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Psychology Flash Cards > Forensic Psycolgy > Flashcards

Forensic Psycolgy Flashcards

1
Q

What is offender profiling?

A

Using investigative and psychological techniques to try and identify Perpetrators of a serious crime

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2
Q

What are the two different approaches of offender profiling?

A

Top down approach
bottom up approach

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3
Q

What is the top down approach and how was it developed?

A

The top down approach is the more American method of profiling criminals it mostly relies on the ability and expertise of the profiler this method was developed by the FBI in the 70s after interviewing 36 serious criminals most of who where serial killers and from this they created 2 broad categories that criminals can be placed in based on their patterns and crimes

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4
Q

What are the four stages of the top down approach ?

A
  1. Profiling inputs
  2. Decision process model
  3. Classification of crime
  4. Criminal profile
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5
Q

First stage of the top down approach ?

A

Profiling imputes

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6
Q

What happens in the 1st stage (profiling inputs stage) of the top down approach ?

A

Specialists collect forensic evidence and information from the crime scene and put together a portfolio

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7
Q

Second stage of the top down approach ?

A

Decision process model

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8
Q

What happens in the 2nd stage (decision process model) of the top down approach ?

A

The data collected from the crime scene is used to make more assumptions about specifics of the crime like the time of day or murder weapon or type of crime

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9
Q

What kind of assumptions are made in the decision process model?

A

. time of day
. Type of crime
. Murder weapon

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10
Q

Third stage of the top down approach ?

A

Classifying the crime

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11
Q

What happens in the 3rd stage (classifying the crime ) of the top down approach ?

A

Professional profilers look at the evidence and determine wether the killer is organised or disorganised based on evidence from the crime scene and intuition from the expert professional experiences

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12
Q

Fourth stage of the top down approach ?

A

Criminal profile

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13
Q

What happens in the 4th stage (criminal profile) of the top down approach ?

A

Based on the classification of the criminal, organised or disorganised the experts create a profile of the most likely suspect and what their personal life will be like based on this.

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14
Q

What are the two classifications the top down approach puts offenders in ?

A

Organised
Disorganised

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15
Q

Top down approach - what is an organised crime scene or crime like?

A

. Very little forensic evidence
. Planned crime
. Indented victim
. Murder weapon and body in different places

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16
Q

Top down approach - what is an disorganised crime scene or crime like?

A

. Lots of forensic evidence
. Impulsive crime normally one that’s a spur of the moment or emotional crime
. Murder weapon and body same place

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17
Q

Top down approach - explain the difference between an organised and disorganised offenders personal life ?

A

organised offenders normally have high social status and good personal life and stable job good car in working order, whereas disorganised offender are the opposite.

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18
Q

Supporting evidence of top down offender profiling ?

A

Copson 1995 - interviewed 184 police officers about this approach
Found that 82% said they found it useful
And 90% said they would use it again.

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19
Q

Strengths of top down method ?

A

Makes use of expertise - since it’s based on intuition it makes use of the experience and knowledge of the profilers who job it is to make deductions this couldn’t be done by statical models

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20
Q

Evidence against top down approach ?

A

Alison et al 2003 - controlled study found over 50% of officers who rated the profile they were asked to give as accurate even though their profiler was different to the real offender

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21
Q

What does Alison et al 2003 show about the top down approach ?

A

How inaccurate it is, human error statistics don’t make this mistake.

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22
Q

Other weaknesses about the top down approach ?

A

. It is based on flawed evidence so the whole basis of this method is 36 interviews of criminals how can this be accurate most criminals are pathological liars and manipulators
Meaning it is therefore unscientific

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23
Q

Top down approach- Criticism of organised and disorganised categories?
+ evidence

A

Two distinct categories is not a good approach Generalises to much
David canter et al 2004 - Analyse, 39 aspects of serial killing murders in US commited by 100 killers shows no clear division instead found Subsets.

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24
Q

What is the bottom up approach to offender profiling?

A

This approach is a more statical based method it was developed by David canter after he analysed 39 aspects of serial killings of 100 US killers found the no distinct categories he then found a different approach to offender profiling where in order to profile the cases needed to be statistically analysed.

