Offender profiling

Question 1

Name the stages in generating a criminal profile

Answer 1

(douglas et al., 1986)

1) profile input
2) decision process model
3) crime assessment
4) criminal profile
5) investigation
6) apprehension

Question 2

1) profile input

Answer 2

~ crime scene (evidence, weapons)
~ victimology (age, domestic setting, habits)
~ forensic info (autopsy, cause of death, photographs)
~ preliminary police report (neighbourhood, crime report)

Question 3

2) decision process model

Answer 3

~ homicide type + style (single, double, spree)
~ primary intent of murder (emotional, sexual)
~ victim risk (age, occupation)
~ offender risk (time of day, location)
~ escalation
~ time factors (to kill, commit other acts, dispose of body)
~ location factors (victim approach, location, movement)

Question 4

3) crime assessment

Answer 4

~ reconstruct events based on previous stages
~ organised vs disorganised
~ motivation

Question 5

4) criminal profile

Answer 5

~ demographics
~ physical characteristics
~ habits, beliefs and values
~ pre and post crime behaviour
~ advice on interrogation technique

Question 6

5) investigation

Answer 6

~ used by investigators to match suspects

~ feedback to stage 2 is new evidence

Question 7

6) apprehension

Answer 7

~ admission of guilt

~ validity checking of profile

Question 8

Lens model

Answer 8

(Brunswik, 1956)
~ environment provides lens for indirect observation of underlying contracts
~ based on two principles: cue utilisation + cue validity

Question 9

Cue utilisation

Answer 9

link between the observable cue and judgment

~ rating of conscientiousness

Question 10

Cue validity

Answer 10

link between the observable cues and underlying constructs

~ actual conscientiousness

Question 11

Room w/ a cue experiment (aims)

Answer 11

(Gosling et al., 2002)
Two aims:
~ is there a link between individuals and their physical environments?
~ can observers make predictions about people based on environments?

Question 12

Room w/ a cue experiment (results)

Answer 12

a) personal environments elicit similar impression from independent observers
b) observer impression showed some accuracy
c) observers rely on valid cues in the rooms to form impressions of occupants
d) sex and race stereotypes partially mediate observer consensus + accuracy
~ openness, conscientiousness + extraversion = strongest correlation

Question 13

Back et al.

Answer 13

(2010)
~ FB shows people’s ideal selves
~ FB observers could accurately predict personalities of owners of FB profiles
~ been replicated for emails, music tastes + dating profile