Research questions It was not known how criminal offenders perceive and mentally represent the world around them It was not known what role perception plays in an individual’s potential to commit crime The basis of Cognitive theory Cognitive is defined as an ability to process information: Cognition has to do with one's ability to learn information quickly, memorize, and understand information they receive. Therefore, cognitive theories of crime fall under the psychological theories of criminal behavior. It's important to know that there are different theories that attempt to explain acts of criminal behavior. Cognitive-behavioral theory combines the principles of social and developmental psychology and those of experimental-clinical psychology. The theory, applied to crime and delinquency, proposes that social behavior is learned. To understand why and how people commit crimes, psychologists and sociologists often study, analyze, and develop explanations of why these behaviors exist. Cognitive theory is one of many psychological theories of criminal behavior.  Cognitive theories of crime explain criminal behavior as a defect in moral thinking, thought processes, and mental development. Cognitive theories focus on how we perceive the world around us, how we think, and the factors that influence our mental development (family upbringing, parental modeling, personality, intelligence). These theories help to explain how we develop morally in our thought process. Cognitive theories also help us to understand how an individual's personality and intelligence level are linked to delinquency.  Theoretical framework : theory of cognitive development Jean Piaget: Moral and intellectual development. People construct a mental model of the world from childhood. Thus, from birth onward an individual will continue to develop. It is a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment. Bandura maintains that individuals are not born with an innate ability to act violently. He suggested that, in contrast, violence and aggression are learned through a process of behavior modeling (Bandura, 1977). In other words, children learn violence through the observation of others. Aggressive acts are modeled after three primary sources: (1) family interaction, (2) environmental experiences, and (3) the mass media. Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987), who applied the concept of moral development to criminological theory. Kohlberg (1984) believed that individuals pass through stages of moral development. Most important to his theory is the notion that there are levels, stages, and social orientation. The three levels are Level I, preconventional; Level II, conventional; and Level III, postconventional. With respect to the different stages, Stages 1 and 2 fall under Level I. Stages 3 and 4 fall under Level II, and Stages 5 and 6 fall under Level III. The next subdiscipline is the information-processing branch. This area is predicated on the no.

1. Research questions
It was not known how criminal offenders perceive and mentally
represent the world around them
It was not known what role perception plays in an individual’s
potential to commit crime
The basis of Cognitive theory
Cognitive is defined as an ability to process information:
Cognition has to do with one's ability to learn information
quickly, memorize, and understand information they receive.
Therefore, cognitive theories of crime fall under the
psychological theories of criminal behavior. It's important to
know that there are different theories that attempt to explain
acts of criminal behavior.
Cognitive-behavioral theory combines the principles of social
and developmental psychology and those of experimental-
clinical psychology. The theory, applied to crime and
delinquency, proposes that social behavior is learned. To
understand why and how people commit crimes, psychologists
and sociologists often study, analyze, and develop explanations
of why these behaviors exist. Cognitive theory is one of many
psychological theories of criminal behavior. Cognitive theories
of crime explain criminal behavior as a defect in moral
thinking, thought processes, and mental development. Cognitive
theories focus on how we perceive the world around us, how we
think, and the factors that influence our mental development
(family upbringing, parental modeling, personality,
intelligence). These theories help to explain how we develop
morally in our thought process. Cognitive theories also help us
to understand how an individual's personality and intelligence
level are linked to delinquency.
Theoretical framework : theory of cognitive development
Jean Piaget: Moral and intellectual development. People
construct a mental model of the world from childhood. Thus,

2. from birth onward an individual will continue to develop. It is a
process which occurs due to biological maturation and
interaction with the environment.
Bandura maintains that individuals are not born with an innate
ability to act violently. He suggested that, in contrast, violence
and aggression are learned through a process of behavior
modeling (Bandura, 1977). In other words, children learn
violence through the observation of others. Aggressive acts are
modeled after three primary sources: (1) family interaction, (2)
environmental experiences, and (3) the mass media.
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987), who applied the concept of
moral development to criminological theory. Kohlberg (1984)
believed that individuals pass through stages of moral
development. Most important to his theory is the notion that
there are levels, stages, and social orientation. The three levels
are Level I, preconventional; Level II, conventional; and Level
III, postconventional. With respect to the different stages,
Stages 1 and 2 fall under Level I. Stages 3 and 4 fall under
Level II, and Stages 5 and 6 fall under Level III.
The next subdiscipline is the information-processing branch.
This area is predicated on the notion that people use
information to understand their environment. When an
individual makes a decision, he or she engages in a sequence of
cognitive thought processes. To illustrate, individuals
experience an event and encode or store the relevant
information so it can be retrieved and interpreted at a later date
(Conklin, 2007). Second, these individuals search for the
appropriate response, and then they determine the appropriate
action. Last, they must act on their decision. There are some
vital findings regarding this process. First, individuals who use
information properly are more likely to avoid delinquent or
criminal behavior (Shelden, 2006). Second, those who are
conditioned to make reasoned judgments when faced with
emotional events are more likely to avoid antisocial behavioral
decisions (Siegal, 2008). Interestingly, an explanation for
flawed reasoning is that the individual may be relying on a