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25
Q

Main two methods that the bottom up approach uses ?

A

Investigative psychology
Geographical profiling

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26
Q

Bottom up approach - What are the three subsections of investigative psychology?

A
  1. Interpersonal coherence
  2. Forensic awareness
  3. Small space analysis
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27
Q

Bottom up approach - What is the first part of investigative psychology?

A

Interpersonal coherence

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28
Q

Bottom up approach - What is interpersonal coherence?

A

People are consistent, human nature is predictable so the crimes usually reflect the offenders usual behaviour this is knowing the correlation between the crime and what the offender may do in their day to day life.

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29
Q

Bottom up approach - What is the second part of investigative psychology?

A

Forensic awareness

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30
Q

Bottom up approach - What is forensic awareness?

A

How well the criminal covered their crimes could indicate previous convictions or how well they knew what they where doing so possible prior crimes or awareness of police Techniques

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31
Q

Bottom up approach - What is the third part of investigative psychology?

A

Smallest space analysis

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32
Q

Bottom up approach - What is smallest space analysis?

A

The three themes in murder David canter developed this technique data about many crime scenes and offender characteristics are correlated Common connections need to be identified so three subsections that analysis of crimes can put a crime into

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33
Q

Bottom up approach - three themes of smallest space analysis?

A
  1. Instrumental opportunistic
  2. Instrumental cognitive
  3. Expressive impulsive
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34
Q

Bottom up approach- First theme of small space analysis?

A

Instrumental Opportunistic

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35
Q

Bottom up approach - what is Instrumental Opportunistic

A

When the was a goal of the crime but it was unplanned hence
Instrumental - played for before crime knew what crime as gonna be
Oppontisic - crime of opportunity so unplanned

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36
Q

Bottom up approach- second theme of small space analysis?

A

Instrumental cognitive

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37
Q

Bottom up approach - what is Instrumental cognitive?

A

With or for a goal but planned
Instrumental - played for goal know
Cognitive - thought it though it’s a plan

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38
Q

Bottom up approach- third theme of small space analysis?

A

Expressive impulsive

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39
Q

Bottom up approach - what is expressive impulsive?

A

A head of the moment crime

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40
Q

What is the second method the bottom up approach uses ?

A

Geographical profiling

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41
Q

Bottom up approach - what are the two parts of geographical profiling?

A

Circle theory
Criminal geographic targeting

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42
Q

Bottom up approach - First part of geographical profiling?

A

Circle theory

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43
Q

Bottom up approach - what is circle theory ?

A

This is the theory that offenders commit crimes within a small radius either where they live or in a place they know well these two types are called -
marauders - where they live (remember it like marauders live at Hogwarts and that’s where they play tricks)
Commuter - this type travel they know the place well but don’t live that near like marauders do

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44
Q

Bottom up approach - second part of geographical profiling?

A

Criminal Geographic targeting CGT

45
Q

Bottom up approach - what is CGT (criminal geographic targeting)

A

Uses statistical analysis to create a map showing detectives the offenders most likely base
The map shows three dimensional data Displaying distance and movement from crime scene to crime scene

46
Q

Supporting evidence of bottom up approach?

A

Copson 1995 - surveyed British police officers using method said profiler advice and methodology from the approach had been useful

47
Q

Other strengths of bottom up approach ?

A

. More scientific - because its a data driven approach that uses Statistical techniques that be be tested and applied instead of dependency on human expertise therefore human error

48
Q

Evidence against bottom up approach ?

A

Copson 1995 can be used in both ways - while 75% of the uk police officers using this method did find it useful and had been using it however only 3% of 48 police officers said that profiler advice and this technique actually helped to identify an offender.

49
Q

Bottom up approach- what does this evidence (copson 1995) show.

A

That while the method may be useful for understanding an offender and most of the police said they would use it again the method may not be useful in actually catching offenders, in practice works howver not practical for real world use

50
Q

weaknesses of geographical methods of the bottom up approach ?

