Criminals exhibit cognitive distortions and thinking patterns that differ from non-criminals. A study interviewed 255 offenders and identified 52 thinking errors that could be categorized into crime-related, automatic, and criminal thinking patterns. Criminals also tend to have lower levels of moral development according to Kohlberg's stages of moral development and attribute negative behaviors of others to their disposition rather than the situation. Studies have also found a link between lower intelligence as measured by IQ tests and higher rates of criminal behavior, though intelligence is not the only factor that determines if someone will commit a crime.

1. COGNITIVE
CRIMINAL
BEHAVIOURPaola Gonzalez, Pamela Reyes, Pablo Elizondo, Lulu Macias y Federica

2. “Criminal behavior is a result of
cognitive distortions.

3. WHAT ARE COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS?
Cognitive distortions is the pattern of thoughts
caused by depression and anxiety that lead, as a result,
a series of distort, f.e; blaming others for your failures,
exaggerating accomplishments and abilities to make
ourselves look better in the eyes of others.
The rational choice theory claims that criminals
take the choice by considering the benefit and the best
outcome/reward.

4. THINKING PATTERNS
This consists on the believe that criminals have
over 40 distinct and erroneous thinking errors that makes
them different from non-criminals. This thinking errors are
characterized by fear and a distorted self-image. It also
denies that criminals act impulsively or just because of
desire they had a rational thinking process which resulted
in crimes. Thinking errors are “mistakes” Thinking errors
let a person blame other people, not take responsibility
for their behaviors and stops people from ever getting
better.

5. YOCHELSON, S AND SAMENOW S. (1997)
AIM
Prove that criminal
behavior is the result of
their thinking process and
that criminals cognition is
different from those who
are not criminals
PROCEDU
RE
255 male offenders who
were in a psychiatric
institution who claimed to
be innocent because of
insanity were interviewed.
Only 30 were chosen to
complete more interviews
They worked with them
during 14 years
interviewing them with
psychoanalytic postulates
in order to find criminal
thinking patterns or the
beginning of their criminal
behavior.
They used Freudian
Therapy in order to
observe or study changes
in their cognition over the
years.
RESULTS
Within the years they
discovered 52 thinking errors
which were categorized in 3
main categories: Crime-related
thinking errors, automatic
thinking errors, criminal
thinking patterns.
EVALUATION
This study has low validity
due to the way of research
since only interviews and
observation were used.
Also it is lacking a control
group.

6. MORAL DEVELOPMENT
This theory explains why some people turn to crime and
emphasizes the role of moral development. There are
three levels of moral development each with two
stages. Some psychologists argue that criminals offend
because they are still in stage 1 or 2.

7. MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Pre-conventional morality which
involves childhood ages. Their morality is
driven by reward, punishment and self-
interest.
Stage 1: During this stage the child behaves
good in order to avoid punishment. They
understand that if someone is punished is
because they must have done something
wrong
Stage 2: At this age children recognize there
is more than just one view and that each
individual will have its own view to the
situation.
Conventional morality level is between adolescent ages and
adulthood where most people fall into criminal behaviours. Their morals
are controlled by society, law and conformity.
Stage 3: The person behaves good in order for others to see him/her as
a good person
Stage 4: The person becomes aware of judgements and rules of society
so it feels socially accepted
Post-conventional level is the last level any person can reach. It’s
seen as an ideal that many do not reach. Only 10-15% are capable of
the kind of abstract thinking necessary for this level.
Stage 5: The individual becomes aware that even though rules are for
goods sometimes the rules will be against their own interests.
Stage 6: The individual has developed his own moral guidelines which
may or not fit the rules of society.

8. SOCIAL COGNITION
Social cognition refers to how we think about
others around us. We attribute our own behavior to the
situation, but others' behavior to their disposition,
particularly when they are negative or undesirable. This
can justify why they do crime, criminals are incorrectly
attributing more hostile behaviors. Since they feel like
they can justify being anti-social and committing offences
because they feel victimized or an outcast anyway.

9. PALMER AND HOLLIN (2000)
AIM
See the relationship between
moral reasoning, attribution
theory and other cognitive
processes and compare it
between young male
delinquents and non-
offenders.
PROCEDU
RE
Sample 97 convicted male
criminals aged between 13 and
21 and 77 non-offenders aged
between 12 and 24.
Psychometric tests were applied
to both groups.
All participants were given a
Socio-Reflection Measure Short
Form which contained 11 moral
dilemma- related questions.
Participants were also given
scenarios where they were to
attribute intent to others'
behavior.
Could be to change the way
he/she perceives the world and
the others around them in order
to change their behavior
RESULTS
Psychometric tests included
perceptions of parenting including
rejection which check-listed of 46
offences.
The delinquent group showed less
mature moral reasoning than the
non-delinquent group, operating at
lower levels of moral development.
EVALUATION
Limitations: Ecological validity: The method required
answering moral related questions which can be
argued to not represent the live moment of committing
a crime. Validity: Lacks scientific measures and the
moral dilemmas are bias’ which don’t show true
morality of the criminals.
Strengths: Useful applications to everyday life since it
suggests that criminal’s low morality could be corrected
with cognitive behavioural treatment would be to change
the way he/she perceives the world and the others around
them in order to change their behavior

11. INELLIGENCE AND CRIME
Criminologists have suggested for centuries that
there exists a link between intelligence and crime.
The central question of IQ-crime studies is
whether individuals with less intelligence, on
average, commit more crime than those with more
intelligence.
The scholars, Travis Hirschi and Michael
Hindelang, suggested that low IQ increases the
likelihood of criminal behavior through its effect on
school performance.
The ideology of IQ and crime has crystallized into the
nature-versus-nurture debate. This is an argument that is
related to whether the environment or heredity impacts
the psychological development of individuals.
In the early decades of the 20th century, researchers
administered IQ tests to delinquent male children. The
results indicated that close to 40% had below-average
intelligence. It is important to observe that there are many
individuals who have a low IQ but refrain from committing
crime.

12. THE BELL CURVE
The bell curve is a book published in 1994.
Written by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray as a
work designed to explain variations in intelligence in
American Society, this book suggested that individuals
with a lower IQ are more likely to commit crime and get
caught, and be sent to prison. They also stated that
prisons and jails are highly populated with inmates with
low IQs

13. THE BELL CURVE
But what about those criminals who actions go
undetected?
Through self-reported data, the researchers
discovered that these individuals have a lower IQ than
the general public. Concluding that those criminal
offenders who have been caught and those who have not
have an IQ lower than the general population

14. SOURCES
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