6) Cognitive Explanations for Offending

Describe cognitive explanations for crime?

Cognitive explanations for crime look for the origins of offending in the mind of the individual.

• Kohlberg’s theory suggests that criminals have a lower level of moral reasoning.

  • Crime is related to judgements of right and wrong.

• Other theories suggest that offending is the result of faulty information processing.

  • Hostile attribution bias

  • Minimalisation

Name the creator of the levels of moral reasoning theory?

Kohlberg

Describe the levels of moral reasoning with reference to one piece of research?

Moral reasoning refers to the process by which an individual draws upon their own value system to determine whether an action is right or wrong.

• Decisions and judgements of issues of right and wrong can be summarised in stage theory of moral development.

  • The higher the stage, the more sophisticated the reasoning.

  • It is based on a series of moral dilemmas.

  • Studies show that offenders show a lower level of moral reasoning.

KOHLBERG ET AL:
Found that a group of violent youths were significantly lower in moral development.

• This was even after controlling for their social background.

Draw the levels of moral reasoning?

Describe the link with criminality to the levels of moral reasoning, and include a piece of research?

Non-offenders generally operate in higher stages.

However, offenders are more likely to be classified at the lowest, pre-conventional stage in Kohlberg’s model.

• There is a need to avoid punishment and gain rewards.

• Less mature and childlike reasoning.

• Crime is committed if they can get away with it or gain some kind of reward (tangible or intangible).

CHANDLER:

This assumption is supported by studies showing that offenders are more egocentric and display less social perspective - taking skills.

• Lower levels are associated with being unable to sympathise with the rights of others.

  • Lack of honesty

  • Lack of generosity

  • Violence

Name two types of cognitive distortion?

• Hostile attribution bias

• Minimalisation

Describe what is meany by cognitive distortions?

Faulty, biased and irrational ways of thinking that mean we perceive ourselves, other people and the world inaccurately and usually negatively.

• Hostile attribution bias

• Minimalisation.

Describe hostile attribution bias as an example of a cognitive distortions, and refer to research?

A tendency to judge ambiguous situations or the actions of others, as aggressive or threatening when in reality they may not be.

SCHONENBERG AND JUSTYE (2014)

55 violent offenders were more likely to perceive an emotionally ambiguous face as angry and hostile.

Describe minimalisation as an example of a cognitive distortions, and refer to two pieces of research?

A type of deception that involves downplaying the significance of an event or emotion.

BANDURA:

Denying or downplaying the seriousness of offences applies a euphemistic label.

• A burglar may refer to “doing a job or supporting the family”.

• Sexual offenders are particularly prone to the use of minimalisation.

BARBAREE:

Found that 94% of rapists used denial or minimalisation.

Evaluate Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning?

STRENGTH: RESEARCH SUPPORT

PALMER AND HOLLIN:
Studied moral reasoning in 332 male and female non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using a questionnaire called the SRM-SF.

• 11 moral dilemma related questions such as not taking things that belong to others, and keeping a promise to a friend.

The offender group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-offender group.

LIMITATION: THINKING VERSUS BEHAVIOUR

Kohlberg’s theory might be useful in providing an insight into the mechanism of the criminal mind.

However, arguably it is very different thinking morally versus acting morally.

Is it possible that offenders use this hindsight as a way to justify what they’ve done?

Evaluate cognitive distortions?

STRENGTH: REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS

It applies to therapy - CBT aims to challenge rational thinking.

• In the case of offending behaviour, offenders are encouraged to face up to what they have done and establish a less distorted view of their actions.

HARKINS ET AL:
Suggest that reduced incidence of denial and minimisation in therapy is highly associated with a reduced risk of reoffending.

• Acceptance is thought to be an important aspect of rehabilitation.

LIMITATION: A PROXIMAL EXPLANATION

Cognitive theories are very good at describing the criminal mind.

• However, they do not explain why some people have it and others do not.

As such, they may only explain what it is that offenders do, but not the reasoning behind it.

Thus, it is not effective as an explanation for predicting offending behaviour.

Provide two limitations of both explanations?

LIMITATION: MAY DEPEND ON THE TYPE OF CRIME

THORTON AND REID:
Crimes for financial gain were related to pre-conventional moral reasoning.

• However, impulsive gains were not.

Pre-conventional moral reasoning tends to be associated with crime sin which offenders believe they have a good chance of getting away with it.

LIMITATION: MAY NOT APPLY TO ALL FORMS OF CRIME:
HOWITT AND SHELDON:
Non-contact sex offenders used more cognitive distortions than contact sex offenders.

• Those with a history of offending were also more likely to use distortions as a justification.

Suggests that distortions are not used in the same way by all offenders.