A

The problem of geographical profiling- most of the time can’t distinguish if the are multiple offenders
- Rossmo 1999 , Geographic approach May not solve crimes specifically, but can be used in the Prioritisation of house to house The is an issues with circle theory - to simplistic petherick 2006 pointed out flaws in the methodology home base may not be Centre of circle

51
Q

Bottom up approach evidence support for circle theory ?

A

Canter and Larkin 1993 - Showed research support for their model by distinguishing between rhodes and commuters in a study of 45, sexual assaults
Found that 91% are offenders are Marauders supporting the theory that Offences are committed near the home

52
Q

Case where bottom up has wrongly accused someone ?

A

Colin stagg - was wrongly arrested and charged he didn’t commit this is because police rule out the real killer beaches his night didn’t match the profile

53
Q

What are the two main biological explanations for offending behaviour?

A
  • the historical approach - atavistic form
  • genetic and neural explanations
54
Q

Biological explanations- What is the historical approach?

A

One of the earliest explanations of criminal behaviour the advistic form this is a general theory Criminal personality types Based on physical appearance and characteristics.

55
Q

Bio explains - What is atavistic form

A

An explanation for criminal behaviour suggests that certain individuals are born with a criminal personality and this innate personality is a throwback to ealier primate forms
Basically saying criminals are not as evolved as regular people

56
Q

Bio explanations - Who coined atavistic form and when and where ?

A

Lomboso in 1876 wrote a book called the criminal man he devised his theories by measuring and analysing bodies of offenders he believed he identified psyical features that mean you have an innate criminal tendency

57
Q

Bio explanations - What did lamboso believe?

A

He believed that he had identified physical features that suggested an innate criminal tendency by nature he believed that criminals where evolutionary throwback they where primitive and had genes and that were from a less evolved time he also identified three types of criminals.

58
Q

What where the three types of criminals that lombroso identified?

A
  • born criminals
  • insane criminals
  • criminalioids
59
Q

Lombrosos the criminal man - what are born criminals ?

A

The Criminals that have primitive genes evolutionary developed they are more likely to commit because they born that way - this is the atavistic type

60
Q

Lombrosos the criminal man - what are insane criminals?

A

Criminals suffering from mental illness

61
Q

Lombrosos the criminal man - what are criminaloids ?

A

People who commit crime because of bad experiences of necessary

62
Q

What did lombroso say criminals look like ?

A

Asymmetry of the face and excessive dimensions of the jaw and cheekbones
Unusual ear size
Nose twisted up or flatttend in theifs
In murders a beak like nose
Long arms

63
Q

What is an additional historical theory of offending behaviour?

A

Somatoypes

64
Q

Biological explanations- who coined somatotypes ?

A

Kretschmer

65
Q

How did Kerchmer come to his conclusions ?

A

He studied over 4000 criminals in 1921 and noticed patterns between body type and crime type

66
Q

What are somatotypes ?

A

The idea that different body types and appearances mean correlate with crimes committed

67
Q

What are the 4 somotypes?

A
  1. Leptons one or aesthetic
  2. Athletic
  3. Pkynic
  4. Dysplastic or mixed
68
Q

What is the first somototype and what crimes do they commit ?

A

Leptosome - talk and thin
Pretty thieves

69
Q

What is the second somototype and what crimes do they commit ?

A

Athletic - tall and muscular
Crimes of violence

70
Q

What is the third somototype and what crimes do they commit ?

A

Pkynic - short and fat
Crimes of deception and sometimes violence

71
Q

What is the fourth somototype and what crimes do they commit ?

A

Mixed - more then one - immoral crimes like prostitution

72
Q

Strengths of historical approaches - atavism and somatotypes ?

A

+ large samples - believed that his evidence was based on empirical evidence from large numbers of observations
+ lomobraso also suggested that it’s not just inherited and that links into many theories of offending behaviour today
+ contributed to forensic psychology like puts focus on offender

73
Q

Weaknesses of historical approaches - atavism and somatotypes ?

