NCJ Number
209056
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: March-April 2005 Pages: 263-288
Date Published
March 2005
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This paper explores how social cognitive differences between males and females may explain gender differences in criminal behavior.
Abstract
The research literature on social cognition and crime is reviewed, followed by examinations of study findings concerning gender differences in social cognition and gender differences in crime. Three main questions are addressed in the current paper: (1) to what extent do gender differences in social cognition explain gender differences in crime; (2) how large are the gender differences in social cognition; and (3) can gender differences in crime be explained by gender differences in social cognition? The research literature indicates that individuals respond to stressful life events based on their perception of the event and on their individual cognitive processes. Responses to stimuli are thus informed by how individuals encode information, interpret the information, and perceive risks and benefits of particular actions. Gender differences in crime can be seen as emerging from the different ways of processing social information. Females can be said to have lower rates of criminal behavior because they have better pro-social skills and because they acquire social cognitive skills earlier in life than do males. The superior social cognitive skills of females are attributed to many factors including superior interhemispheric communication, fewer frontal lobe deficits, and greater verbal ability. Future research should continue to focus on this promising line of inquiry into how gender differences in social cognition can explain gender differences in criminal behavior. References