GCSE Psychology
Paper 2: Criminal
Psychology
Revision Booklet
Name:__________________________
Criminal Psychology Topic PLC – What do I need to
Learn?
Topic Content Before The Exam I Intend
Covered to Address this By…
Explain operant conditioning including:
- Positive reinforcement
- Negative reinforcement
- Positive punishment
- Negative punishment
- Primary reinforcers
- Secondary reinforcers
Use operant conditioning to explain criminal behaviour
Evaluate the operant conditioning theory of criminal
behaviour
Explain social learning theory
Use social learning theory to explain criminal behaviour
Evaluate the social learning theory of criminal behaviour
Explain Eysenck’s Biological explanation of crime (including
extraversion, introversion, neuroticism, psychoticism)
Evaluate Eysenck’s biological explanation of crime
Describe and evaluate the effect of prison on recidivism
Describe and evaluate the effects of community sentencing
on recidivism
Describe and evaluate the effects of restorative justice on
recidivism
Explain how token economy programmes can be used to
help offenders
Evaluate the use of token economy programmes
Explain how anger management programmes can be used to
help offenders
Evaluate anger management programmes
Describe and evaluate Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) study
Describe and evaluate Charlton et al (2000) study
Psychological Problems Topic Glossary
Operant Conditioning:
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Positive reinforcement:
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Negative reinforcement:
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Positive punishment:
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Negative punishment:
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Primary reinforcer:
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Secondary reinforcer:
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Social Learning Theory:
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Role model:
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Modelling:
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Identification:
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Observational learning:
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Vicarious reinforcement:
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Extraversion:
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Introversion:
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Neuroticism:
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Psychoticism:
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Recidivism:
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Prison:
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Community sentencing:
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Restorative justice:
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Token Economy:
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Anger management:
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Anti-social behaviour:
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Pro-social behaviour:
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Operant Conditioning Explanation of Crime (pages 168-170)
Skinner (1948) developed the theory of operant conditioning. Behaviours are repeated if
they are reinforced and are not repeated if they are punished.
Explain how operant conditioning can explain criminal behaviour (use the following key terms:
positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, negative punishment, positive punishment)
Identify which type of reinforcement/punishment each of these are:
1. Ron tidies his room and because of this his parents give him £10.
2. Jordan fails to hand his homework in on time so he gets given an extra piece of homework
the next week.
3. A rat is put into a box which has an electrocuted floor, when it pushes a button on the wall,
the floor stops electrocuting the rat.
4. Jo steals sweets from the shop and does not get caught.
5. Bella hits one of her friends and as a result she is put in prison.
6. Tom helps one of his elderly neighbours with her shopping and the neighbour thanks Tom
and tells him what a charming and kind young gentleman he is.
There are two types of positive reinforcers that can be used to strengthen behaviour:
Primary reinforcer:
Secondary reinforcer:
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Social Learning Explanation of Crime (pages 170-171)
Explain how social learning theory can explain criminal behaviour (include the following key
terms in your paragraph: role model, modelling, identification, observational learning, vicarious
reinforcement)
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Biological Explanation of Crime: Personality (pages 173-174)
Many people believe that our personality has a biological basis. Some personalities are
associated with being a criminal and others are not. Eysenck studied different personality
traits and suggested that certain characteristics could be more prone to criminal behaviour.
We can measure a person’s personality traits by
Personality Trait Link to criminal behaviour?
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Punishment 1: Prison (pages 175-176)
Recidivism is
Explain how prison is used as a form of punishment to reduce recidivism:
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Punishment 2: Community Sentencing (pages 176-177)
Explain how community sentencing can be used as a form of punishment to prevent
recidivism:
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Punishment 3: Restorative Justice (pages 177-178)
Explain how restorative justice can be used as a form of punishment to prevent recidivism:
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Token Economy (page 179)
Explain how a token economy programme works in a prison:
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Anger Management (page 180)
Anger management is a treatment that can be used to rehabilitate prisoners who have
committed a violent crime due to anger. The treatment involves working with a therapist in
small groups. Offenders are encouraged to identify triggers to their anger and find ways of
coping better with the situation. It involves a 3 stage process:
1) Cognitive Preparation:
2) Skill acquisition:
3) Application practice:
Evaluation
Strengths 😊 Weaknesses ☹
Bandura Ross and Ross (1961) Study (pages 181-183)
AIM
PROCEDURE
RESULTS
CONCLUSION
Strengths Weaknesses
Charlton’s (2000) Study (pages 184-185)
AIM
PROCEDURE
RESULTS
CONCLUSION
Strengths Weaknesses
Practice Exam Questions
1) Tony is given a sticker each time he tidies his room. When he does not tidy his room
he is not allowed to play on his computer game. What type of reinforcement does
Tony receive? What type of punishment does Ian receive? (2 marks)
2) Explain how operant conditioning could cause a person to commit a crime (4 marks)
3) State the aim of Bandura’s study (1 mark)
4) Explain one key finding of Bandura’s study linked to gender (2 marks)
5) Explain one weakness of Bandura’s study (2 marks)
6) Wakanda is a remote island that has recently decided to introduce TV to the island.
Use your knowledge of Charlton’s study to explain what is likely to happen to the
behaviour of the people on the island after TV is introduced. (2 marks)
7) Natasha is 12 years old. She is shopping with her 17-year-old sister Maria when she
observes Maria taking make-up from the shop without paying. That night, Maria’s
friends are complimenting her on how nice her new make-up is. When Natasha is at
the shops the following week, she takes make-up without paying. Explain why
Natasha takes the make-up. You must refer to social learning theory in your answer
(4 marks)
8) Mary has been arrested for smashing a window and breaking into a shop to steal
some clothes. She tells the police that she is not really all that bothered by her arrest
and that the shop charges too much for clothes so they deserve it. Mary says she
does not really care that there are laws that make theft a crime, then laughs as the
police officer charges her with several criminal offences. Describe one personality
type that Mary’s behaviour might indicate (2 marks)
9) Steve is 19 years old and has been caught by police for drawing graffiti on the wall of
the local community centre. The centre is used by a parent and toddler group during
the day and for community bingo for over 60’s one evening a week. Steve’s family
have a history of criminal and anti-social behaviours and they have said that graffiti is
not that bad and should not even be a crime. The court decides that using
restorative justice may help Steve to understand how his behaviour affects other
people. Explain how restorative justice would work in the case of Steve (4 marks)
10) Explain one strength and one weakness of using restorative justice to punish Steve (4
marks)
11) Peter is 22 years old and has received several criminal convictions. He appears in
court for assaulting an employee of a local company who Peter claimed deserved to
be hit because they had refused to interview him for a job. Peter is sentenced to 6
months’ imprisonment. Explain one treatment that might be used with Peter in
prison to help rehabilitate him (4 marks)
12) Explain one strength of the treatment you have explained for Peter (2 marks)