A
  • lack of control groups - control groups allow for non prisoners only looked at prisoners or previous offenders so had no group to compare his assessments to can’t generalise
  • confounding variables - could be other explanations and factors for why crimals have body types like poverty
  • gender and race bias
74
Q

One study that critics lombrosos historical studies ?

A

Charles goring in 1913 - he compared 3000 convicts to non convicts found no general categories or differences bar convicts slightly smaller - could be confounding varible or poverty to make them commit crime

75
Q

Lombroso on gender bias and racial bias ?

A
  • he Believe that women or less of all the men that they were naturally jealous and low in intelligence and Hard maternal instincts, that means they’re negative traits neutralised do less likely to be criminals - Androcentrism in his resherch
  • in his booked call races inferior and already saw them as animals and primitive savages
76
Q

What is the other biological explanation for offending behaviour

A

Genetic and neural explanations

77
Q

Bio approach to offending behaviour- Idea of genetic and neural explanations ?

A

Nature and our biology plays a massive role in our life everything psychology is first Physiological idea that offending behaviour comes from our genetics and how our brain functions I.e relationships lack of or to much function between areas of brain or neurotransmitters

78
Q

How are genetic explanations used in terms of explaining offending behaviour ?

A

We can explain the Likelihood of behaving in a particular way by looking person genetic make up e.g inherited from parents meaning may Predispose an individual to criminal behaviour

79
Q

How are neural explanations used in terms of explaining offending behaviour ?

A

Areas of the brain and nervous system and neurotransmitters how they effect and control our behaviour And criminals these structures, and levels of activity May different in criminals bains

80
Q

Genetic explanation - why are the role of twin studies important in this case ?

A
  • Shows how we can Separate to nurture from nature , genetically Identical or MZ twins share 100% of genes and non identical twins or DZ twins who share 50% ish of their dna with each other
  • concordance rate of both twins sets are tested to see if MZ twins have a higher concordance rate of the trait then DZ twins If they do shows genetic influence
81
Q

What are the genetic explanation for offending behaviour?

A
  • candidate genes
  • epigenics or Diatheses stress model
82
Q

Main candidate genes involved with offending behaviour ?

A

MAOA or monoamine oxidise - people with low levels could be offenders
Brunner et al - analysed DNA of 28 member of a Dutch family and found they all shared a gene that led to abnormal low Levels of MAOA
Links to CDH13 Tiihoen et al 900 offenders found evidence of low MAOA and CDH13 gene

83
Q

What did tiihoen et al 2015 find ?

A

Found that 900 offenders those who had low MAOA activity also have low CHD13 in Finland they estimated 5-10 percent of violent crime was caused by abnormally in one of these two genes

84
Q

What are epigentics ?

A

Refers to the material of each cell in the body that acts like a set of switches to turn genes on or of this is influenced by our interactions and environment so bad childhood experiences could trigger one of these genes to be turned on - Diathesis stress model shows that both play a role

85
Q

What are the 3 main neural explanations?

A

Regions of the brain
Neurotransmitters
Brain injury

86
Q

What regions of the brain are linked with offending behaviour ?

A
  • prefrontal cortex
  • limbic system
87
Q

Why is the prefrontal cortex involved with offender behaviour ?
Name the Study

A

The prefrontal cortex is area that is involved with regulating emotions and controlling our moral behaviour in general lower activity in this area associated with loss of control and impulsiveness
Raine 2004

88
Q

Raine 2004 ?

A

Looked at 71 brain imaging studies showing murders and psychopaths and violent individuals all have reduced functioning in prefrontal cortex

89
Q

Why is the limbic system involved with offender behaviour ?
Name study that found this ?

A

Set of Structures in the brain like the thalamus and amygdala these are both linked to motivation and emotion
Raine et at

90
Q

Rain et al 1997 on limbic system ?

A

Studies murderers, who were found guilty by reason of insanity, compared with matched controlled Abnormal asymmetries in the limbic system, and in the amygdala, there is reduced activity on the left and increased on right

91
Q

Study about brain injury and prisoners ?

A

Harmon 2012 - only 6% of General US population have a brain injury howver in US prisons this is 60%

92
Q

Neural explanations - what neurotransmitter is involved with offending behaviour and why ?

