Forensic Psychology Flashcards
What is a brief summary of the top down approach?
General profiles first, then details
What is a brief summary of the bottom up approach?
Specific details first, then general profile
What are the 2 types of offender profiles in the top down approach?
- Organised offender
- Disorganised offender
What are some of the characteristics of an organised offender?
- High intelligence
- Clears evidence from the scene
- Socially competent (e.g. may be married with children)
- Follows media coverage of crime
What are some of the characteristics of a disorganised offender?
- Low intelligence
- Evidence left behind
- Socially incompetent (e.g lives alone)
- Does not follow media coverage of crime
What are the 4 main stages in the construction of an FBI profile?
- Data assimilation
- Crime scene classification
- Crime reconstruction
- Profile generation
Define offender profiling:
A behavioural and analytical tool that is intended to help investigators accurately predict and profile the characteristics of unknown offenders.
Evaluation of the top down approach:
- Limited in applications (can only be used for rape/murder)
- Most simplistic (less objective due to a smaller use of quantitative data)
Evaluation of the bottom up approach:
- Most objective (quantitative data)
- Geographical profiling may not be sufficient on its own if the quality of data is poor.
What is smallest space analysis?
It is a form of geographic profiling:
Looks at the relationship between each variable and every other variable, representing this visually in a geometric space.
- The higher the correlation between 2 behaviours/characteristics, the closer they will appear in the visual space.
What is the top down approach mainly used for in terms of cases?
Murder, rape
What is the bottom up approach mainly used for in terms of cases
All types of crimes
Which offender profiling approach is more focused on quantitative data?
Bottom up approach
What are the 3 core similarities between the top down and bottom up approach?
- Both used to narrow down suspects
- Both using evidence from crime scene
- Both determining patterns
Which country typically uses the bottom up approach?
UK
Which country typically uses the top down approach?
USA
What is investigative psychology?
A form of bottom up profiling that matches details from the crime scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns based on psychological theory.
What is geographical profiling?
A form of bottom up profiling based on the principle of spatial consistency - that an offender’s operational base and possible future offences are revealed by the geographic location of their previous crimes.
What are the 2 key aspects of the bottom up approach?
- Investigative psychology
- Geographical profiling
What is interpersonal coherence?
(Bottom up approach - Investigative Psychology)
- The way an offender behaves at the scene, including how they interact with the victim, may reflect their behaviour in more everyday situations.
What is forensic awareness?
(Bottom up approach - Investigative Psychology)
- The behaviour of individuals who have been the subject of police interrogation before may denote how mindful they are of ‘covering their tracks’.
What are the 3 biological explanations for offending?
- Atavistic form
- Genetic explanation
- Neural explanation
What does the MAOA gene do?
Regulates an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters.
What happens if there is dysfunction concerning the MAOA gene?
Can lead to abnormal levels of the enzyme, breaking down more neurotransmitter which can lead to lower levels of serotonin, which regulates mood and impulsivity.
What is the main study for candidate genes affecting offending?
Tiihonen (2014)
Procedure of Tiihonen (2014):
- 900 Finnish offenders as a sample.
Findings of Tiihonen (2014)
Revealed 2 abnormalities that may be associated with violent crime:
- MAOA gene
- CDH13 gene
Individuals with this combination were 13 times more likely to have a history of violent behaviour.
What 2 genetic abnormalities are associated with violent behaviour?
- MAOA gene
- CDH13 gene
What does the MAOA gene control?
Dopamine and serotonin
What is CDH13 gene linked to?
Substance abuse and attention deficit disorder
What are the 3 main aspects of the genetic explanation for offending?
- Twin studies
- Candidate genes
- Diathesis-stress model
What combination does the diathesis-stress model theory explain as a cause of offending behaviour?
Genetic predisposition and biological or psychological trigger
(e.g. being raised in a dysfunctional environment)
Evaluation of the genetic explanation for offending:
- Research support (Tiihonen (2014))
- Limitation of twin studies; assumption of equal environments, but MZ twins may be treated more equally to DZ twins.
What is atavism?
An evolutionary throwback, such as traits reappearing which had disappeared generations before.
Who created the theory of atavistic form and in what year?
Lombroso (1876)
What is Lombroso regarded as?
The father of modern criminology
What did Lombroso suggest criminals were?
Genetic throwbacks - a primitive sub species;
Offenders were seen as lacking evolutionary development.
What did Lombroso study to prove his theory?
The facial and cranial features of hundreds of Italian convicts both living and dead.
What characteristics according to Atavistic Form are associated with offending?
- Strong, prominent jaw
- Dark skin
- Facial asymmetry
- High cheekbones
What are the characteristics of murderers according to Atavistic Form?
- Bloodshot eyes
- Curly hair
- Long ears
What are the characteristics of sexual deviants according to Atavistic Form?
- Glinting eyes
- Swollen, fleshy lips
- Projecting ears
What are the characteristics of fraudsters according to Atavistic Form?
- Thin lips
Evaluation of Atavistic Form:
- Weak evidence and contrasting theories (environmental determinism)
- Poor control over key variables in Lombroso’s research; he didn’t compare his sample with a non-offending control group.