3. faulty cognitive process; specifically, he or she may be
following a mental script that was learned in childhood (Jacoby,
2004).A second reason that may account for flawed reasoning is
prolonged exposure to violence. A third possibility of faulty
reasoning is oversensitivity or rejection by parents or peers.
Contemplating the consequences of long-lasting rejection or
dismissal is likely to produce damage to an individual’s self-
esteem. Research has demonstrated that individuals who use
violence as a coping mechanism are substantially more likely to
exhibit other problems, such as alcohol and drug dependency
(Piquero & Mazarolle, 2001).
The 10 Key Strategic Points for the Prospectus, Proposal, and
Dissertation
Introduction
In the prospectus, proposal and dissertation there are ten key
strategic points that need to be clear, simple, correct, and
aligned to ensure the research is doable, valuable, and credible.
The 10 key strategic points emerge from researching literature
on a topic which is based on or aligned with the learner’s
personal passion, future career purpose, and degree area. These
points provide a guiding vision for the research.
The Ten Strategic Points
A document outlining the 10 key strategic points includes the
following that define the research focus and approach:
1. Topic – Provides a board research topic area/title.
2. Purpose Statement – Provides one sentence statement of
purpose including Problem Statement - Describes the
phenomena to study (qualitative) or variables/groups
(quantitative) to study, in one sentence.
3. the problem statement, sample, methodology, and design.
4. Research Questions – Provides research questions to collect
data to address the problem statement.
5. Hypothesis/Variables or Phenomena - Provides hypotheses
with variables for each research question (quantitative) or
describes the phenomena to be better understood (qualitative).

4. 6. Literature Review - Lists primary points for four sections in
the Literature Review: (a) Background of the problem/gap; (b)
Theoretical foundations (models and theories to be foundation
for study); (c) Review of literature topics with key theme for
each one; (d) Summary.
7. Methodology and Design - Describes the selected
methodology and specific research design to address problem
statement and research questions.
8. Sample and Location – Identifies sample, needed sample size,
and location (study phenomena with small numbers and
variables/groups with large numbers).
9. Data Collection – Describes primary instruments and sources
of data to answer research questions.
10. Data Analysis – Describes the specific data analysis
approaches to be used to address research questions.

5. Ten Strategic Points for a Qualitative Case Study:
1. Topic – Provides a board research topic area/title: A Case
Study of the role perception plays in an individual’s potential to
commit a deviant behavior.
OR
A case study of how criminal offenders perceive and mentally
represent the world around them
2. Literature review
a. Background of the problem/gap:
i.
ii.
iii. .
b. Theoretical Foundations (models and theories to be
foundation for study);
c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one;
i.
ii.
d. Summary.
i.
ii.
iii.
3. Problem statement - Describes the phenomena to study
(qualitative) or variables/groups (quantitative) to study, in one
sentence: It was not known what role perception played in an
individual’s potential to commit a deviant behavior.
OR
It was not known how criminal offenders perceive and mentally
represent the world around them
4. Sample and location – Identify sample, needed sample size,
and location (study phenomena with small numbers and
variables/groups with large numbers).