A

Seratonin - low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin may predispose individuals to impulsive aggression and criminal behaviour thus is because seratonin is an inhibitor so lack of it causes this behaviour

93
Q

Name the study that shows a link between genes and neural correlates ?

A

Brunner 1993

94
Q

What did Brunner 1993 find ?

A

MAOA is an enzyme that destroys serotonin in the synapses those with LOW MAOA gene variation this means the is to much serotonin this is at play during fetal development the brain is then Desensitised to serotonin and it no longer can calm or help a person to function - the violent Dutch family all 24 member had this

95
Q

Counter point to Brunner 1993 ?

A

Biologicallly reductionist dosnt consider interaction between genes and environments
Caspi - found that both those who where were mistreated bad asa child and treated nice child with and had high MAOA had minimal aggression same for those who who where treated well as a child and who had the low variant the only ones who showed high levels of aggression where those with LMAOA variant and mistreated as a child

96
Q

Resherch support Adoption studies in biological explanations for offending behaviour?

A

If similar to bio parent then biological if similar to adaptive parent shows environment majority of the time it is a bit of both
Crowe 1972 - found adopted Children with a biological parent with a criminal record, had a 50% greater risk of Having a criminal record by the time they are 18, whereas adopted children who didn’t only had a 5% risk

97
Q

Other strengths of genetic and neural explanations?

A
  • real world application
98
Q

Weaknesses of genetic and neural explanations?

A
  • deterministic
  • based in aggration rather then offending behaviour how can this explain non violent crimes ?
99
Q

Psychological explanations for offending behaviour- what was Eysenck theory of a criminal personality?

A

based on personality and Character traits he outlined three dimensions or scales of traits displayed as a digram and a test (EPQ)to access where people fall in this digram and explained how this linked to crimal behaviour

100
Q

Psychological explanations - what where Eysencks three dimensions?

A
  • extraversion - introversion
  • neuroticism - stability
  • psycoticisum - normality
101
Q

What is extroversim to introversion ?

A

Extent to which you seek new experiences and social connections and contact

102
Q

What is neurotic - stable ?

A

Extent to which your mood and emotions are consistent

103
Q

What is psychoticisum - normally ?

A

How egocentric aggressive or impulsive you are

104
Q

What did Eysenck was the basis of his psychological theory of personality ?

A

He believed that each trait has a biological basis It’s a combination of innate biology, personality and socialisation person may be born with traits, but interaction is the development

105
Q

Psychological explanations- Eysenck why is extroversion a explanation for offending behaviour what kind of offending behaviour do they commit ?

A

Extroversion is caused by an understimulated nerve system Therefore, people with this seat stimulation from external sources may commit crimes like GTA or grimes that are exciting and pump up their heart and adrenaline

106
Q

Psychological explanations- Eysenck why is neurotisum a explanation for offending behaviour what kind of offending behaviour do they commit ?

A

Based on how sensitive your nervous system is, neurotics are emotionally, unstable and much more reactive, because they have an overactive fight or flight system
Likely to commit somthing like murder or an emotional crime done in impulsive

107
Q

Psychological explanations- Eysenck why is psycoticism a explanation for offending behaviour and what kind of offending behaviour do they commit ?

A

Caused by excessive amount of testosterone this means competitive and aggressive nature and behaviour people with thus are more likely to commit crimes when they feel threatened maybe gang crimes

108
Q

Strengths of Eysencks theory of criminal personality?

A
  • supports link between personality’s of criminals and non criminals Dunlop et al 2012 found both Extroversion and psychoticism as well of lie Scales for a good predictor of delinquency
  • real world application may provide useful to some offenders and knowing how to treat them can also help prevent by teaching children with these traits skills to manage situations
109
Q

Weaknesses of Eysencks theory of criminal personality?

A
  • personally tests no reliable - social Desirability also, most personality tests are YesNo test hard to understand how someone is through yes or no questions
  • personality not consistent not close Enough to use as a means of detecting, who is likely to become an Offender
  • van dam et al found only small group of male Offenders in a juvenile prison, had all three

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