Forensic Psychology

Question 1

What is the top down approach to offender profiling?

Answer 1

American (FBI) system, interviewed 36 sexually motivated killers and created organised and disorganised categories

Question 2

What are characteristics of organised offenders?

Answer 2

Planning / no evidence left behind
Above average IQ
Socially and sexually competent

Question 3

What are characteristics of disorganised offenders?

Answer 3

Little planning / leaves behind evidence
Impulsive
Below average IQ
Socially and sexually incompetent

Question 4

What are the 4 main stages in construction of FBI profiles?

Answer 4

1. Data assimilation
2. Crime scene classification
3. Crime reconstruction
4. Profile generation

Question 5

What is the bottom up approach?

Answer 5

Data driven profile building, doesn’t use fixed typologies.

Question 6

What are the 2 main components to bottom up approach?

Answer 6

1. Investigative psychology
   - interpersonal coherence
   - importance of time and place
2. Geographical profiling

Question 7

What are the definitions of marauder and commuter types of offender?

Answer 7

Marauder - offends close to home
Commuter - travels from home to commit crime

Question 8

Meketa 2017 - advantage of top down approach

Answer 8

Found top down approach also applies to burglary (fit into organised and disorganised)

Question 9

Goreta 1991 - findings on psychodynamic approach to criminality

Answer 9

Support for over-harsh super ego
All 10 offenders interviewed displayed need for self-punishment

Question 10

Canter 2004 - findings for top down approach

Answer 10

Analysis of 100 serial killers and found they mostly fit into organised and disorganised categories

Question 11

Eysenck 1977 - findings on EPQ scores

Answer 11

Compared over 2000 prisoners and 2000 controls and found significant difference
Support for Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality

Question 12

Lundrigan & Canter 2001 - findings on circle theory

Answer 12

Serial killers almost have a base at centre of crime scene locations
Suggests circle theory is correct

Question 13

Farrington 2006 - support for differential association theory

Answer 13

Found ‘family criminality’ to be a key risk factor in offending behaviour

Question 14

Farrington 1982 - findings about Eysenck’s EPQ

Answer 14

There is only significant difference between criminals/non-criminals in psychoticism not neuroticism or extroversion
Suggests biological cause due to high testosterone

Question 15

Raine - biological causes of criminality

Answer 15

People with APD have 11% less grey matter in prefrontal cortex compared to controls
Suggests criminality is caused by low functioning frontal lobes

Question 16

Tihonen 2015 - genetic causes of criminality

Answer 16

Found low functioning MAOA is more common in offenders
Suggests MAOA gene is a contributor to criminality

Question 17

Christianson 1977 - twin study into criminality

Answer 17

MZ = 35% concordance
DZ = 13% concordance
Suggests some genetic link but must have some environmental factors

Question 18

Crowe 1972 - adoption study into criminality

Answer 18

If criminal mother = 50% risk of having criminal record
No criminal mother = 5% risk
Suggests biological component

Question 19

Goring 1913 - findings on physical criminal characteristics

Answer 19

Found no link to facial / cranial ‘abnormalities’
Suggests Lombroso’s atavistic theory is wrong

Question 20

Canter & Heritage 1990 - findings for bottom up approach

Answer 20

Found correlation between behaviours in crimes and everyday life. Also found ‘case linkages’ between crimes committed by same person
Support for interpersonal coherence

Question 21

Ainsworth 2001 - findings on bottom up approach

Answer 21

Age and timing of offence are more important than geographical profiling

Question 22

Kocsis 2002 - findings on bottom up approach

Answer 22

Chemistry students produced more accurate profiles than detectives
Suggests bottom up approach may not work

Question 23

Shirley 1997 - findings on custodial sentencing

Answer 23

Inmates who engage in prison education are 43% less likely to reoffend
Suggests custodial sentencing can rehabilitate offenders

Question 24

Hobbs & Holt 1976 - findings on behaviour management

Answer 24

Found young offenders in token economies showed more positive behaviours than controls
Suggests token economies are effective behaviour management

Question 25

Ministry of Justice 2016 - negatives of prison

Answer 25

124 inmate suicides in 2016 (32% increase and 10x higher than non-prison population)
Prison exacerbates mental health issues

Question 26

Kochanska 2001 - findings on psychodynamic approach to criminality

Answer 26

Found children with harsh parents do not have strong feelings of guilt
Suggests criminality is not due to over harsh super ego

Question 27

Schonenberg 2014 - findings on hostile attribution bias

Answer 27

55 offenders more likely to interpret neutral faces as hostile compared to controls
Suggests hostile attribution bias is factor in criminality

Question 28

Kohlberg 1973 - findings on levels of moral reasoning

Answer 28

Found lower levels of moral reasoning in violent offenders (stuck at pre-conventional level)
Suggests lowered moral reasoning causes criminality

Question 29

Barbaree 1991 - findings on minimalisation

Answer 29

54% interviewed rapists denied crime
Further 40% minimised harm caused

Question 30

Strang 2007 - findings for restorative justice

Answer 30

Restrictive justice reduced recidivism compared to controls
Suggests restorative justice is effective

Question 31

Shapland 2008 - findings on restorative justice

Answer 31

85% of survivors report satisfaction with restorative justice
60% = gave them ‘closure’ and helped them move on
2% = made them feel worse and ‘used’ for rehabilitation of offender
Suggests effectiveness

Question 32

Blackburn 1993 - findings on behaviour modification

Answer 32

Behavioural benefits of token economies tend to disappear upon release
Suggest that they have little lasting rehabilitative power

Question 33

Howells 2005 - findings on behaviour modification

Answer 33

Anger management has very little overall impact compared to controls
BUT has significant impact on high anger individuals

Question 34

Palmer & Hollingsworth 1998 - findings on levels of moral reasoning

Answer 34

Found significantly lower levels of moral reasoning than controls (stuck at pre-conventional level)

Question 35

Bowlby 1944 - findings on causes of criminality

Answer 35

Found 14 of 44 thieves were affection-less psychopaths
12 of 14 had maternal deprivation
X - contradicted by replication