Showing papers in "Legal and Criminological Psychology in 2006"

A fundamental attribution error? Rethinking cognitive distortions †

Abstract: The notion of ‘cognitive distortion’ has become enshrined in the offender treatment literature over the last 20 years, yet the concept still suffers from a lack of definitional clarity. In particular, the umbrella term is often used to refer to offence-supportive attitudes, cognitive processing during an offence sequence, as well as post-hoc neutralisations or excuses for offending. Of these very different processes, the last one might be the most popular and problematic. Treatment programmes for offenders often aim to eliminate excuse-making as a primary aim, and decision-makers place great weight on the degree to which an offender “takes responsibility” for his or her offending. Yet, the relationship between these after-the-fact explanations and future crime is not at all clear. Indeed, the designation of post hoc excuses as criminogenic may itself be an example of fallacious thinking. After all, outside of the criminal context, post hoc excuse-making is widely viewed as normal, healthy, and socially rewarded behaviour. We argue that the open exploration of contextual risk factors leading to offending can help in the identification of criminogenic factors as well as strengthen the therapeutic experience. Rather than insist that offenders take “responsibility” for the past, we suggest that efforts should focus on helping them take responsibility for the future, shifting the therapeutic focus from post hoc excuses to offence-supportive attitudes and underlying cognitive schemas that are empirically linked to re-offending.

Criminogenic need and women offenders: A critique of the literature

Abstract: Purpose. This paper considers the criminogenic needs of women offenders, raising the question of whether there may be women-specific criminogenic needs. Arguments. The risk-needs model of offending has become increasingly influential in both research and practice. Simply, the risk–needs model holds that some aspects of an individual's functioning are risk factors for offending. The distinction can be drawn between static and dynamic risk factors: the former are historical, the latter reflect current functioning and are amenable to change. These dynamic attributes linked to offending – such as financial status, emotional problems, and substance use – are referred to as criminogenic needs. Needs assessment instruments, such as the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R; Andrews & Bonta, 1995) have been developed to assess criminogenic need and predict risk of offending. Much of the research informing the risk–needs model has been carried out with male offenders, leading to questions about the criminogenic needs of women offenders and whether there may be women-specific criminogenic needs. Conclusion. An overview of typical criminogenic needs, as assessed by the LSI-R, suggests that there are probably common needs for male and female offenders. A common need does not imply that aetiology or level of importance of that need is the same for men and women, while some events, such as physical and sexual abuse, are arguably criminogenic needs for women. The implications for practice and research of understanding more about women-specific criminogenic needs are considered.

Police officers', social workers', teachers' and the general public's beliefs about deception in children, adolescents and adults.

Abstract: Purpose. The present survey examined the beliefs of different occupational groups (police officers, social workers, teachers) and members of the general public about (i) cues to deception in young children (5- to 6-year-olds), adolescents (14- to 15-year-olds) and adults, and (ii) the underlying processes (emotions, cognitive load and attempted verbal and behavioural control), which may explain why cues to deceit do occur. Method. Two hundred and six participants completed a ‘cues to deception’ and ‘processes underlying deception’ questionnaire for three different age groups (young children, adolescents and adults). Results and discussion. The survey revealed that participants believed that liars are nervous, have difficulties in formulating their lies and do not fully endorse their lies. In general, participants associated more cues with deception than seems justified on the basis of deception literature. Participants generally associated the same cues to deceit for all three age groups but, when differences between age groups did emerge, this was most likely to be amongst teachers. Although participants believed that adults control their speech and behaviour more when they lie than adolescents and young children do, this did not result in participants believing that adults exhibit fewer cues to deceit. No major occupational differences emerged, although out of the four participating groups, teachers were most likely to associate cues with deception in young children.

