Evaluation
Edexcel GCSE Psychology 1PS0
Development
Memory
Psychological Problems
The Brain and Neuropsychology
Social Influence
Criminal PsychologyOptional topic
The SelfOptional topic
PerceptionOptional topic
Sleep and DreamingOptional topic
Language, Thought and CommunicationOptional topic
Research Methods
Topic overviewVariables, hypotheses and controlsSampling methodsExperiments and experimental designsInterviews, questionnaires and types of dataCorrelations, case studies and observationsEthical issues in psychological researchEvaluating studies and the core areas of psychologyAverages, calculations and graphs
Criminal Psychology
- 4 subtopics
- 12 things to know
- Paper 2
- Paper 2, two of the five optional topics are studied
What Criminal Psychology covers
Criminal Psychology is examined in Paper 2, optional (two of five are studied). It covers operant conditioning and social learning explanations of crime, Eysenck's criminal personality theory, punishment, recidivism and rehabilitation and Bandura's Bobo doll study and Charlton's St Helena study.
Where it is assessed
Paper 2
One of the five optional topics, two of which are studied, in a 1 hour 20 minute paper worth 45% of the GCSE.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 4 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Operant conditioning and social learning explanations of crimeReinforcement and punishment, primary and secondary reinforcers, and role models, identification, modelling and vicarious reinforcement as explanations of offending.Open →
- Eysenck's criminal personality theoryExtraversion, introversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, how Eysenck linked personality to conditioning and crime, its measurement, and the evidence for and against it.Open →
- Punishment, recidivism and rehabilitationRecidivism, prison, community sentencing and restorative justice, token economy and anger management programmes, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.Open →
- Bandura's Bobo doll study and Charlton's St Helena studyBandura, Ross and Ross's study of children copying an aggressive model, and Charlton's natural experiment on the arrival of television on St Helena.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Evaluation
What are the strengths and weaknesses of restorative justice?
Evaluation
What are the strengths and weaknesses of token economy programmes?
Evaluation
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Charlton et al. (2000)?
Key term
How does operant conditioning explain criminal behaviour?
Key term
What did Eysenck (1964) claim about personality and crime?
Key term
What is positive reinforcement, and how might it explain repeated shoplifting?
Key term
What is extraversion?
Key term
What was the aim of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)?
Key term
What is negative reinforcement, and how might it explain an offence?
Key term
Why did Eysenck think extraverts seek stimulation?
Key term
Who took part in Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961), and how were they grouped?
Take Criminal Psychology further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Negative reinforcement vs Positive punishment
Negative reinforcement: removing something unpleasant so a behaviour becomes more likely. Positive punishment: adding an unpleasant consequence so a behaviour becomes less likely.
Primary reinforcer vs Secondary reinforcer
Primary reinforcer: a reward that meets a basic biological need. Secondary reinforcer: a reward valued only through its link with a basic need.
Modelling vs Identification
Modelling: demonstrating a behaviour that an observer then imitates. Identification: feeling similar to a person and wanting to be like them.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How does operant conditioning explain criminal behaviour?
Model answer
Operant conditioning says behaviour is learned through its consequences. Crime that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, and crime that is punished is less likely.
- 2
What is positive reinforcement, and how might it explain repeated shoplifting?
Model answer
Positive reinforcement is strengthening a behaviour by adding a pleasant consequence. A shoplifter who gains goods without being caught is more likely to steal again.
- 3
What is negative reinforcement, and how might it explain an offence?
Model answer
Negative reinforcement is strengthening a behaviour because it removes or avoids something unpleasant. A teenager who joins in a gang's vandalism to stop being threatened is negatively reinforced.
- 4
What is positive punishment?
Model answer
Positive punishment is adding an unpleasant consequence to make a behaviour less likely. An arrest or a sentence of unpaid work after a crime are examples.
- 5
What is negative punishment?
Model answer
Negative punishment is removing something pleasant to make a behaviour less likely. A fine or the loss of a driving licence after a motoring offence are examples.
- 6
What are primary reinforcers?
Model answer
Primary reinforcers are rewards that satisfy basic biological needs, such as food, water and warmth. A person who steals food when hungry receives a primary reinforcer.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Criminal Psychology revision questions
- What does Criminal Psychology cover in Edexcel GCSE Psychology?
- 4 subtopics: operant conditioning and social learning explanations of crime, eysenck's criminal personality theory, punishment, recidivism and rehabilitation and bandura's bobo doll study and charlton's st helena study. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Criminal Psychology organised?
- By the Edexcel 1PS0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Criminal Psychology, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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