Cognitive explanations of crime

Who developed the level of moral reasoning theory?

Kohlberg

What type of theory is Kohlberg’s?

A stage theory

How many levels & stages were in Kohlberg’s theory?

• 3 levels

• 6 stages

What are the names of the stages within Kohlberg’s theory?

• Pre-conventional morality

• Conventional morality

• Post-conventional morality

What stage are criminals said to be in?

Pre-conventional

What type of morality is displayed within pre-conventional morality?

• Less sophisticated & more simplistic views of morality (e.g. rules are obeyed for personal gain)

• Characterised by a need to avoid punishment, gain rewards & is associated with less mature, childlike reasoning

What term refers to someone only looking at things from their perspective & being unable to see the perspectives of others?

Egocentric

Why might children & adults at the pre-conventional level commit crimes?

They think that they can get away with it or gain rewards (e.g. money, increased respect, etc)

What is an example of a moral dilemma that Kohlberg used?

Heinz dilemma (hypothetical scenario where Heinz considers stealing an overpriced drug to save his dying wife)

What are cognitive distortions?

Errors or biases in people’s information processing system characterised by faulty thinking

When do criminals use cognitive distortions?

When interpreting others’ behaviours or justifying their own actions

What are two examples of cognitive distortions?

• Hostile attribution bias

• Minimalisation

What is hostile attribution bias?

Misinterpreting the actions of others by assuming they are being confrontational when, in fact, they’re not → may result in an aggressive, violent response

What are examples of hostile attribution bias?

• Interpreting someone accidently bumping into you in a crowded bar as a personal attack

• Interpreting someone simply looking at you as threatening

What is minimalisation?

An attempt to downplay or deny the seriousness of an event

What are examples of minimalisation?

• Burglary as a means to “support my family”

• Child molesters “showing affection”

• Rapists minimising the harm they caused to their victim

Describe & evaluate cognitive explanations for offending (16 marks)

Write your AO1 paragraph

• One cognitive theory of crime is the level of moral reasoning that a person has. According to Kohlberg, people’s decisions & judgements on issues of right & wrong can be summarised in a stage theory of moral development from pre-conventional, conventional & post-conventional morality.

• Pre-conventional morality is the first stage which has less sophisticated & more simplistic views of morality (e.g. rules are obeyed for personal gain). It is characterised by a need to avoid punishment, gain rewards & is associated with less mature, child-like reasoning (e.g. being egocentric rather than considering the rights of others).

  • children & adults at this level may therefore commit crimes if they can get away with it or gain rewards (e.g. money, increased respect, etc).

• Kohlberg used a series of moral dilemmas (e.g. Heinz dilemma) to determine people’s level of moral reasoning & found criminals tend to fall into the pre-conventional stage.

• A second cognitive theory is cognitive distortions, which are errors or biases in people’s information processing system, characterised by faulty thinking. Criminals may use cognitive distortions when interpreting others’ behaviours or justifying their own actions. As such, an offender’s dysfunctional thinking about their offence serves to legitimise behaviour & maintain a positive view of the self. There are two types of cognitive distortions that relate to crime:

  • hostile attribution bias: offenders misinterpret social cues & justify their actions by attributing cause to the victim (e.g. misinterpreting the actions of others as confrontational when in fact they’re not). Their unprovoked act is then justified on the grounds that the victim did something to initiate the violence.

  • minimalisation: offenders justify their offences by down playing the significance of their act (e.g. suggesting injuries inflicted in a vicious assault were mild, burglary as a means to support their family or child molesters “showing affection”). These bias acts to reduce an offender’s feeling of guilt.

Describe & evaluate cognitive explanations for offending (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (CBT)

• Point: One strength of research into cognitive distortions is that understanding the link between offending behaviour & cognitive processing has proven beneficial in the treatment of criminal behaviour.

• Evidence: For example, the main approach in the rehabilitation of sex offenders is CBT, which encourages them to confront what they have done & establish a less distorted view of their actions.

• Explain: Studies suggest that reduced incidence of denial & minimalisation in therapy is highly correlated with a reduced risk of recidivism, as accepting responsibility is an important aspect of rehabilitation.

• Link: Therefore, this application of psychological research could reduce the cost offending has on the economy.

Describe & evaluate cognitive explanations for offending (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (Farrington et al.)

• Point: One limitation of cognitive explanations is they fail to consider individual differences, as intelligence rather than moral reasoning may better explain criminal behaviour.

• Evidence: For example, the longitudinal Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development by Farrington et al. followed 411 working-class boys (aged 8-9) from a deprived inner city area of South London over several decades. Data was collected through interviews with the boys & their parents, teacher reports, criminal records, & peer/self-reports.

• Explain: Results found 41% of boys were convicted of at least one offence by age 50, with low IQ & poor school achievement in childhood being significant predictors of later offending.

• Link: Overall, Kohlberg’s stage theory oversimplifies the causes of crime, as lower intelligence may contribute to criminal behaviour, meaning poor moral reasoning could be a result of low IQ rather than its cause.

Discuss cognitive explanations for offending behaviour (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (lack of objectivity)

• Point: One limitation of the cognitive approach is that it is argued to be less objective than other explanations of crime.

• Evidence: For example, Kohlberg’s research is based upon a series of hypothetical dilemmas & in reality, people behave may very differently, especially when there are very real repercussions for themselves.

• Explain: This can be contrasted with biological explanations for crime, which are based upon more scientific principles (e.g. Raine’s research into the role of the amygdala & prefrontal cortex in crime using PET scans & the links between the MAOA & CDH13 genes with crime).

• Link: Overall, the validity of Kohlberg’s artificial dilemma situation is questioned which causes us to question cognitive theories of crime as a whole.