A community forensic intellectual disability service: Twelve year follow up of referrals, analysis of referral patterns and assessment of harm reduction

Abstract: Background. Previous reports on the outcome of services for offenders with developmental disabilities have found recidivism rates of between 40% and 70% with an elevated prevalence of sex offending, fire-raising, and aggression. Studies have also reported that female offending rates in the intellectual disability population are broadly similar to those found in mainstream populations. All reports have been conducted on in-patient or prison samples. The present report is of a community forensic intellectual disability service.Method. Two male cohorts of sex offenders (N = 121) and other types of offenders (N = 105) and female offenders (N = 21) are studied and compared. Data is reported on characteristics of the cohort, problems identified at referral, criminal justice disposal trends, index offences at time of referral, reoffending rates of up to 12 years after index offence, patterns of referral in the first 6 and second 6 years of the study period and the extent of harm reduction.Results. There were no differences between the groups on IQ and the sex offender cohort tended to be older. Female offenders had higher rates of mental illness although rates for the male cohorts were generally high at around 32%. The sex offending cohort had fewer problems with anger and aggression and alcohol abuse but a higher level of daily living problems and relationship problems. Female offenders had high rates of all problems studied except daily living problems. Unlike certain previous studies, sex offences predominated in the sex offender cohort while other types of offences predominated in the other two cohorts. Average age was lower for more recent referrals. Among recidivists only, a considerable amount of harm reduction was recorded.Conclusions. Fire raising and offences against children are not overly represented when compared with mainstream offenders. When compared with previous studies, it appears that a community forensic intellectual disability service may have an impact in reducing the number of offences committed over a 12 year follow up period. Language: en

Stereotypes and attitudes about child sexual abusers: A comparison of experienced and inexperienced professionals in sex offender treatment

Abstract: Purpose. The danger of stereotyping child sex offenders is that such stereotypes allow suspected abusers to avoid detection. The current study investigated whether professionals involved in the treatment of sex offenders endorsed less stereotypes of sex offenders than an ‘inexperienced’ group of teachers. Method. Sixty professionals involved with sex offenders and 71 school teachers completed three questionnaires: the Stereotypes of Sex Offenders Questionnaire; Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders Scale (Hogue, 1993) and Knowledge of Child Abuse Questionnaire (created for the present study). Mediation analyses were then conducted on the relationships between the scores. Results. Experienced professionals endorsed negative stereotypes less, had more positive attitudes towards sex offenders and expressed more knowledge of child abuse than the inexperienced group. Further, attitudes towards child sexual offenders were significantly mediated by the effect of knowledge of child abuse on group (experienced, inexperienced). However, there was no significant mediation for the effect of knowledge on child abuse on the relationship between group (experienced, inexperienced) and stereotype consistent scores. Conclusions. The less knowledge of child abuse, the more stereotypical one may be about potential child sex offenders. Thus, it may be useful to increase knowledge on child abuse in inexperienced groups to counter stereotyping and allow greater detection of offenders.

Fatal impact? The effects of emotional arousal and weapon presence on police officers' memories for a simulated crime.

Abstract: Purpose. (1) To investigate the effects of emotional arousal and weapon presence on the completeness and accuracy of police officers' memories; and (2) to better simulate the experience of witnessing a shooting and providing testimony. Methods. A firearms training simulator was used to present 70 experienced police officers with either a shooting or a domestic dispute scenario containing no weapons. Arousal was measured using both self-report and physiological indices. Recall for event details was tested after a 10-minute delay using a structured interview. Identification accuracy was assessed with a photographic line-up. Results. Self-report measures confirmed that the shooting induced greater arousal than did the other scenario. Overall, officers' memories for the event were less complete, but more accurate, when they had witnessed the shooting. The recall and line-up data did not support a weapon focus effect. Conclusions. Police officers' recall performance can be affected both qualitatively and quantitatively by witnessing an arousing event such as a shooting.

Uses and abuses of eyewitness identification confidence

Abstract: When attempting to identify an offender whom they saw commit a crime, eyewitnesses are frequently asked to indicate their confidence in their memories. Confidence judgments may be expressed prior to seeing a line-up, after making an identification decision or in the courtroom. Such judgments can exert an important influence on decision making within the criminal justice system. Here, I examine theory and evidence that bear on the likely usefulness of such confidence judgments for diagnosing the accuracy of the associated identification. Contrary to often expressed views, I argue that confidence recorded immediately after the identification test is informative about the identity of the offender. Confidence expressions obtained at other times are likely to be misleading. Important directions for future confidence research are identified. Language: en

An examination of the questioning styles of police officers and caregivers when interviewing children with intellectual disabilities.

