forensics Flashcards
(107 cards)
What is forensic psychology?
The application of psychological theories and knowledge to the criminal and civil justice systems, including processes and people involved.
What is a narrow definition of forensic psychology?
The direct provision of psychological information to the courts (i.e., psychology in the courts).
What stages does forensic psychology apply to?
It applies to criminal investigation, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial processes.
Who was James Cattell and what did he research?
In 1895, he studied eyewitness memory by asking people to recall events from daily life—he found their answers were often inaccurate.
What did Alfred Binet discover about eyewitness memory in children?
He found that children’s accuracy depended on how questions were asked—misleading questions led to poor recall.
What was the Aussage period?
An early 20th-century era in Germany when most eyewitness research occurred, involving staged events to study memory accuracy.
Who was Hugo Munsterberg and why is he important?
Called the ‘father of forensic psychology’, he argued that eyewitness memory is fallible and promoted psychology in legal settings.
Why did eyewitness research decline after Munsterberg?
His arrogant style drew criticism (especially from Wigmore), and behaviourism’s rise shifted focus away from memory research.
Who was Robert Buckhout and what did he show?
He demonstrated how eyewitnesses can be inaccurate—even with 2000 witnesses, many wrongly identified a purse snatcher in a video.
What did Elizabeth Loftus contribute to forensic psych?
She studied how memory is malleable and can be altered by post-event information; recall is often less accurate than recognition.
What is the role of an expert witness in court?
To help the court understand complex issues by offering informed opinions based on expertise.
What are challenges psychologists face as expert witnesses?
Criticism over ecological validity, risk of bias, encroachment on legal territory, and assumptions that psychological insights are ‘common sense’.
What is the R v Turner (1975) ruling about?
It restricted psychologists from giving expert evidence on common knowledge topics, limiting the use of psychs in court until 1995.
What was significant about R v Skaf (2006)?
It was the first case in NSW where psychologists were permitted to testify on eyewitness memory.
What did a 2011 study reveal about fingerprint experts?
They were mostly accurate but erred cautiously—sometimes letting the guilty go and occasionally causing false convictions.
What is facial mapping and why is it controversial?
A method of identifying people from CCTV using image comparison; it’s often unstandardized, unreliable, and considered invalid by psychologists.
What is the difference between recall and recognition memory?
Recall involves retrieving details from memory, while recognition involves identifying previously seen or heard information.
Why do many psychologists argue eyewitness testimony is unreliable?
Because memory can be influenced by perception, stress, time delays, and suggestive information.
What are estimator variables?
Variables present at the time of the crime that cannot be changed, such as lighting, distance, disguise, and stress.
What is the own-race bias?
The tendency for people to be better at recognizing faces of their own race than those of other races.
What is a flashbulb memory?
A vivid and detailed memory of a traumatic or emotionally intense event, though still subject to distortion over time.
What does the Yerkes-Dodson Law say about stress and memory?
Memory is best at moderate stress levels; too little or too much stress impairs memory.
What is the Easterbrook Hypothesis?
Under stress, people focus more on central details and neglect peripheral ones.
What is the weapon focus effect?
When a weapon is present, attention is drawn to it, impairing memory for other details like the culprit’s face.
