Forensic Psychology

• What are the two approaches to offender profiling discussed?


  • Top-down approach
  • Bottom-up approach
• What does the top-down approach in offender profiling involve?


  Creating pre-existing categories of offender types based on crime analysis.
• What is a modus operandi in the context of crime?


  A distinctive way that offenders commit their crimes.
• What are the two types of offenders identified in the top-down approach?


  Organized and disorganized offenders.
• How do organized offenders typically behave?


  They plan their crimes and tidy the crime scene.
• What characterizes disorganized offenders?


  They do not plan their crimes and leave messy crime scenes.
• Who created the definitions of organized and disorganized offenders?

  Ressler in 1986.
• What did Snook (2007) find regarding criminal profiling?


  Major crime officers agreed it helps solve cases and is a valuable tool.
• What did Cancer (2004) conclude about disorganized features in serial killers?


  Disorganized features were rare and did not form a distinct type.
• Why is the effectiveness of offender profiling difficult to assess?


  It is never used in isolation from other forensic techniques.
• What is the bottom-up approach in offender profiling?


  An evidence-based approach using statistical analysis of crime scene data.
• Who developed the bottom-up approach?


  David Canter.
• What are the components of the five-factor model in investigative psychology?


  1. Interpersonal coherence
  2. Criminal characteristics
  3. Criminal career
  4. Forensic awareness
  5. Geographical profiling
• What does geographical profiling assume about crime locations?


  The location of crime is not random and helps narrow down search areas.
• What is the least effort principle in geographical profiling?


  The closest suitable crime scene to the criminal's home base is picked.
• What does the distance decay hypothesis suggest?


  Crimes radiate out from the criminal's home base creating a circle.
• What did Canter and Lock (1993) find regarding British serial sexual assaulters?


  87 percent were marauders.
• What is a limitation of the bottom-up approach in profiling?


  It can be difficult to know if a criminal is a marauder or commuter before apprehension.
• Why is the bottom-up approach considered more scientific than the top-down approach?


  It uses statistical analysis from published research.
• What is a problem common to all profiling methods?


  Statistically abnormal offenders may not match expected behaviors.
• What historical approach did Lombroso take towards criminality?


  • Suggested criminals were possessed by demons.
  • Developed the atavistic form theory.
  • Proposed that criminals are genetically at a primitive stage of evolution.
• What does the atavistic form theory suggest about criminals?


  Criminals are genetically at a more primitive stage of human evolution.
• What physical characteristics did Lombroso associate with criminals?


  Asymmetrical faces, heavy brows, and large jaws.
• What did Lombroso's research involve?


  Biological measurements of over 4000 criminals.
• What was a flaw in Lombroso's research?


  No control group was used.
• What did Goring (1913) find when comparing criminals and non-criminals?


  No physical differences were found when controlling for factors like age and class.
• What is an example of scientific racism in Lombroso's work?


  Claiming biological features like dark skin identified criminality.
• How might the atavistic form theory lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy?


  People with certain physical features may be rejected by society and turn to crime.
• What are the genetic explanations for criminal behavior?


  • Inherited genotypes increase likelihood of criminal behavior.
  • Family studies show biological relations correlate with criminality.
  • Gene candidates like the short variant MAOA gene linked to aggression.
• What is the role of the MAOA gene in criminal behavior?


  The short variant produces less MAOA and is linked to high levels of aggression.
• What is the diathesis-stress model in genetics?


  Some genes are expressed only due to environmental interactions, like child abuse.
• How do neurotransmitters relate to criminal behavior?


  An imbalance in neurotransmitters is linked to offending behavior.
• What brain structures are linked to criminal behavior?

  Low limbic system activity is linked to lack of empathy, and an underdeveloped frontal cortex is linked to poor impulse control.
• What did Rhee (2002) find in their meta-analysis of twin adoption studies?


  Genetics accounted for 41% of the variants in antisocial behavior.
• What did Brunner (1993) discover in his case study?


  Extreme levels of criminality can have a genetic origin linked to defective MAOA genes.
• What did Rain (2000) find regarding individuals with antisocial personality disorder (APD)?


  They had an 11% reduction in prefrontal gray matter.
• What are the implications of biological explanations for criminal behavior?


  • They are biologically determinist and socially sensitive.
  • Genetic theories can justify discriminatory policies.
  • A more valid understanding includes social factors like drug abuse and childhood experiences.
• What are the key components of Eysenck's theory of criminal personality?


  • Based on three personality dimensions: extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
  • Criminal personality is linked to the type of nervous system inherited.
  • Arousal influences behavior and innate offending behavior.
• What did McGurk and Double (1981) find in their study of personality types among inmates?


  A higher number of extrovert, neurotic, and psychotic personality types were found in the delinquent group.
• What is a limitation of Eysenck's theory regarding criminal personality?


  It depends on a stable criminal personality type over time, which may be too simplistic.