Abstract: Purpose. This research provided a detailed analysis of the types of questions and verbal strategies used by police officers and caregivers when interviewing children with intellectual disabilities about events. Method. Twenty eight children aged 9 to 13 years with a mild or moderate intellectual disability participated in a staged event at their school. Each child was then interviewed on separate occasions by the child's primary caregiver and by a police officer who was authorized to conduct investigative interviews with children. Results. While the approach used by the police officers was broadly consistent with best-practice recommendations (i.e. their interviews contained few leading, coercive or negative strategies), they frequently interrupted the child's account and used relatively few minimal encouragers and other strategies designed to keep the child talking. The caregivers used a high proportion of direct, leading and coercive strategies to elicit information from their children. Even when caregivers used open-ended questions, their children provided less event-related information than they did to the police interviewers. Conclusion. The quality of evidence obtained from children with intellectual disabilities is likely to be dependent (albeit in part) on the degree to which police interviewers adhere to best-practice guidelines, as well as the children's general experience with an open-ended style of communication.

Rape myth beliefs and prejudiced instructions: effects on decisions of guilt in a case of date rape

Abstract: Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of pro and anti rape myth bias in judges' summing up statements on verdicts given by individuals. Method. A convenience sample of 90 male and 90 female students from a British university completed the Rape myth acceptance (RMA) scale (Burt, 1980). A scenario depicting a date rape was read, ending with guidance that was either pro or anti rape myth, or neutral. Results. Rape myth supporting guidance was associated with innocent verdicts, and anti rape myth guidance with guilty verdicts, regardless of degree of rape myth acceptance. Level of rape myth acceptance and gender were also found to predict verdict. Conclusion. Rape myth biased guidance may influence verdicts in a rape scenario in which the attribution of blame to the man and woman depicted could be perceived as being ambiguous.

The relative validity of psychopathy versus risk/needs-based assessments in the prediction of adolescent offending behaviour

Abstract: Purpose. The predictive validity of the psychopathy checklist-youth version (PCL:YV) and Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) for juvenile offenders were compared to examine whether a broad needs–risk tool predicted violence better than a focused individual assessment of psychopathy. Methods. 94 adolescents from residential and secure units were interviewed and assessed using the PCL:YV and YLS/CMI. Total scores were retrospectively applied to staff-recorded incidents of violence, total number of charges and convictions and formally recorded assaults. The predictive accuracy of each tool was assessed using correlational and receiver operator characteristic analyses. Results. The PCL:YV was a better predictor of staff-recorded violence than the YLS/CMI; both instruments were similar in their ability to predict total number of charges and convictions and assaults. When subdivided by gender, the correlations for predicting staff recorded violence in male participants were significantly higher than for female participants for both test instruments. Both instruments were broadly equivalent in their association with assaults and charges and convictions by gender. Conclusion. The PCL:YV is a better predictor of recorded violence than the YLS/CMI, but for charges and convictions and assaults, the YLS/CMI and PCL:YV were comparable for UK adolescent offenders. When recalculated to exclude the likelihood of predictor–criterion overlap, the results were the same. These findings are discussed in relation to the value of using risk–needs assessment instruments as compared with scales with a more psychopathological and personality focus.

Children's and adults' eyewitness identification accuracy when a culprit changes his appearance: Comparing simultaneous and elimination lineup procedures

Abstract: Adults' (N = 239) and children's (N = 177, age range 8-13 years) identification abilities were examined when a culprit underwent a change in appearance following the commission of a crime. Simultaneous and elimination lineup procedures were compared to determine the reliability of each under 'change in appearance' conditions. Participants viewed a staged, videotaped theft and then examined a target-present or -absent lineup. Correct identifications (target-present lineups) decreased following a change in appearance regardless of age of witness and lineup procedure. Children's correct rejection rates (target-absent lineups) were lower than those of adults. The elimination procedure compared with the simultaneous procedure was more effective at increasing correct rejections when the lineup members matched the culprit's appearance for children and adults. When lineup members did not match the culprit's appearance, correct rejection rates were similar across the two identification procedures for both aged groups. Language: en

