Chapter 1: Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Question 1

What are the two ways to define forensic psychology?

Answer 1

narrow definitions and broad definitions

Question 2

What are the three things included in the narrow definition of forensic psychology?

Answer 2

clinical practices in forensic psychology are (1) assessment, (2) consultation, and (3) treatment

Question 3

What does the narrow definition of forensic psychology exclude?

Answer 3

excludes psychologists who primarily conduct forensic research

Question 4

What are the three things included in the broad definition of forensic psychology?

Answer 4

researcher or professional that examines (1) human behaviour in relation to the legal system, (2) includes application and research, and (3) includes areas such as social, cognitive, personality, organizational and developmental psychology

Question 5

three roles of a forensic psychologist

Answer 5

clinical, experimental and legal

Question 6

Role, focus and training of clinical psychologists

Answer 6

role is research and practice
focus is mental health and the law
training is M.A. or Ph.D. in clinical psychology and internships

Question 7

Role, focus and training of experimental psychologists

Answer 7

role is in research
focus is human behaviour and the law
training is in Ph.D. in psychology

Question 8

Role, focus and training of legal scholars

Answer 8

role is in research and analysis
focus is in mental health law and policy
training is in Ph.D. in psychology and training in the law

Question 9

Relationships between psychology and the law

Answer 9

psychology AND, IN and OF the law

Question 10

Psychology and the law

Answer 10

Use of psychology to study the operation of the legal system

Question 11

psychology in the law

Answer 11

Use of psychology within the legal system as it currently operates

Question 12

psychology of the law

Answer 12

Use of psychology to study the law itself

Question 13

What did Catell come up with in 1895?

Answer 13

He found that eyewitness testimonies are not always all that accurate.

Question 14

What did Binet come up with in 1900?

Answer 14

children testimonies are highly susceptible, they can be easily swayed by information

Question 15

What did Stern come up with in 1910?

Answer 15

used the reality experiment to show that emotional arousal (usually brought about by exciting events) can have a negative impact on the accuracy of a persons’ testimony

Question 16

What was the reality experiment?

Answer 16

having someone who works for him come and stage a crime with a pistol in front of the class.

Question 17

What were the early two discoveries made in Europe?

Answer 17

• pre-trial press can cause retroactive memory falsification (what we observed vs. what we heard)
• children can provide inaccurate testimonies due to suggestive techniques

Question 18

What did Munsterberg do in 1908?

Answer 18

made the argument that psychology is present in the legal system
this set back the coming together of psychology and law

Question 19

What is the difference between an expert witness and a normal witness?

Answer 19

expert witness can provide an opinion while witnesses must only comment on what they directly observe

Question 20

three challenges when providing an expert testimony

Answer 20

1. Need to know your own field of study plus how the legal system works and your role in it
2. Need to be an effective communicator in high-stress situations
3. The vast difference between psychology and law

Question 21

Four criteria for the Mohan Criteria

Answer 21

1. Evidence must be relevant to the case at hand
2. Evidence must go beyond common knowledge
3. Evidence must not violate rules of exclusion
4. Evidence must come from a qualified expert

Question 22

What are the four catergories that psychology and law differ in?

Answer 22

knowledge, epistomology, nature of the law, and methodology

Question 23

How does psychology and law differ in knowledge?

Answer 23

• psychology is based on group-level data using a variety of research methods
• law bases its arguments on legal precedents

Question 24

How does psychology and law differ in epistomology?

Answer 24

• psychologists seek to find universal objective truths

- law is largely subjective and based more on persuasion than objective measurement

Question 25

How does psychology and the law differ in nature of the law?

Answer 25

psychology is descriptive and law is prescriptive

Question 26

How does psychology and law differ in methodology

Answer 26

• psychology is largely experimental, emphasizes controlling of extraneous variables, and seeks to create models of laws explaining behaviour (nomothetic)
• law is more case-by-case - focused on building compelling stories (idiographic)