Forensic Psychology Flashcards

Question

The diathesis-stress model in the genetic explanation of criminal behaviour

Answer 1

The diathesis-stress model in the genetic explanation of criminal behaviour: -Genetic bases of behaviour -> environmental trigger ie traumatic/dysfunctional childhood caused criminal behaviour

Answer 2

Neural explanation of criminal behaviour: -How the structure and workings of the brain may be linked with criminal behaviour -Antisocial personality disorder (APD) -> neural explanation -> lack of empathy -Associated with the prefrontal cortex

Answer 3

Raine's research findings into the association of the prefrontal cortex and antisocial behaviours: -Brain imaging studies -Individuals with APD had reduced prefrontal cortex activity -> 11% less brain matter than control group

Answer 4

The prefrontal cortex includes regulation of emotional behaviour ->Dysfunction in this area leads to a dysfunction in emotional response

Answer 5

Keyser's mirror neurones study: -When criminals were asked to empathise with someone on film experiencing pain -> empathy controlled by mirror neurones activated -> suggests those with APD are capable of empathy but it is a process that can be switched on or off

Answer 6

Evaluation of the genetic and neural approach to criminal behaviour: - = Methodological issues -> Lange's Twin study -> poorly controlled (based on looks not DNA testing) -> concordance rate also not 100% - = Biologically reductionist - = Biologically Deterministic -> moral issue -> criminal justice system + = Research support Mednick

Answer 7

Eysenck proposed criminal behaviour is due to innate personality traits, and is measured across three dimensions

Answer 8

Eysenck criminal behaviour theory dimensions of personality: -Introversion-Extroversion -Narcotic-Stable -Psychotic-Sociable -Criminals would rate high on extroversion, narcotic and psychotic

Answer 9

Extroversion -> -Underactive Nervous System -Lacks excitement -Don't learn from mistakes

Answer 10

Narcotic: ->High levels of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system -Nervous and unstable

Answer 11

Psychotic: ->High tostesterone -Agressive behaviour

Answer 12

Criminal personality measurement = Eyesenck Personality Inventory -> measures where on the dimensions a person is

Answer 13

Criminal personality: -Social Immaturity -Concerned with instant gratification due to a lack of socialisation (where people are taught to delay gratification)

Answer 14

Eysenck's criminal personality theory evaluation: + = supporting evidence -> Eysenck found criminals score highly on E,N,P dimensions than control group -> reduced reliability - = A meta-analysis contradicted Eysenck;s research as criminals were not found to score high across dimensions - = Suggests one type of criminal with same personality type -> reductionist as ignores other causing factors eg environment - = Mismeasurement of personality -> hard to quantify personality -> personality can be adopted to situiation nd not fixed - = Culturally biased

Answer 15

Kholberg's level of moral reasoning: -Determining wether an action is right of wring -investigated by presenting them with imagined moral dilemmas -Basic level = rules seen to be obeyed as they involve punishment -Sophisticated level = considerations of factors such as human rights -He said criminals have lower levels of moral reasoning

Answer 16

Levels of moral reasoning: -Level 1 = Pre-conventional -> simple need to avoid punishment and gain rewards -> Criminals are classed here -Level 2 -> Conventional -Level 3 -> Post-conventional

Answer 17

Cognitive distortions: -Errors or biases in people's information processing system, categorised by faulty thiking -Used to explain how criminals interpret other's behaviour and justify their own -Eg hostile attribution bias and minimalisation

Answer 18

Hostile Attribution Bias: -Tendency to misinterpret the actions of others, seeing them as hostile or confrontationa when they aren't -Trigger for possible agressive behaviour

Answer 19

Minimilisation: -Denying or downplaying the seriousness of an offence -This may involve using euphemisms ('job' rather than robbery)

Answer 20

Kholberg's cognitive distortions evaluation: + = Supporting Evidence -> Palmer and Hollin -> offenders showed less moral reasoning when presented with moral dilemma - = Low levels of intelligence may be a bigger factor + = Real-world application -> offenders encouraged to confront seriousness of actions in CBT -> reducing denial and minimisation reduces re-offending

Answer 21

Differential Association Behaviour: -Suggests individuals learn the values, attitudes and techniques for offending behaviour through association and interaction with different people -Arises from: Pro-criminal attitudes and learning criminal acts

Answer 22

Pro-criminal attitudes: -Individual is socialised into a group where that are more pro-criminal attitudes then anti, they go on to offend -Includes disrepect for police and law