Children recalling an event repeatedly: Effects on RM and CBCA scores

Abstract: Purpose. The fact that abused children often talk about their experiences before entering the legal system is a neglected factor in terms of the validation of different reliability assessment techniques. Hence, the present study investigated the extent to which the scores of the reality monitoring technique (RM) and the criteria-based content analysis technique (CBCA) were affected by the number of times children recalled an experienced or an imagined event. Method. Children (aged 12–13 years, N ¼ 80) participated in an experiment where half the sample experienced a real event (an interaction with a stranger outside his car) and then recalled it either one or four times (over a period of 14 days), and the other half imagined the same event and thereafter recalled it either one or four times. The statements given at the final (or only) recall session were analysed with both CBCA and RM. Results. The results revealed that, on a multivariate level, both the CBCA and RM sets of criteria discriminated between truthful and fabricated statements. The total RM score (but not the total CBCA score) discriminated reliably between truthful and fabricated statements. Furthermore, RM (but not CBCA) were sensitive to the number of times the experienced or imagined event was recalled: increased presence of criteria after repeated recall. Conclusions. The results were rather promising for the RM and less so for the CBCA. Furthermore, we found that the number of recalls moderated the effectiveness of the techniques. Hence, when assessing the reliability of a child’s memory, it is crucial to learn about the history of the first documented statement. The outcome of criminal investigations often depends on witness statements, and this is particularly true for cases of alleged child sexual abuse where physical and medical evidence often are lacking. Criteria-based content analysis (CBCA) and reality monitoring (RM) are two techniques that focus on the verbal content of a statement in order to discriminate truthful from fabricated accounts. Several studies have been conducted in order to validate the CBCA technique (for a recent review, see Vrij, 2005).

Miller was (mostly) right: Head injury severity inversely related to simulation

Abstract: Purpose. British neurologist Henry Miller (1961; Miller & Cartlidge, 1972) provoked controversy by asserting late post-concussion syndrome (LPCS) is explained by simulation. The present study examines Miller's inverse dose-response assertion; the more minor the compensable injury, the greater the likelihood of deficit simulation.Method. We examined the prevalence of three types of simulation (memory, motor, and psychiatric) in two archival cohorts of compensation seekers (N = 391 and 368) representing a broad range of cranio-cervical injury severity. A moderate-severe brain injured group provided two sets of performance floors to establish 'possible' or 'probable' pseudoabnormalities. Instruments included the Rey word recognition list, the Smedley dynamometer, the Test of Memory Malingering, and the MMPI-2 infrequency scale.Results. Chronic whiplash and minor head-injury litigants produced more invalid signs than severely injured persons on measures of simulated memory and motor deficits irrespective of definitional stringency. ANOVA revealed striking inverse linear trends as a function of severity. Under a 'possible' rule, at least one pseudoabnormality was present in 80% of LPCS claimants. Memory and motor pseudoabnormalities were more common than psychotic ones.Conclusions. These findings support Miller and Cartlidge's (1972) observations that embellishment rises as injury severity decreases in a compensable context. Simulating litigants may 'tailor' performance to fit aetiological expectations, as we found a low prevalence of psychosis simulation. Language: en

Deceptive responses: The impact of verbal and non‐verbal countermeasures

Abstract: Objectives. This experiment investigates the impact of informing participants about verbal and non‐verbal cues to deception on their verbal and non‐verbal responses. Based on the fact that people are more practised in their verbal behaviour than in their non‐verbal behaviour, we predicted that giving participants information about verbal cues would positively affect their verbal accounts resulting in them giving an account that appeared more credible. In contrast, we predicted that informing participants about non‐verbal cues would have no noticeable effect on credibility. We also predicted that focusing on verbal behaviours would impair non‐verbal performance and that, vice versa, concentrating on non‐verbal behaviours would impair verbal performance, particularly in liars. Method. A total of 128 participants either told the truth or lied about the possession of an object. Prior to these interviews, participants were or were not informed about verbal cues to deception and were or were not informed about non‐verbal cues of deception (these two factors were systematically manipulated). Results. As predicted, participants were able to adapt their verbal behaviour but were not able to change their non‐verbal behaviour. However, focusing on one aspect (either verbal or non‐verbal behaviour) did not occur at the expense of the other behaviour (either non‐verbal or verbal). Conclusion. Verbal countermeasures may well be easier to apply than non‐verbal countermeasures.

