CC100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Cognitive Dissonance, Paradigm Shift, Empiricism
Images of Crime and Control (Chapter 2)
Outline
● Public perceptions of crime
● General methods of knowing
● Acquiring knowledge on crime
● Factors that shape public perceptions of crime
● Exam review
Public Perceptions of Crime
● How we form our opinions of reality has been the subject of numerous philosophical
debates and social science studies
● Perspective is influenced by the way we have been socialized, by our individual
psychological makeup, and even by such biological factors such as diet and
environmental conditions
General Methods of Knowing
● Rationalism: the principle that some kinds of knowledge are innate and others can be
acquired through reasoning, independent of experience
● Empiricism: the principle that knowledge is acquired only through experience
● Example: why do we think cats are cute?
● Paradigm Shift
○ Fundamental change in the prevailing model or theoretical orientation
○ Criminology, like any area of scientific inquiry, is a collection of information about
a particular set of phenomena that forms a knowledge base
○ Trying to get people to change their minds
○ How sweden is dealing with criminals differently
● Criminal knowledge is used to formulate or test theories, inform policy, and issue social
and political responses to criminological concerns
Acquiring Knowledge on Crime
● Logical Reasoning
○ We often form conclusions based on what we believe to be logical speculation
○ However, our reasoning may be undermined by such factors as limited
knowledge, our personal biases, and our capacity to ignore contradictions in our
thinking
○ Humans are good at cognitive dissonance → thinking that everything is ok
● Authority
○ When an authority (parent, teacher, “expert”) says that something is so, we often
accept it as fact
○ Using an expert to affirm our belief lends credibility to it
○ E.g. teacher who has education/experience, whereas certain media outlets have
some authority but maybe no knowledge
● Consensus
○ We often rely on the wisdom of our peer group
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
○ However, the people who make up that group are likely to be people who have
come together because they share common view
○ Even these group members who do not share the common view may be unwilling
to challenge other group members
● Observation
○ Seeing things for ourselves instead of relying on second hand information or the
opinions of others
● Past Experience
○ We draw on prior instances or events that confirm our assumptions and then
attempt to modify incongruent elements
○ Studies have shown that information that is consistent with our expectations is
more easily remembered than information that is not
○ By contrast, scientific inquiry relies on the collection of measurable data from
representative samples and rigorous testing of hypothesis using prescribed
research methods
**don’t worry about diagram
Factors That Shape Public Perceptions of Crime
● Personal Knowledge
○ Through public opinion polls, media stories, and activist groups, the public has a
voice in decisions about the administration of criminal justice
○ Since the administration of justice is seen as a crucial role of government, the
government in power has a vested interest in responding to the public’s will
○ As a result, public perception can have a dramatic impact on the criminal justice
system
○ Net widening is the process by which the state expands its control over
behaviour through changes to sentencing laws and administrative policies
(seeing more things as illegal)
○ People become “aware” of things that hadn’t concerned them prior, either by
learning about them or experiencing
● The Mass Media
○ Much of what people come to think about current events comes not from direct
experience but from media reports
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Factors that shape public perceptions of crime. How we form our opinions of reality has been the subject of numerous philosophical debates and social science studies. Perspective is influenced by the way we have been socialized, by our individual psychological makeup, and even by such biological factors such as diet and environmental conditions. Rationalism: the principle that some kinds of knowledge are innate and others can be acquired through reasoning, independent of experience. Empiricism: the principle that knowledge is acquired only through experience. Fundamental change in the prevailing model or theoretical orientation. Criminology, like any area of scientific inquiry, is a collection of information about a particular set of phenomena that forms a knowledge base. Trying to get people to change their minds. How sweden is dealing with criminals differently. Criminal knowledge is used to formulate or test theories, inform policy, and issue social and political responses to criminological concerns.
