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Psychology paper 3 > Forensic Key Words > Flashcards

Forensic Key Words Flashcards

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1
Q

What is offender profiling?

A

A behavioural and analytical tool that is intended to help investigators accurately predict and profile the characteristics of unknown criminals.

It assists in narrowing down potential suspects based on crime scene evidence.

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2
Q

What is top-down profiling?

A

Profilers start with a pre-established typology and work down in order to assign offenders to one of two categories based on witness accounts and evidence from the crime scene.

This method relies on existing categories and frameworks.

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3
Q

Define an organised offender.

A

An offender who shows evidence of planning, targets the victim, and tends to be socially and sexually competent, with higher-than-average intelligence.

Organised offenders are often meticulous and leave fewer clues.

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4
Q

Define a disorganised offender.

A

An offender who shows little evidence of planning, leaves clues and tends to be socially and sexually incompetent, with lower-than-average intelligence.

Disorganised offenders often act on impulse and may leave behind more evidence.

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5
Q

What is the bottom-up approach in profiling?

A

Profilers work up from evidence collected from the crime scene to develop hypotheses about the likely characteristics, motivations and social background of the offender.

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6
Q

What is Investigative Psychology?

A

A form of bottom-up profiling that matches details from the crime scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns based on psychological theory.

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7
Q

What is geographical profiling?

A

A form of bottom-up profiling based on the principle of spatial consistency - that an offender’s operational base and possible future offences are revealed by the geographical location of their previous crimes.

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8
Q

What is an atavistic form?

A

A biological approach to offending attributing criminal activity to offenders being genetic throwbacks or a primitive subspecies.

These individuals are seen as ill-suited to conforming to modern societal rules.

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9
Q

What characteristics distinguish atavistic offenders?

A

Particular facial and cranial characteristics.

These physical traits are believed to signify a connection to primitive ancestors.

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10
Q

What is the definition of a biological theory related to criminal behaviour?

A

A biological theory that sees genes inherited from one’s ancestors as forming the basis to an individual’s criminal behaviour.

This theory emphasizes the role of genetics in influencing behaviour.

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11
Q

What does the term ‘concordance rate’ refer to?

A

A measure of similarity, usually expressed as a percentage, between two individuals or two sets of individuals on a given trait.

Commonly used in twin studies to assess genetic influence.

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12
Q

What is epigenetics?

A

The material in each cell of the body that acts like a set of ‘switches’ to turn genes on or off.

Epigenetic changes can be influenced by environmental factors.

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13
Q

What is antisocial personality disorder (APD)?

A

A mental health condition where a person has a repeated pattern of behaviour manipulating or violating the rights of others. It often leads to crimes against people.

APD is characterized by a disregard for societal norms and the rights of others.

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14
Q

What does the biological theory of offending behaviour suggest?

A

It sees abnormally functioning brain physiology and biochemistry as forming the basis to an individual’s criminal behaviour.

This theory emphasizes the role of biological factors in influencing criminal actions.

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15
Q

Fill in the blank: Antisocial personality disorder often leads to _______.

A

crimes against people.

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16
Q

True or False: Antisocial personality disorder involves a pattern of behavior that respects the rights of others.

A

False.

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17
Q

What is a key characteristic of individuals with antisocial personality disorder?

A

Manipulating or violating the rights of others.

This behavior is often persistent and can lead to significant legal issues.

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19
Q

What is the definition of criminal personality according to Eysenck’s theory?

A

An individual who scores high on measures of extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism, who cannot easily be conditioned, is cold and unfeeling, and is likely to engage in offending behaviour.

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20
Q

What does high extraversion indicate in Eysenck’s theory of crime?

A

Outgoing people who enjoy risk and danger because their nervous systems are under aroused.

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21
Q

What does high neuroticism indicate in Eysenck’s theory of crime?

A

People with a negative outlook who get upset easily; their lack of stability is due to an over reactive response to threat.

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22
Q

What does high psychoticism indicate in Eysenck’s theory of crime?

A

An aggressive, antisocial person who lacks empathy; may be related to high levels of testosterone.

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23
Q

Fill in the blank: According to Eysenck, high levels of _______ are related to aggressive and antisocial behavior.

A

psychoticism

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24
Q

True or False: According to Eysenck, individuals with high neuroticism are stable and rarely upset.

A

False

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25
Q

What personality trait is associated with enjoying risk and danger in Eysenck’s theory?