6. a. Location: New York State, United States of America.
b. Population: A city with over 100 behavior consultants.
c. Sample: The sample for this research was 30-35 social
scientists, primarily criminologists and sociologists, studying
social deviance or criminal behavior.
5. Research questions – Provides research questions to collect
data to answer the problem statement:
1. R1: What role does perception play in an individual’s
potential to commit a deviant behavior
1. R2: How does an individual perceive his/her behavior?
1. R3: What role if any does the ego function play on
perception?
6. Phenomena: describes the phenomena to be better understood
(qualitative).
Phenomenon: Understanding the role of perception in an
individual’s potential to commit a crime. OR Understanding
how criminal offenders perceive and mentally represent the
world around them
7. Methodology and design - Describes the selected
methodology and specific research design to address problem
statement and research questions: The methodology is
qualitative. The design is a case study
8. Purpose: The purpose of the qualitative case study is to
determine what role perception plays in an individual’s
potential to commit a crime. OR To determine how criminal
offenders perceive and mentally represent the world around
them
9. Data collection – Describes primary instruments and sources
of data to answer research questions:
Please list the potential data instruments and sources in this
kind of study
10. Data analysis – Describes the specific data analysis
approaches to be used to address research questions.

7. a. Data will be organized and prepared for analysis.
b. Descriptive statistics will summarize the data.
c. Coding will generate themes used to address the research
questions.
Research questions
It was not known how criminal offenders perceive and mentally
represent the world around them
It was not known what role perception plays in an individual’s
potential to commit crime
The basis of Cognitive theory
Cognitive is defined as an ability to process information:
Cognition has to do with one's ability to learn information
quickly, memorize, and understand information they receive.
Therefore, cognitive theories of crime fall under the
psychological theories of criminal behavior. It's important to
know that there are different theories that attempt to explain
acts of criminal behavior.
Cognitive-behavioral theory combines the principles of social
and developmental psychology and those of experimental-
clinical psychology. The theory, applied to crime and
delinquency, proposes that social behavior is learned. To
understand why and how people commit crimes, psychologists
and sociologists often study, analyze, and develop explanations
of why these behaviors exist. Cognitive theory is one of many
psychological theories of criminal behavior. Cognitive theories
of crime explain criminal behavior as a defect in moral
thinking, thought processes, and mental development. Cognitive
theories focus on how we perceive the world around us, how we
think, and the factors that influence our mental development
(family upbringing, parental modeling, personality,
intelligence). These theories help to explain how we develop
morally in our thought process. Cognitive theories also help us
to understand how an individual's personality and intelligence

8. level are linked to delinquency.
Theoretical framework: theory of cognitive development
Jean Piaget: Moral and intellectual development. People
construct a mental model of the world from childhood. Thus,
from birth onward an individual will continue to develop. It is a
process which occurs due to biological maturation and
interaction with the environment.
Bandura maintains that individuals are not born with an innate
ability to act violently. He suggested that, in contrast, violence
and aggression are learned through a process of behavior
modeling (Bandura, 1977). In other words, children learn
violence through the observation of others. Aggressive acts are
modeled after three primary sources: (1) family interaction, (2)
environmental experiences, and (3) the mass media.
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987), who applied the concept of
moral development to criminological theory. Kohlberg (1984)
believed that individuals pass through stages of moral
development. Most important to his theory is the notion that
there are levels, stages, and social orientation. The three levels
are Level I, preconventional; Level II, conventional; and Level
III, postconventional. With respect to the different stages,
Stages 1 and 2 fall under Level I. Stages 3 and 4 fall under
Level II, and Stages 5 and 6 fall under Level III.
The next subdiscipline is the information-processing branch.
This area is predicated on the notion that people use
information to understand their environment. When an
individual makes a decision, he or she engages in a sequence of
cognitive thought processes. To illustrate, individuals
experience an event and encode or store the relevant
information so it can be retrieved and interpreted at a later date
(Conklin, 2007). Second, these individuals search for the
appropriate response, and then they determine the appropriate
action. Last, they must act on their decision. There are some
vital findings regarding this process. First, individuals who use
information properly are more likely to avoid delinquent or
criminal behavior (Shelden, 2006). Second, those who are

9. conditioned to make reasoned judgments when faced with
emotional events are more likely to avoid antisocial behavioral
decisions (Siegal, 2008). Interestingly, an explanation for
flawed reasoning is that the individual may be relying on a
faulty cognitive process; specifically, he or she may be
following a mental script that was learned in childhood (Jacoby,
2004).A second reason that may account for flawed reasoning is
prolonged exposure to violence. A third possibility of faulty
reasoning is oversensitivity or rejection by parents or peers.
Contemplating the consequences of long-lasting rejection or
dismissal is likely to produce damage to an individual’s self-
esteem. Research has demonstrated that individuals who use
violence as a coping mechanism are substantially more likely to
exhibit other problems, such as alcohol and drug dependency
(Piquero & Mazarolle, 2001).