Explaining Gender Differences in Crime and Violence: The Importance of Social Cognitive Skills
Author(s)
Bennett, Sarah; Farrington, David P.; Huesmann, L. Rowell
Abstract
Studies have consistently shown higher rates of offending for males than for females, and especially higher rates of violence. Gender differences in the development of social cognition may help to explain gender differences in crime and violence. How an individual ultimately responds to a stressful life event or risk factor depends on how that event is perceived, which, in turn, depends on an individual’s cognitive processes. It is suggested that certain ways of processing social information and certain social cognitive memory structures help to protect the individual from personal, social, environmental, or situational pressures towards criminal behavior. One of the reasons females have lower rates of offending is because they acquire social cognitive skills earlier in life than males do and because they have better prosocial skills.
