YOCHELSON & SAMENOW

Revision Yochelson & Samenow study in Cognitive explanations for Turning To Crime. 

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KEY FACTS

CRIMINAL THINKING PATTERNS 

SAMPLE : 255 participants 
 MALE 
BLACK. WHITE.
MIDDLE CLASS. LOWER CLASS.
CITY DWELLERS.COUNTRY FOLK. VARIETY = REPRESENTATIVE ! 

NO CONTROL GROUP. 

VOLUNTEER SAMPLE

LONGITUDINAL STUDY

INTERVIEW / SELF REPORT METHOD - meant to be a cathartic /therapy treatment ( USEFUL ?) 

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results - 52 THINKING ERRORS

Criminals have 52 characteristic thinking errors ! 

these include: 

Angry people.

Feel themselves isolated.

Easily irratated.

Lack of Empathy.  

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PRO'S & CON'S

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES 

STRENGTHS :

Longitudinal study - alot of Qualitative data collected over SEVERAL years of interviews

WEAKNESSES :

NO CONTROL GROUP - we do not know if it is just criminals that think like this or if many non-criminals have these thoughts of isolation / irratation too ?

Self Report method - lying could have been a factor in interviews to disturb results.
in attempt to seem themselves different from the rest or just play up to researcher.

CHANGED aim of study 

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AIM :

AIMS

Deeper insight into Criminal Personalities 

Changing/ Altering Criminal Thinking patterns 

CHANGE

Examing ONLY Criminal thinking patterns 

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