Exam (elaborations)
AQA A-Level Psychology_ Forensic Psychology.
- Module
- Ch1 Nursing.
- Institution
- Ch1 Nursing.
AQA A-Level Psychology_ Forensic Psychology.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
AQA A-Level Psychology: ForensicPsychology
Outline the cognitive explanations to offending. - correct answer--Levels of moral reasoning:
Preconventional: 1st stage is punishment oriented. 2nd is obeying for personal gain.
Criminals' moral reasoning resides here. They therefore have immature thinking, are less
sympathetic, don't consider consequences. 'Normal' levels of moral reasoning are to do with
morals, ethics and conservation of societal structures.
-Cognitive distortions:
Hostile attribution bias (HAB). Disproportionately violent response to a non-confrontational
situation. Incorrectly assumes aggressive intent. Schonenburg & Jusyte used 55 offenders
and a series of ambiguous facial expressions. Saw more anger than controls.
Minimisation. Downplaying consequence, possibly even denying crime. Barbaree found 54%
of convicted rapists denied they'd committed a crime.
Evaluate the cognitive explanations of offending. - correct answer-Levels of moral reasoning:
^ - practical application to CBT. Changing cognition, especially in HAB can reduce offending.
This will also then positively impact economy (less money spent if less in prison, and more
people contributing to community).
X - issues with measuring. Hard to articulate reason when given a dilemma. Could've led to
criminals being in wrong level (could just have a low IQ, affecting ability to verbalise
thoughts).
^- Palmer & Hollin gave dilemmas to 126 offenders and 332 non. Found offenders had less
mature moral reasoning. Valid study because used both men & women, and had
standardised questions.
Cog distortions:
X - Minimisation is not really a cause, seems to happen after the crime. Not a causal
explanation. (Not the case with HAB, which does describe cause behind violent crime).
X - doesn't explain impulsive crimes where no thinking occured beforehand.
Outline how differential associations explains offending. - correct answer-Underpinned by
social learning theory. Attitudes towards crime are learnt from those around us. Could
quantify number of pro-crime and anti-crime attitudes experienced (in theory). If pro-crime
outweighed anti then person would offend.
Being surrounded by pro-crime behaviour also means techniques are shared, as well as
deviant social norms .
Causes prisons to be just 'schools of crimes' that will never reduce recidivism rates as long
as criminals are learning from each other.
Outline the historical explanation of offending. - correct answer-Lombroso's atavistic form.
The first attempt to scientifically measure a cause of criminality (why it's historical). Theory
states criminals are a savage sub-species, whose nature can't meet demands of civil society
so they resort to crime.
Atavistic form is physical markers indicating criminality. After observing 383 dead and 3839
living offenders Lombroso found murderers had curly hair/bloodshot eyes. Sexual deviants
, had glinting eyes/swollen lips. Out of all the offenders observed only 40% had 'atavistic
features'.
Outline the genetic explanation for offending. - correct answer-Twins: Christiansen studied
3500 twins in Denmark. Concordance rates of 35% for MZ twins and 13% for DZ. Means
when one MZ twin offended, the other did too in 35% of cases.
Genes: Tilhonen genetically analysed 800 Finnish offenders. MAOA and CDH13 candidate
genes found to be linked to violent crime (have roles in serotonin & dopamine systems,
possible linked to impulsivity & aggression).
Diathesis-Stress: genetic vulnerability + environmental trigger cause crime.
Evaluate the genetic explanation for offending. - correct answer-X - issue with twin studies,
MZ will have a higher proportion of environmental similarities as well as genetic. Will be
treated more similarly than DZ, so is impossible to isolate cause as being just genes.
X - is punishment valid if crime is due to genes. Criminal therefore cannot control behaviour,
so has no responsibility for actions. Rehabilitation should also never work is cause is only
biological.
Outline the neural explanation for offending. - correct answer-Brain structure: Raine found an
11% decrease in volume of grey matter in the prefrontal cortex those with APD compared to
controls. Explains poor decision making, impulsivity, low empathy levels.
Mirror neurones: Keysers found mirror neurones (MNs) did activate when those with APD
were ASKED to empathise. Suggests they are not without empathy but have to cognitively
switch it on, whereas neurotypical brains are permanently switched on.
Evaluate the historical explanation of offending. - correct answer-X - Lombroso's sample was
ethnocentric (only Italian men). No control group of non-criminals. All criminals were
convicted (different characteristics for those that didn't get caught??).
X - 60% of his sample also didn't have these features. Lowers validity by a lot, as over half of
sample has an alternative explanation.
X - Goring studied 3000 offenders and 3000 non, no physical differences found. But did find
IQ differences.
X - Ammunition for a eugenics movement. Very socially sensitive to assume criminal based
off looks (were racist as well, listed things like dark skin).
^ - Did contribute to the shift to scientifically finding causes for offending. Used categories,
standardised measurements of skulls with precise units, etc.
Outline the psychodynamic explanation of crime. - correct answer-Inadequate superegos - id
is not adequately kept in check. Is home of our unconscious, primal, selfish desires.
Weak superego: absent parent, could not internalise the superego of the same-gendered
parent so doesn't have a full one.
Deviant: internalised a criminal parent's superego, so morals are skewed.
Overharsh: due to harsh parenting causing crippling guilt & a need for punishment satisfied
through crime.
Maternal Deprivation - 12/14 affectionless psychopaths in Bowlby's 44 thieves study had
prolonged separation from mother. Caused lack of guilt, primitive & selfish behaviour --> led
to crime.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller modockochieng06. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £6.35. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
84866 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now