A03

• strength- real world application

  • cognitive distorations have been used in treating offenders, through cognitive behaviour therpies eg anger management
  • they are encouraged to acknowledge their crimes and change distorted views
  • reduction in minimalisation bias from therapy been correlated with a reduced risk of reoffending- more safe for general public
• limitation- individual differences

  • langdon et al believed intelligence might be a better predictor of criminality
  • and pre-conventional moral reasoning is more associated with crimes such as robbery but impulsive crimes such as assault, not associated with any type of reasoning
  • therefore the level of moral reasoning may depend on kind of offence committed- idiographic approach needed
• reductionist

  • reducing criminality down into units of cognitive activity
  • for example, ignores biological explanations such as mutation in the MAOA gene which has been scientifically investigated with empirical evidence
  • additionally internal mental processes rely on subjective inferences via observation or self report(risk of SDB) both of which reduce validity of findings