Cognitive theory

Question 1

Cognitive theory– cause of criminal behaviour

Answer 1

• Criminal behaviour is caused by distorted mental processes

Question 2

Cognitive theory – description of theory

Answer 2

• Criminals suffer from several cognitive distortions.
• Patterns of thinking that do not reflect reality, and may account for some of the behaviour of criminals.
• Some possible cognitive distortions that may explain some criminal behaviour:
o Errors in attribution (including hostile attribution bias)
 Heider (1958) argued that we are predisposed to attribute behaviour to internal rather than external causes.
 Criminals are more likely to make dispositional attributions.
 Criminals are also more likely to make a hostile attribution bias is the tendency to interpret others’ behaviours as having hostile intent, even when the behaviour is ambiguous or benign.
o Minimalisation
 Criminals are prone to minimalistic thinking.
 They underplay the consequences of their actions, meaning that criminal behaviour can be engaged in with minimal guilt and other negative emotions.
o Underdeveloped moral reasoning
 Crimes are more likely to be committed by people at a lower level of moral development, so offenders are characteristically less mature with regard to their moral reasoning than non-offenders.
 E.g. in the Pre-conventional stage, where we don’t have a personal code of morality. Instead, our moral code is shaped by the standards of adults and the consequences of following or breaking their rules.

Question 3

Cognitive theory– explanation for criminal behaviour

Answer 3

• Criminal behaviour is caused by distorted attribution, perception and morality