected imitation.

Bandura et al (1961): Sample

• 36 boys and 36 girls, 3 - 6 years old

• 8 groups - 6pp each.

  • 4 aggressive role model

  • 4 non-aggressive role model

• Matched according to normal aggression levels.

• 24pp control.

Bandura et al (1961): Procedure 1.

1. Child taken to a room.

2. Placed in corner to play with toys.

3. Role model enters room and plays with toys.

• Aggressive → attacks bobo doll (verbally)

• Non-aggressive → doesn’t attack.

Bandura et al (1961): Procedure 2.

• Child taken to another room but not allowed to play.

• Take to a third room and allowed to play with toys.

  • Aggressive → attacks bobo doll.

  • Non-aggressive → non-imitative.

Bandura et al (1961): Results

• Aggressive role model = more aggressive than control.

• Non imitative - new form of aggression.

• Boys → imitated male role models (physical aggression)

• Girls → imitated female role models (verbal aggression)

Bandura et al (1961): Conclusion

• Children learn through observation.

• Children learn aggression from same sex role models.

Bandura et al (1961): Strength

• Lab experiment

  • Standardised → all children experienced same conditions

  • Reliable → can be replicated.

• Matched according to aggression levels to eliminate EV.

• Internal reliability

  • Both experimenter and teacher agreed on observation.

Bandura et al (1961): Weakness

• Lab experiment

  • Lacks ecological validity (artificial).

  • Beating bobo dolls isn’t everyday behaviour.

• Demand characteristics

  • Child could have guessed the aim.

• Ethical issues

  • Showing child violence could lead to long term distress.

Charlton et al (2000): Aim

• To investigate the effect of TV on aggressive behaviour.

Charlton et al (2000): Procedure

• Natural experiment - experimenter duid’t manipulate the IV.

• Recorder behaviour 4 month before TV was introduced.

• Come back 5 years later.

• Recorded behaviour in the play ground of two school.

• kids aged 3-8 for two weeks.

• Playground Behavioural Observation Schedule.

Charlton et al (2000): Findings

• No change in anti-social behaviour.

Charlton et al (2000): Conclusion

• TV had little effect and children’s behaviour.

• Environmental conditions specific to the island explain why children didn’t imitate aggressive behaviour.

• Close knit community.

Charlton et al (2000): Strengths

• Standardise

  • Same school and year group.

  • Realiable.

• Natural experiment

  • Natural behaviour

  • Single blind

  • Recurring variable

Charlton et al (2000): Weaknesses

• Small island

  • Not generalisable.

  • Williams (1981) done in Canada found increase in aggressive behaviour.

• St Helena didn’t have the same programs as Britain and other countries.