Topic 5: Criminal Psychology Flashcards
define ‘crime’
define ‘anti social behaviour’
What is a cognitive interview?
A technique used to enhance the retrieval of information from witnesses. It includes strategies like context reinstatement, reporting everything, changing the order, and changing perspective.
What is context reinstatement?
Reinstating the context increases the accessibility of the information stored in the memory.
What does ‘report everything’ mean in a cognitive interview?
Allowing the witness to freely recall a narrative of the situation gains an initial account.
Why is changing the order important in a cognitive interview?
We are more likely to reconstruct a story and draw on existing schemas.
What is the purpose of changing perspective in a cognitive interview?
Trying to adopt the viewpoint of a different witness can encourage recall of events that may otherwise be omitted.
What did Geilsman find regarding cognitive interviews?
Increased retrieval using the cognitive interview was due to the guided approach to interviewing, which encouraged participants to remember the crime.
What does the PEACE model of ethical interviewing stand for?
- Planning & preparation
- Engage & explain
- Account
- Closure
- Evaluate.
What is the importance of planning & preparation in the PEACE model?
Interviews should have clear objectives.
What is the role of engage & explain in the PEACE model?
Establishing a rapport is important in interviews; the purpose of the interview should be explained.
What is the focus of the account phase in the PEACE model?
Good questioning and listening skills are needed to produce a reliable account.
What is the purpose of closure in the PEACE model?
The interviewee needs to understand what has happened during the interview and what will happen next.
What is evaluated in the PEACE model?
There is a reflection on the interviewers’ performance to see if the interview went as planned and learn from any mistakes.
What are biological explanations for crime?
- Brain injury
- damage to the amygdala
- genetics
- personality
How does brain injury explain criminal behavior?
- Phineas Gage went from being a family-man to aggressive after a brain injury which affected his PFC.
- Williams (2010) - looked at the link between head injuries and criminal acts and found that injuries affect the ability to control impulses
- Grafman (1996) - veterans with damage to the frontal lobe were more aggressive than those with damage elsewhere
How does the amygdala explain criminal behaviour?
- Charles Whitman - after a mass murder, scientists found a cancerous tumour in the limbic system which impacted the amygdala, thalamus and hypothalamus
- Raine (1997) - looked at which brain areas where dysfunctioning in offenders, found lower levels of activity in the PFC and corpus callosum, the hippocampus and thalamus that have abnormalities could result in criminals being unable to modify their behaviour.
- Yang (2009) - people with psychopathy had lower volume on amygdala
What is XYY Syndrome?
A genetic condition linked to aggression, characterized by taller stature and behavioral and emotional difficulties and low intelligence. (Jacobs - XYY in prison). (Theilgaard)
What does the PEN personality model suggest?
Extraversion - sociable, introversion - reserved, neuroticism - anxiety, stability - calm, psychoticism - aggressive.
Individuals with a PEN personality can have predetermined behaviour and therefore are more prone to committing crimes.
What are some social explanation of crime?
- social learning theory
- labelling theory
- self-fufilling prophecy
What is social learning theory in relation to crime?
People exposed to criminal role models observe, learn, and imitate criminal behavior.
What did Williams (1986) find about TV and aggression?
The introduction of TV increased children’s aggressive behaviors as rated by teachers and peers.
What did Johnson (2002) find about TV and aggression?
- Johnson (2002) - there is a positive correlation between the amounts of TV children watched and increased aggressive behaviour, those who watched the most TV committed the highest number of violent acts
What is labelling theory?
A process where a label given by powerful agencies influences a person’s behavior and self-concept.
Describe labelling thoery as an explanation of Crime?
1)Label is given by powerful agencies of social control (parents, teachers, police or even peers)
2)The labelled person is treated according to the label
3)The label becomes the master status where it overrides the other forms of status a person has
4)Self-concept changes as the person accepts the label. How we see ourselves often relies on how others see us and behave towards us, this can influence a person’s behaviour
Lieberman (2014) - juveniles who had been previously arrested were more likely to commit other crimes
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Expectations about a person elicit behaviors that confirm those expectations (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968).
Describe labelling thoery as an explanation of Crime?
The process by which one person’s expectations about another person become reality by eliciting behaviours that confirm the expectations
Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) - Teachers expected pupils with higher IQs to do better in tests so, they gave them extra
attention or additional feedback, teacher expectation affects student performance.
What factors affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony?
Reconstructive memory, post-event information, arousal, and anxiety.
What was the aim of Loftus & Palmer Study 1?
To see how information provided after an event, in the form of leading questions, might affect people’s memories.