Executive functioning as a predictive measure of offending behaviour
| Date | 24 January 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-07-2018-0032 |
| Pages | 10-22 |
| Published date | 24 January 2019 |
| Author | Karin A. Spenser,Ray Bull,Lucy Betts,Belinda Winder |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Executive functioning as a predictive
measure of offending behaviour
Karin A. Spenser, Ray Bull, Lucy Betts and Belinda Winder
Abstract
Purpose –Prosociality is considered important in the study of offenders and associated cognitive skills: theory of
mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning, are said to enable self-control and reduce the risk of offending
behaviours. Previous research has made associations between these skills and exe cutive functioning; however,
research into a link between them, in an offending population, is limited. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach –To further understand the practicalities of this, the present study
considered the predictive abilities of the constructs believed to underpin executive functioning: working
memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, in relation to theory of mind, empathic understanding and
moral reasoning. In total, 200 male and female offenders completed measures in all six constructs.
Findings –Using path analysis working memory was demonstrated to be predictive of theory of mind and
empathic understanding, cognitive flexibility was found to be predictive of theory of mind, and inhibitory
control was found to be predictive of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning.
Research limitations/implications –The study focussed on offenders serving a custodial sentence of six
months or less and did not differentiate between crime categories or take into consideration the
socio-environmental backgrounds or ethnicity. Therefore, considering these things could further establish the
generalisability of the current findings. It is noted that the more focussed the intervention is to the specific
needs of an offender, the greater the impact will be. Therefore, pre-screening tests for the constructs
discussed may be able to more accurately assess an offenders’suitability for a programme, or indeed tailor it
to meet the specific needs of that person.
Practical implications –These findings may enable practitioners to more accurately assess offenders’
suitability for interventions aimed at reducing offending behaviours by improving levels of prosociality and
develop morefocussed programmes to meetthe specific needs of individualoffenders to reduce re-offending.
Social implications –As recommended in the study, a more tailored approach to offender rehabilitation
may be a potential aid to reducing levels of recidivism.
Originality/value –The present study adds to the literature as it is the first to consider whether the
constructs of executive functioning can predict levels of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral
reasoning and so provide a more accurate method in assessing the cognitive abilities of offenders prior to
participation in rehabilitative interventions.
Keywords Rehabilitation, Offenders, Empathy, Moral reasoning, Theory of mind, Executive functioning
Paper type Research paper
Prosociality is considered important in the study ofoffenders. This is becausethe risk of offending
behaviour is believed to be lowered if a person possesses certain prosocial skills (Prior and Paris,
2005). From a cognitive perspective, these skills include theory of mind, empathic understanding
and moral reasoning (Spenser et al., 2015). Spenser et al. noted that together these skills enable
individuals to understand their own, as well as another’s, mental and emotional perspectives and
behave in a morally acceptable way. Research has linked theory of mind (Russell et al., 2007),
empathic understanding (Marques et al., 2015) andmoral reasoning(Rueda and Paz-Alonso,2013)
to executive functioning. Executive functioning is a multidimensional cognitive control process (Best
and Miller, 2010), described by the Harvard Centre for the Developing Child as “an air-traffic control
system for the brain”(Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011).
As noted above, an association between executive functioning and theory of mind was first
suggested by Russell et al. (2007). This link has intuitive appeal, as, for successful theory of mind,
a person must be able to inhibit his or her own perspective, flexibly switch to the mind-set of
Received 22 July 2018
Revised 12 October 2018
Accepted 5 November 2018
Karin A. Spenser is Senior
Lecturer at the University of
Derby, Derby, UK.
Ray Bull is based at the
University of Derby, Derby, UK.
Lucy Betts is based at
Nottingham Trent University,
Nottingham, UK.
Belinda Winder is Professor of
Forensic Psychology at
Nottingham Trent University,
Nottingham, UK.
PAG E 10
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
VOL. 9 NO. 1 2019, pp. 10-22, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 DOI 10.1108/JCP-07-2018-0032
To continue reading
Request your trial