The measurement of concern about victims: Empathy, victim advocacy and the Victim Concern Scale (VCS)

Abstract: Purpose. In a series of studies, the authors developed the Victim Concern Scale (VCS) to assess levels of concern for diverse types of crime victims. The goal was to derive a psychometrically sound instrument and to assess victim concern in relation to other crime-related attitudes and victim advocacy endorsements. Methods. Through several scale iterations, participant responses to the VCS were examined. Participants also completed measures of empathy and provided judgments about specific victim/crime scenarios. In addition, in two large samples (college [N ¼ 276] and community [N ¼ 478]), victim concern was compared with other attitudes, attributions and participant demographics. Results. Participants readily distinguished among different victims. Four factors emerged from the VCS. Raters endorsed the highest levels of concern for victims of violent crimes and the lowest level for ‘culpable’ victims. Women and older respondents showed higher levels of concern across all categories of victims. Both victim concern and emotional empathy influenced advocacy responses to victimization. Victim concern was unrelated to such traits and attitudes as authoritarianism, political ideology or punishment goals; moreover, a high level of concern for victims did not preclude endorsement of rehabilitative goals for offenders. Conclusions. The VCS appears to be a valid instrument for assessing levels of concern for victims. It differs meaningfully from measures of general empathy. The VCS could be used to assess differential attitudes across demographic groups or as a measure of change following exposure to educational or other persuasive intervention.

Leadership and hierarchies in criminal groups: Scaling degrees of leader behaviour in group robbery

Abstract: Purpose. The purpose of this paper was, firstly, to replicate Porter and Alison's (2001) leadership behaviour scale and, secondly, to extend this research through the use of a new sample of group robbery offenders. This will provide further support for the use of such a scale to identify potential criminal leaders and also offer insight into the dynamics and hierarchical structures among group robbery offenders. Methods. One hundred and five cases of group robbery, yielding 290 offender behaviour profiles, were coded according to each offender's level of involvement at each chronological offence stage in terms of decisions, actions and orders. A multidimensional scaling procedure examined the combinations of these, and produced a partially ordered scale of leadership behaviour with the defining aspects being initial decision making and involvement in the offence outcome. Results. The scale identified potential leaders in 103 of the 105 robbery groups, where these leaders scored higher than non-leaders on the leadership behaviour scale. Two-thirds of groups comprised a dichotomous leader/follower distinction, whilst the remaining third comprised more dispersed, linear and lieutenant hierarchies. Conclusions. These results further support the leader behaviour scale originally proposed by Porter and Alison (2001). The results also offer insight into the processes by which robberies evolve; namely, through a series of decisions of one individual who then either participates first or gives orders to his fellow group members to participate, although the former seems far more frequent.

An overlooked vulnerability in a defendant: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a miscarriage of justice

Abstract: Aim. To describe the implications of a Court of Appeal murder case involving a 15-year-old youth. His attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was not identified at trial, but 8 years later it was and his conviction was quashed. Method. An analysis of the judgments by the Court of Appeal at an earlier hearing (1997) and in 2004, together with a review of how the relatively new diagnostic concept of ADHD, can be employed to aid assessment of important vulnerable qualities. Results. One of the primary effects of ADHD in the case was to ‘affect’ the IQ scores, making it look as if the defendant was suffering from mental retardation and so masking his other more relevant vulnerabilities. Conclusions. ADHD symptoms are relevant to contended issues around adverse inferences and fitness to plead and stand trial. A comprehensive ADHD assessment, including neuropsychological testing, is necessary where there are indications of a history of childhood ADHD.

Domestic violence and panic attacks – common neural mechanisms?

Abstract: Purpose: This paper combines material from domestic violence, animal aggression and neuropsychology research to construct a model to account for some domestic violence offending. The basic hypothesis is that some incidents of domestic violence can be understood in terms of the operation of primitive defence mechanisms, which are also implicated in panic attack. Perceptions of threat from an intimate partner could potentially trigger these same neuronal circuits thus releasing violent and emotionally charged responses at the spouse. Arguments: The hypothesis is based on:(a) the marked anatomical/physiological overlap of the neural substrates underlying defensive aggression and those implicated in panic attack, (b) reports of panic attack-like symptoms experienced by perpetrators during domestic violence assaults, (c) experimental evidence that demonstrates that standard physiological challenges can elicit panic/anger attacks in some domestic violence offenders (George et al., 2000). Conclusions: Panic/anger attack represents inappropriate activation of affective defensive responses due to inappropriate control of critical midbrain sites by the amygdala and/or prefrontal cortex. Panic attacks could be potentially suppressed by increasing the capacity of the prefrontal cortex to inhibit the midbrain affective defence mechanisms. However, learnt associations between stimuli and panic responses are difficult to extinguish and panic responses typically show sensitization overtime. The same may be true of the behaviour of domestic violence offenders. There is a need to establish the typology of the subgroup of offenders who perpetrate panic attack related domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)