A

Extraversion

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26
Fill in the blank: Individuals who are cold and unfeeling are likely to score high in _______.
criminal personality
27
What is the definition of cognitive explanations of offending behaviour?
A psychological explanation that sees that offending may have a cognitive basis i.e., mental processes such as thoughts, perceptions and attention impact on behaviour. ## Footnote This perspective emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in influencing criminal actions.
28
What does moral reasoning refer to?
The way a person thinks about right and wrong. ## Footnote It encompasses the thought processes that lead to moral decisions and actions.
29
How does moral reasoning apply to moral behaviour?
It is presumed that such thinking then applies to moral behaviour. ## Footnote This suggests a link between cognitive processes and ethical actions.
30
What is the relationship between the level of moral reasoning and behavior?
The higher the level, the more that behaviour is driven by a sense of what is right and the less it is driven by just avoiding punishment or avoiding the disapproval of others. ## Footnote Higher levels of moral reasoning indicate a more intrinsic motivation for ethical behavior.
31
What is the definition of cognitive explanations of offending behaviour?
A psychological explanation that sees that offending may have a cognitive basis i.e., mental processes such as thoughts, perceptions and attention impact on behaviour. ## Footnote This perspective emphasizes the role of mental processes in understanding criminal behavior.
32
What are cognitive distortions?
Faulty, biased and irrational ways of thinking that mean individuals perceive themselves, other people and the world inaccurately and usually negatively. ## Footnote Cognitive distortions can lead to negative self-image and harmful behaviors.
33
What is hostile attribution bias?
The tendency to judge ambiguous situations or actions of others as aggressive and/or threatening when they may not be. ## Footnote This bias can influence how individuals react to perceived threats, often escalating conflict.
34
What is minimisation in the context of offending behaviour?
A type of deception that involves downplaying the significance of an event or emotion. A common strategy when dealing with guilt. ## Footnote Minimisation can hinder accountability and understanding of the impact of one's actions.
35
What is differential association theory?
An explanation for offending which proposes that, through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour. ## Footnote This theory emphasizes the role of social interactions in the learning process of criminal behavior.
36
What is the definition of Superego in psychodynamic explanations for offending behaviour?
A psychological theory that sees criminal behaviour as formed from early childhood experiences, especially during the formation of the Superego, which impacts later behaviour. ## Footnote The Superego is the irrational, moralistic part of personality that acts as one's conscience.
37
What role does the Superego play in influencing behaviour?
It acts as one's conscience. ## Footnote The Superego influences moral decisions and feelings of guilt or pride.
38
True or False: The Superego is formed solely during adolescence.
False. ## Footnote The Superego is primarily formed during early childhood experiences.
39
Fill in the blank: The Superego is the __________ part of personality that acts as one's conscience.
[irrational, moralistic] ## Footnote This characteristic of the Superego influences how individuals perceive right and wrong.
40
What does psychodynamic theory suggest about the origins of criminal behaviour?
Criminal behaviour is formed from early childhood experiences, particularly through the Superego. ## Footnote This theory emphasizes the importance of unconscious processes and childhood development.
41
What is the definition of psychodynamic explanations for offending behaviour?
A psychological theory that sees criminal behaviour as formed from early childhood experiences, which impacts later behaviour. ## Footnote This theory emphasizes the influence of unconscious processes and early relationships on behaviour.
42
What does maternal deprivation refer to?
The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother, or mother substitute. ## Footnote This concept highlights the importance of maternal figures in the psychological development of a child.
43
Define affectionless psychopathy.
A behaviour disorder in which an individual has no ability to experience shame or guilt and lacks a social conscience. ## Footnote This disorder can lead to increased likelihood of criminal behaviour due to the absence of remorse.
44
What is custodial sentencing?
A judicial sentence determined by a court, where the offender is punished by serving time in a prison or in some other closed therapeutic and/or educational institution such as a psychiatric hospital. ## Footnote Custodial sentences are often used for serious offenses and aim to rehabilitate offenders.
45
What does recidivism refer to?
A convicted criminal who reoffends, usually repeatedly. ## Footnote Recidivism is often measured by the tendency of previously incarcerated individuals to be arrested again.
46
Fill in the blank: A _______ is a judicial sentence determined by a court, where the offender is punished by serving time in a prison or in some other closed therapeutic and/or educational institution.
[custodial sentencing]
47
True or False: Recidivism refers to the first-time offense of a convicted criminal.
False ## Footnote Recidivism specifically pertains to reoffending, not first-time offenses.
48
What is the definition of behaviour modification?
An application of the behaviourist approach to treatment, aiming to replace undesirable behaviours with more desirable ones through selective use of positive and/or negative reinforcement. ## Footnote It is based on the principles of operant conditioning and often used in contexts like managing offenders in prisons or secure institutions.
49
What is positive reinforcement?
A stimulus that increases the probability that a behaviour will be repeated because it is pleasurable. ## Footnote Positive reinforcement encourages the repetition of behaviours by providing a rewarding stimulus.
50
What is negative reinforcement?
A stimulus that increases the probability that a behaviour will be repeated because it leads to avoidance of an unpleasant situation and is experienced as rewarding. ## Footnote Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour by removing negative outcomes.
51
What is punishment in the context of behaviour modification?
A procedure that decreases the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated because the overall experience is unpleasant. ## Footnote Punishment can be used to reduce unwanted behaviours by introducing negative consequences.
52
What is anger management?
A therapeutic programme that involves identifying signs that trigger anger and learning techniques to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way.
53
What is the aim of anger management?
To recognise and manage anger, not to prevent it.
54
What are the two main components of cognitive behaviour therapy?
* Cognitive therapy * Behavioural therapy
55
What does cognitive therapy focus on?
Changing maladaptive thoughts and beliefs.
56
What does behavioural therapy focus on?
Changing behaviour in response to maladaptive thoughts and beliefs.
57
Fill in the blank: Anger management aims to recognize and _______ anger.
[manage]
58
True or False: Anger management seeks to prevent anger from occurring.
False
59
What is restorative justice?
A system for dealing with criminal behaviour which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with survivors ## Footnote Restorative justice emphasizes understanding the impact of crime on victims and the community.
60
What is the main focus of restorative justice programmes?
The rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with survivors ## Footnote This approach aims to restore relationships and empower victims.
61
What does restorative justice enable the offender to see?
The impact of their crime ## Footnote This awareness can lead to personal accountability and transformation.
62
How does restorative justice empower survivors?
By giving them a 'voice' ## Footnote Survivors are allowed to express their feelings and needs regarding the crime.
63
Fill in the blank: Restorative justice programmes focus on the rehabilitation of offenders through _______.
[reconciliation with survivors]

Psychology paper 3 (13 decks)

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