What the examiners are looking for

Obviously, you need to answer 4 questions from 2 sections. You need to answer them well, describe and evaluate research and studies, and show the examiners what you know.

Sometimes though, the mark schemes are less than clear about how to reach that top band (the As and A*s). Here are some generic tips I've found in the mark schemes that are important in getting as close to full marks as you can:

January 2013

• Relevant research should be applied to part a)
• Must address “how” if the question asks for this
• “Discussion” may involve a comparison and following/challenging a viewpoint
• Detail is beneficial in part a)
• Usefulness, application, ecological validity, reductionism, reliability and ethics are all good evaluation points for interviewing witnesses
• A good way to “assess strengths and weaknesses” is to discuss whether or not an apparent “weakness” may actually be desirable or necessary in order to fulfil a function

June 2012

• Responses should be clear, precise and explicit
• To what extent implies a degree of judgement is necessary
• Responses should directly answer the question rather than simply describing research when this is not asked for. Research can be used to illustrate responses but this should be linked to the question.
• Usefulness can be examined in terms of validity, reliability, ethnocentrism, etc.
• Stronger answers with regards to treatments will be contextualised
• Comparison invites similarities as well as differences
• Reliability can be affected by mood, interviewee, social desirability bias, lying and misjudgement 

Part a) for cognitive skills programmes

              (a)    Outline how cognitive skills programmes can be used as a treatment for offenders

After a guilty verdict, offender may be given numerous sentences which may punish them for their actions, or attempt to rehabilitate them – or both. One way in which an offender may be rehabilitated is through the use of treatment programmes, such as cognitive skills programmes.

Cognitive skills programmes refer to the cognitive approach’s explanation of turning to crime that criminals have distorted cognitions that cause their offending, such as denial of responsibility, optimistic fantasies of anti-social behaviour, poor moral development, and having tendencies to incorrectly attribute actions to hostile intent (Yochelson and Samenow, Palmer and Hollin).

Two examples of cognitive skills programmes offered to offenders are reasoning and rehabilitation therapy, and enhanced thinking skills. Reasoning and rehabilitation therapy targets moral development, and attempts to encourage the offender to take a social perspective on their behaviour, in the hope that this will discourage them to offend if they understand the effects their actions have on others and how to think more morally. Enhanced thinking skills programmes target aspects of cognition such as self-control, and aim to boost pro-social behaviour by teaching interpersonal communication skills.

One study which looked at how cognitive skills programmes can be used as a treatment for offenders is through Friendship et al, which compared the recidivism rates of those on cognitive skills programmes such as ETS, to those who had not been part of such programme. 670 male offenders who had taken ETS or reasoning and rehabilitation therapy were thus compared to 1801 offenders who hadn’t, and the results showed that reconviction rates were 14% lower in the therapy group. This equated to 21000 crimes prevented, based on the researchers’ estimates.

Thus, cognitive skills programmes can be used to treat offenders by improving the different aspects of cognition thought to be responsible for offending, such as interpersonal skills, moral development and self-control.