Lesson 6.1.3

6.1.3 Treatments for offenders: CBT and biological treatment Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 6.1.3, Treatments for offenders: CBT and biological treatment: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 6: Criminological psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) for offenders aim to change?

    • Only the offender's physical strength and fitness
    • The offender's height and body weight
    • The offender's ability to recall events from childhood only
    • Thinking errors and patterns of behaviour that maintain offending

  2. Which biological treatment is named as an example for offenders?

    • Psychodynamic therapy with free association, in which the offender talks about early childhood at length
    • Mindfulness training in silent retreats, in which the offender practises attention over several days
    • Group therapy focusing on family roles, in which the offender discusses relationships with relatives
    • Improved diet, such as supplements of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids

  3. What is the main aim of social skills training as a treatment for offenders?

    • To improve the offender's skill at a manual trade only, so that they can find paid work after release
    • To teach the interpersonal skills needed to handle social situations without offending
    • To increase the offender's income from employment after release, through training in a trade or job
    • To reduce the length of the prison sentence, by showing good conduct to the parole board

  4. What does assertiveness training teach an offender?

    • To express needs and views directly and respectfully, without aggression or passivity
    • To accept every request made by staff members, so that the offender avoids any trouble on the wing
    • To dominate others through threats and intimidation, so that the offender can control the situation
    • To avoid all conversation with other people, so that the offender cannot be drawn into conflict

  5. Which is a strength of cognitive-behavioural treatments for offenders?

    • They are never affected by the offender's motivation, because the structure works in every case
    • They are based on learning principles and can be delivered in structured programmes
    • They require no participation from the offender, since the programme is delivered to them
    • They are always effective for every offender without exception, whatever their history or motivation

  6. Which is a weakness of biological treatments such as hormone treatment for offenders?

    • Possible side effects and ethical concerns about consent and autonomy
    • They are always cheaper than any other treatment, so they are the first choice in every prison service
    • They are entirely free of any risk to health, because the hormones are naturally produced by the body
    • They have no effect on the body at all, so the drug is used only for its placebo value

  7. A study finds that an improved diet with supplements reduced antisocial behaviour in young offenders. Which evaluation is most appropriate?

    • The finding means that social factors are irrelevant, since the change came from the diet alone
    • The finding supports a biological treatment, but the results need replication and the causal link needs testing
    • The finding proves that diet alone cures all offending, so no other treatment is needed in any case
    • The finding shows that diet has no relation to behaviour, so the supplements were wasted money

  8. Anger management is delivered in a brief programme. What is a key strength of a brief programme for offenders?

    • It requires no assessment of the offender's needs, so every offender receives the same content
    • It guarantees that offenders never become angry again once they have finished the programme
    • It makes the offender's background irrelevant to treatment, since the skills apply to everyone equally
    • It can be delivered to many offenders at a lower cost than long-term therapy

  9. What is a possible limitation of brief anger management programmes?

    • They prevent offenders from making any future choices, because the programme sets their behaviour
    • They are impossible to evaluate with any measure, so their effects cannot be known for certain
    • They always produce the same result in every offender, whatever their history or their level of motivation
    • Changes may not last, so benefits could fade without follow-up support

  10. Which evaluation of CBT for offenders is most balanced?

    • It is useless because it cannot change any behaviour, whatever the offender's history or motivation
    • It is evidence-based and useful, but effectiveness depends on the offender's engagement and the quality of delivery
    • It can only be used on offenders who have no thinking errors, which excludes most of the prison population
    • It always works regardless of the offender's engagement, so the level of participation does not matter

  11. A treatment reduces aggression by lowering the level of a hormone. Which type of treatment is this?

    • A biological treatment
    • A cognitive-behavioural treatment
    • An assertiveness course
    • A social skills programme

  12. Which ethical concern is most important for hormone treatment of offenders?

    • Whether the offender can give fully informed consent to the treatment
    • The number of visits per year that the offender is required to attend, and how these are scheduled
    • The speed of the internet connection in the clinic, which affects how quickly records are updated
    • The colour of the clinic waiting room and the design of the furniture in the reception area

  13. Which of these treatments targets thinking errors such as hostile attribution?

    • Hormone treatment
    • Dietary supplementation
    • Cognitive-behavioural therapy
    • Medication with an anti-androgen effect

  14. An offender learns to recognise anger early and use relaxation before reacting. Which treatment is most directly illustrated?

    • Improved diet with daily supplements
    • Anger management, a cognitive-behavioural treatment
    • Surgical intervention on the brain
    • Hormone treatment with a regular injection

  15. Why is it important to evaluate treatments for offenders with an effectiveness study?

    • To choose the colour of the offender's uniform, so that staff can identify them more easily
    • To determine whether reoffending falls and whether the benefits outweigh costs and risks
    • To decide which prison has the best décor, so that the most attractive setting can be chosen
    • To select the offender's preferred meal, so that they are more willing to take part in the programme

  16. A study of assertiveness training measures reoffending over two years. What is the main strength of this design?

    • It measures only the offender's mood at one moment, so it cannot show any change over time
    • It removes the need for a control group completely, since the same offenders are compared with themselves
    • It tracks outcomes over time, which shows whether the effect lasts
    • It avoids any follow-up of the participants, which keeps the study simple and inexpensive to run

  17. Which combination best describes the two treatments named for offenders in the specification?

    • Two biological treatments with no psychological content
    • One cognitive-behavioural treatment and one biological treatment
    • Two social treatments with no biological content
    • Two physical treatments involving surgery

  18. A researcher designs a study to test whether a diet intervention reduces offending. Which is the most important control?

    • A comparison group chosen because they already reoffend
    • A comparison group that receives a larger number of supplements
    • A comparison group that receives no supplement or a placebo
    • A comparison group drawn only from one prison

  19. Which strength of the biological diet treatment is most relevant to the spec's focus on offenders?

    • It is always stronger than CBT in every study, so it should replace psychological treatments entirely
    • It removes any need for offenders to take part, since the supplements are given without any input
    • It is non-invasive and can be offered as part of routine prison life
    • It requires surgery in every case, which means it is only given in hospitals and never in prisons

  20. A treatment shows a reduction in reoffending in a study, but the sample was small and not random. What is the most appropriate conclusion?

    • The treatment is unethical and should be banned at once, because any use of it breaches human rights
    • The treatment has no effect at all, and the apparent change in reoffending is due to chance alone
    • The result is promising but tentative and needs a larger, randomised study to confirm it
    • The treatment is proven to work for all offenders in every setting, so it should be used everywhere now

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