Forensic Psychology Study Test Questions with 100% Correct Answers

Forensic Psychology Study Test Questions with 100% Correct Answers What are cognitive distortions - Answer-errors or biases in people's information processing system characterised by faulty thinking when explaining our own behaviours and may perceive world and ourselves inaccurately. Research has linked this to the way in which offenders interpret other peoples behaviours and justify their own actions what are the two examples of cognitive distortions - Answer-hostille attribution bias and mimilasation what is hostile attribution bias - Answer-The tendency to misintepret ambiguous situations, or the actions of others, as aggressive and/or threatening when in reality they may not be. May also be apparent in childhood For example offenders misreading non aggressive cues 'looked at funny' which will trigger a disproportionate and often violent response. EXAMPLE: Justyne and schonenberg presented 55 violent offenders with images of emotional ambiguous expressions and controlled with matched control group, and found offenders were significantly more likely to perceive images as angry and hostile what is mimilisation - Answer-attempt to deny or downplay the seriousness of an offence which is a common strategy for dealings with feelings of guilt Example: sex offenders are more prone to mimilisation .35% of child molesters argues their crimes were not sexual but 'affectionate' Evluate cognitive distortions: practical applications - Answer-P: One strength of cognitive distortions is it has valuable application for therapy E: For example, cognitive behavioural therapy challenges irrational thoughts which encourages offenders to 'face up' to what they have done and establish a lss distorted view of their actions. Studies have suggested ghat they have a reduction of denial and mimilisation after CBT and accepting their crimes ( Harkins et al) E: This is a strength because its suggests the theory of cognitive distortions has practical value evaluate cognitive distortions: descriptive or explanatory - Answer-P: One limitation of cognitive distortions is it is was descriptive rather than explanatory E: For example, it doesn't explain why the offenders offend or help predict future offender behaviour. Even if an individual has distorted thinking they will not necessarily go onto to offend. Research has shown that attitudes or beliefs are weakly correlated with actual behaviour. To understand why offenders go onto offend ee must identify the cause of behaviour rather than describe E: This suggests in terms of devising strategies to prevent offending, explanation may be more important than description CA: However, cognitive explanations are good at explaining cponcepts on criminal minds which may be helpful to reduce offending rates in long term as we can use therapy to reconstruct the ways of offenders dealing with mimilisation or whistle attribution bias. What does the differential association theory propose ( Sutherland) - Answer-criminal behaviour is learnt and emphases role on nurure SLT developed by Sutherland- individuals learn values attitudes techniques and motive for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people - He also argues tact offending hevaiour is acquired in the same way as other behaviours through the procedd of learning, which occurs through interactions with significant other such as family and peer group outline the differential association theory of offending - Answer-Sutherland (1924) developed a set of scientific principles that could explain all types of offending. Individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for offending behaviour through interaction with others - these 'others' are different from one person to the next (hence, differential association). His theory ignores the effects of class or ethnic background, what matters is who you associate with. Offending behaviour is acquired through the process of learning. Learning occurs through interactions with significant others who the child values most and spends most time with, such as family and peer group. Offending arises from two factors: learned attitudes towards offending and learning of specific offending acts. When a person is socialised into a group they will be exposed to certain values and attitudes. This includes values and attitudes toward the law - some of these will be pro-crime, some will be anti-crime. Sutherland argues that if the number of pro-crime attitudes the person comes to acquire outweighs the number of anti-crime attitudes, they will go on to offend. How do learning pro criminal attitudes and learning criminal acts link to offending - Answer-Pro criminal attiutudes: when socialising with a group and their pro criminal attitude outweighs the number of anti criminal attitudes then their cognition changes to becoming pro- criminal attitudes, meaning they'll likely to offend The types of crimes they will commit is the deviant attitudes they have learnt for example the individual may find it unacceptable to mug someone but justify falsifying their tax returns Learning criminal acts: may also learn particular techniques for committing crime- observation and imitation for example breaking into someone's house through a locked window evaluate differential assocation theory: Supporting evidence - Answer-There is supporting evidence Farrington et al carried out a longitudinal study looking at offending behaviour in 411 male aged 8-50. 41% were convicted of ar lease one offence between the ages of 10-15 . The most important 'risk factors' aged 8-10 included family criminality, poverty and poor parenting suggesting they may havee learnt pro criminal attitudes and criminal acts from their parents therefore making the theory valid . CA: however, they only tested males so findings can only br generalised to male criminality nit females, therefore family criminality may no cause females. to offend. Additionally offending can not be definite caused by learning but maybe genes like the MOAO gene have a impact on offending Evaluate differential association theory: Theory can account for crimes within all sectors of society - Answer-P:One strength is that differential theory can account for offending within all sectors of society E:- whilst Sutherland recognised that some type of offence like burglary may be clustered with working class communities, it is also the case that some offences are clustered amongst more affluent groups in society. White collar crimes or coparate crimes may be a result of middle class group sharing deviant norms and values. E: This is a strength because because it shows that it's not just lower class which commit crimes and that principles of differential association theory can be used to explain all offences