Criminal Psychology | OCR GCSE Psychology (J203)
Criminal Psychology
- 66 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Component 01
- Component 01
Criminal Psychology is examined in Component 01, Studies and applications in psychology 1.
It covers types of crime and how crime is measured, social learning theory of crime and Cooper and Mackie's study, Eysenck's criminal personality theory and Heaven's study and punishment, rehabilitation and restorative justice.
Sample questions from Criminal Psychology
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Types of crime and how crime is measured
Is anti-social behaviour always a crime?
Show the answer
Anti-social behaviour is not always a criminal offence. Minor anti-social acts may be dealt with by warnings or civil orders rather than prosecution. -
Types of crime and how crime is measured
What are official crime statistics?
Show the answer
Official statistics are records of crime collected by the police, the courts and the government. Police recorded crime figures for England and Wales are published by the Office for National Statistics. -
Social learning theory of crime and Cooper and Mackie's study
What is internalisation in social learning theory?
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Internalisation is when a learned behaviour becomes part of a person's own values and attitudes. The person then behaves that way even with no model present and no outside reward. -
Social learning theory of crime and Cooper and Mackie's study
Describe the procedure of Cooper and Mackie's study.
Show the answer
Children were tested in same-sex pairs, with one child playing a game while the other watched. Each pair had a highly aggressive video game, a less aggressive video game or a paper-and-pencil maze. -
Eysenck's criminal personality theory and Heaven's study
How is the dopamine reward system linked to extraversion?
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The dopamine reward system produces pleasure when a reward is gained. Extraverts are thought to have a more responsive reward system, so they chase rewards and thrills. -
Eysenck's criminal personality theory and Heaven's study
How does the issue of individual differences challenge Eysenck's theory?
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Many people with high scores on all three dimensions never offend, and offenders vary widely in personality. One personality type cannot explain all criminal behaviour. -
Punishment, rehabilitation and restorative justice
What are the limitations of restorative justice?
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Restorative justice only works if the victim chooses to take part and the offender admits the offence. Some offenders may show remorse they do not really feel. -
Punishment, rehabilitation and restorative justice
What is a community sentence?
Show the answer
A community sentence is a punishment served in the community instead of in prison. Requirements can include unpaid work, a curfew, supervision or treatment for drug or alcohol problems.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Types of crime and how crime is measured | Violent, drug-related, acquisitive and sexual crime and anti-social behaviour, crime as a social construct, and official statistics and self-report measures of offending. | 16 |
| Social learning theory of crime and Cooper and Mackie's study | Identification, observation and imitation, vicarious and direct reinforcement and internalisation, and Cooper and Mackie's study of children's play after an aggressive video game. | 16 |
| Eysenck's criminal personality theory and Heaven's study | Extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, arousal, dopamine and the limbic system, early socialisation and conscience, and Heaven's questionnaire study of personality and delinquency. | 18 |
| Punishment, rehabilitation and restorative justice | Rehabilitation programmes, restorative justice, positive role models, individual and general deterrence, prison, community sentences and fines, and how punishment in the UK has changed. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 577 questions with their answers.