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EnglandPsychology

Criminal psychology

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What do the criminal psychology core studies show about how crime is learned and whether personality predicts delinquency?

The criminal psychology core studies: the classic study Cooper and Mackie (1986) on video games and aggression in children, and the contemporary study Heaven (1996) on personality and self-reported delinquency.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 criminal psychology core studies, covering the classic study Cooper and Mackie (1986) on video games and aggression in children and the contemporary study Heaven (1996) on personality and self-reported delinquency, including the aim, method, results, conclusions and evaluation of each.
11 min answer →

Is there a criminal personality, and can being labelled a criminal make offending more likely?

The criminal personality (Eysenck's extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism) and the self-fulfilling prophecy: how a label can change behaviour so that the prediction comes true.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 criminal psychology topic on the criminal personality and labelling, covering Eysenck's three personality dimensions (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism), how they are said to raise the risk of offending, and how a self-fulfilling prophecy can make a label come true.
10 min answer →

Does punishment work, and how does it differ from rehabilitation in dealing with offenders?

The aims of punishment (deterrence, retribution, incapacitation and rehabilitation), how custodial and non-custodial sentences are used, and the psychological evidence on whether punishment reduces reoffending.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 criminal psychology topic on punishment and rehabilitation, covering the aims of punishment (deterrence, retribution, incapacitation and rehabilitation), custodial and non-custodial sentences, and the psychological evidence on whether punishment reduces reoffending.
10 min answer →

How can psychology be used to reduce and prevent criminal and anti-social behaviour?

Applications of criminal psychology: ways of reducing and preventing crime, including the role of token economy programmes, anger management and restorative justice, and how these link to the theories of crime.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 criminal psychology application on reducing and preventing crime, covering token economy programmes, anger management and restorative justice, how each draws on a theory of crime, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
10 min answer →

What makes a person behave in a criminal or anti-social way, and is it learned or biological?

Theories of criminal and anti-social behaviour: the biological explanation (brain structure, genetics and inherited traits) and the social learning explanation (observation, imitation, modelling, vicarious reinforcement and identification).
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 criminal psychology topic on theories of criminal behaviour, covering the biological explanation (brain structure, genetics and inherited traits) and the social learning explanation (observation, imitation, modelling, vicarious reinforcement and identification), with their strengths and weaknesses.
10 min answer →