Answer 23

Learning criminal acts: -Potential criminal learns the practicalities of how to carry out criminal acts -Takes place in groups and prison settings, explains high rates of re-offending in released prisoners

Answer 24

Socialisation in prison: -Offers explanation for why so many convicts reoffend on realease -Assumes prisoners learn new skills and techniques from others in prison whilst surrounded by a criminal attitude

Answer 25

Differential Association Theory Evaluation: - = Difficult to measure -> based on exposure to criminal attitude which is hard to measure objectively - = Deterministic -> just because individual exposed to criminal attitude does not mean they become a criminal + = Considers environment -> lessens eugenics and biology + = Supporting research -> meta analysis found most offences were due to family criminality and poor parenting

Answer 26

Psychodynamic: Blockburn suggested criminal behaviour occurs as a result of an underdeveloped superego → ID is given ‘free reign’ to carry out selfish impulses, which manifests as criminal behaviour -3 types of underdeveloped superego: Weak (due to absent same sex parent so doesn’t fully develop in childhood), Deviant (raised by criminal parent), Over-harsh (suerego focuses on punishment) → Considers the role of emotions which guides their moral behaviour -Idea of maternal deprivation (Bowlby) → lack of an attachment leads to affectionless psychopathy

Answer 27

+ = Contribution to criminology → links childhood experience and emotional basis of crimes - = Androcentrism → suggests women more likely to commit crime due to lack of castration anxiety in childhood → statistically males are more likely - = Hard to infer causality between childhood experience and criminal behaviour due to range of factors that could impact - = Lack of empirical evidence + Psychic determinism

Answer 28

21. Kholberg suggested individuals ahve different levels of moral reasoning which can be investigated by presenting them with imagined moral dilemmas. He argued criminals have low levels of moral reasoning. →Levels of moral reasoning → pre-conventional, convential, post-conventional ⇒ criminals are pre-conventional (simple need to avoid punishment and gain reward) →Cognitive distotions ⇒ errors or biases in people’s information processing system categorised by faulty thinking → two examples of cognitive distortions are hostile attribution bias and minimilisation → Hostile attribution bias = Tendency to misinterpret actions of others seeing them as hostile when they aren’t → potential trigger for agressive behaviour → Minimalisation = denying or downplaying the seriousness of their offence → involves euphemisms (eg job rather than robbery) 22. Evaluate the cognitiv

Answer 29

+ = Research shown support for lower moral reasoning when criminals faced with imaginative moral dilemmas - = Individual differences in levels of moral reasoning - = Range of other explanations eg biological, psychodynamic, psychological + = Real world application → CBT → offenders face seriousness of their crime by reducing minimisation

Answer 30

Custodial sentencing is where an offender spends time in a prison or other institution as punishment 4 main aims = deterrence (unpleasant experience), incapacitation (taken out of society due to danger), retribution (suffer to pay for crime), rehabilitation (reforming) → However there are psychological effects of incarceration → depression, suicide, instituionalisation (becoming accustomed to prison way of life makes it hard to adjust) →Prisonisation = adoption of an ‘inmate code’ where certain behaviours viewed unacceptable in society are rewarded in instiution settings → Recidivism = reoffending = over 50% reoffend, highest in UK and US → lowest in Norway which emphasis on rehabilitation

Answer 31

- = Negative psychological effects → such as depression → may not be effective in rehabilitation - = Arguments on alternative provisions that emphasise on restoring future prospects of jobs and family + = opportunity for rehabilitation which uses CBT - = Dfferential association theory suggests socialisation in prison increases reoffending → Recidivism over 50%

Answer 32

Behaviour modification programmes aims to reinforce obedient or desirable behaviour in offenders → based on behaviourist principle of conditioning → Token economies → based on operont conditioning → Positive reinforcement of good behaviour for rewards or punishment for bad behaviour → Designing and using token economies → operationalise target behaviours so its measurable, scoring system of how much behaviours are worth, train staff to standardise procedures

Answer 33

+ = Easy to implement → doesn’t need specialist training and is cost effecitve - = Little rehabilitation value → token economy not maintainable outside prison system → obedience to laws not rewarded etc + = Supporting research → Field found high effectiveness - = Ethical issues → conditions are manipulative and dehumanising → such as lack of conformity leads to loss of priveleges

Forensic Psychology Flashcards

(57 cards)