Predicting expert social science testimony in criminal prosecutions of historic child sexual abuse

Abstract: Purpose. Recently courts in several Common Law jurisdictions have been faced with the daunting task of adjudicating criminal complaints of child sexual assault that are alleged to have occurred in the distant past (historic child sexual abuse; HCSA). In the present data set, alleged offences ended between 2 and 48 years before the trial. These cases, which involve claims of repressed memory and continuous memory for the offence, raise many issues that hitherto had only rarely been faced by criminal courts and that are within the realm of issues studied by social scientists. In this paper we explore variables that predict the presence of a social science expert, called by the prosecution or the defence or an expert called by both sides. Methods. A total of 2,064 actual criminal cases involving HCSA were coded on a variety of variables that were then used to predict the presence of an expert at trial and to predict the presence of an expert to evaluate the perpetrator for sentencing. Results. Six variables predicted the presence of an expert at trial: offence description, frequency of abuse, complainant/accused relationship, complainant age, presence of repression, and complainant gender. Seven variables predicted the presence of an expert at sentencing: offence description, frequency of abuse, length of delay to trial, presence of threat, trial date, plea, and age difference between complainant and accused. Conclusions. We use these archival data to generate hypotheses concerning the observed predictors of the use of expert testimony by courts in HCSA cases. The objective is to encourage more controlled studies of the particular case characteristics about which courts seek guidance from social scientists.

When stereotypes backfire: Trying to suppress stereotypes produces false recollections of a crime.

Abstract: Purpose. This study examined whether participants' memories of a racially neutral crime story are influenced by stereotypes and the instruction to suppress stereotypes while reading the crime story. We expected that participants who saw a photograph of a foreign group (negative stereotype prime) and were given the instruction to suppress stereotypes before reading a crime story would make significantly more stereotype-consistent errors on a recognition test than participants who received a neutral prime and a suppression instruction. Methods. Participants were 88 undergraduate students (59 women) who were randomly allocated to the cells of a 2 (negative stereotype versus neutral prime)×2 (thought suppression versus control) between-subjects design. The dependent variables were recognition of accurate items, stereotype-consistent items and confabulation items. Results. The critical stereotype × suppression interaction was statistically significant for false recognition of non-presented stereotype-consistent items. Simple effect analyses of the suppression condition showed that participants who were primed with a negative stereotype made more stereotype-consistent recognition errors than those who had been exposed to a neutral prime. Conclusions. Stereotypes not only make cognitive processing easier, but might also contribute to recognition errors when people do what they often are told to do in the legal arena: suppress stereotypical thinking.

Measuring criminal attributions with a normative instructional set: Is there a difference?

Abstract: 1Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of the Criminal Attribution Inventory's (CRAI) normative instructional set (respondent's perception of the average type of crime) in assessing criminal attributions. Methods. To determine the role of the CRAI's instructional set, a content-equivalent, personal instructional CRAI set was created. Correlations with an established criminal attribution scale (Blame Attribution Inventory [BAI]) and a measure of socially desirable responding (Paulhus deception scales [PDS]) were calculated. Partial correlations between the CRAI and BAI, controlling for the personal instructional CRAI, were calculated. Partial correlations were also calculated between the personal instructional CRAI and the BAI, controlling for socially desirable responding. Results. The normative instructional CRAI assessed similar domains as the personal instructional CRAI and made an additional contribution to criminal attributions. Socially desirable responding was minimally related to the normative instructional CRAI and could not account for the differences between the normative and personal instructional CRAI sets. Conclusions. The CRAI's normative instructional set assesses personal criminal attributions within the external blame domain assessing unique attributional variance. Such an instructional set has utility in assessing criminal attributions among those offenders who deny their offences.