Forensic Psych > TEST 1 > Flashcards

TEST 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is forensic psych?

A

Any application of psychological research methods, theory, and practice to a task faced by the legal system
Research of human behavior related to the legal process (eyewitness memory and testimony, jury decision making, criminal behavior)

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2
Q

Developmental psych contributions to forensic psych

A

custody arrangements following divorce; trying children as adults

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3
Q

Social Psych contributions to forensic psych

A

interrogator’s use of coercion and persuasion; group dynamics of juries

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4
Q

Clinical psych contributions to forensic psych

A

mental illness and competence to stand trial; prediction of future violence among the mentally ill

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5
Q

Cognitive psych contributions to forensic psych

A

accuracy of eyewitness testimony; juror’s understanding of legal instruction

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6
Q

Kirk Heilbrun’s conceptualization

A

3 primary areas: experimental psych, clinical psych, legal

2 approaches: research/scholarship, applied

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7
Q

Application history of psychology and the law people

A

Cesare Lombroso
William Healy
Sigmund Freud

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8
Q

Scholarship history of psychology and the law people

A 
Hugo Munsterberg
Herman Ebbinghaus
Alfred Binet
Louis Stern
Guy Whipple
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9
Q

Cesare Lombroso

A

father of modern criminology; sought to understand the causes of crime focusing on biological influences

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10
Q

William Healy

A

Physician who studied the causes of juvenile delinquency after the establishment of the 1st juvenile courts in 1899

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11
Q

Sigmund Freud

A

Cautioned austrian judges that their decisions are influenced by unconscious processes; also claimed that insights from his theory could be used to understand criminal behavior and improve the legal system

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12
Q

Hugo Munsterberg

A

“Experimental psychology has reached a stage at which it seems natural and sound to give attention to its possible service for the practical needs of life”
Considered to be founder of forensic psychology
3 Crucial Activities
1. demonstrated the fallibility of memory
2. published On the Witness Stand (1908)
3. Offered testimony as an expert witness in highly publicized trial
Sought to raise the position of the psychological profession to one of importance in public life but was sometimes insulting to those in the legal profession

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13
Q

Herman Ebbinghaus

A

Demonstrated the rapid rate of early memory loss

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14
Q

Alfred Binet

A

studied children’s competence as eyewitneses

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15
Q

Louis Stern

A

Published eyewitness research in Germany; testified as an expert eyewitness indetification

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16
Q

Guy Whipple

A

conducted experiments relating testimony and evidence to perception and memory

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17
Q

Goals of the Law and Social Science

A

Law- focuses on issues of morality, social values, social control, and justifying the application of abstract principles to specific causes (values efficiency and expediency)
Social Science- focus in issues of knowledge, truth, and deriving abstract principles from specific instances (values reproducible phenomena and underlying concepts and causes)

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18
Q

Legal system’s criticisms of psychology

A
  1. lack of ecological validity of psychological research
  2. going beyond the data to make moral judgements
  3. intruding upon the legitimate activities of the legal system
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19
Q

McClesky v Kemp

A

Warren McClesky is african american. helped rob a furniture store and convicted of killing white police officer who responded; sentenced to death; claimed that state of GA administered death penalty with racial discrimination; supported by statistical evidence; USSC rejected his claim and he was executed

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20
Q

Researcher role of psych

A

all areas of speciality contribute to the knowledge base using the scientific method

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21
Q

Consultant to law enforcement role of psych

A

OFten involved in personal selection, evaluation, promotion and training

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22
Q

Trial consultant (aka litigation consultation or jury consultant) role of psych

A

hired by attorneys to help with jury selection, witness prep or trial strategy

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23
Q

Evaluator and assessor role of psych

A 
Civil cases- emotional trauma; parental fitness; psychological disability (social security)
Criminal cases (Capital sentencing, competency to stand trial, juvenile transfer, mental status, miranda waiver, NGRI, presentence evals, prerelease evals,  sex offender evals, violence risk assessment)
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24
Q

Expert witness role of psych

A

different from a fact witness- may express opinions and must be proven to be an expert
3 approaches:
1. conduit- educator–> give opinion no matter who it benefits
2. philosopher- ruler/advocate
3. Hired gun- only give info to help whoever hired them

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25
Frye Test
Came from Frye v US; well-recognized standards within the field should determine the admissibility of expert testimony; was strongly citicized because it was so strict
26
Federal Rules of Evidence
Rule 702: qualified experts can testify "if scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier or fact (judge/jury)
27
Daubert Standard
Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc.; USSC case; sought to clarify the distinction between the FRE standard and the more restrictive FRYE test;
28
Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc
Joyce Daubert gave birth to deformed son after taking Merrell's morning-sickness pill, Benedictin. Merrell Dow argued for high standard of admissibility, daubert argued for lenient standard of admitting all evidence
29
Judges as gatekeepers
Judges are "gatekeepers"- admittance is at discretion of the judge but judge has to ensure the evidence is relevant and reliable using 4 criterian 1. Testability or "falsifiabliity" of the theory or technique 2. whether the scientific finding have been subjected to peer reviews 3. whether there is a known error rate 4. whether the methods used and conclusions reached are generally accepted in the relevant scientific community
30
General Electric Co v. Joiner
if "analytical gap" exist between the experts knowlede and their conclusions, the testimony should be excluded from evidence
31
Kumho Tire Co v. Carmichael
Extended the Daubert ruling to nonscientific expert witnesses who claimed specialized knowledge
32
Influencing the legal system role of psych
presentation of psychology to appellate courts and legislatures; use of briefs and education
33
Amicus Curiae Brief
inlfuences the legal system; ("friend of the courts"); present summary or data-based conclusions to the courts
34
Broad dissemination of research findings
Inlfuences the legal system; To judges, attorneys and the public
35
Influencing legislatures and public policy
task force participation lobbying efforts of professional organizations testifying before US congress Advising senators and representatives
36
Temptations of forensic psychologists
promising too much substituting advocacy for scientific objectivity letting values overcome empirically based findings doing a cursory job
37
Bonsignore v City of NY
made it so people had to pass psychological assessment to be PO
38
Psychology's role in LE
President's commission on LE and administration of Justice suggested the only place for psychology in LE is selection of police recruits Currently, psychology plays an important role in virtually every aspect of police work (selection of recruits, training, evaluation of officers, prevention of problems and responding to complains about the police), assessment of police procedures
39
Who are the clients of psychologists?
1. public They want respect, fairness, integrity 2. Police Dept Selection, training, evaluating officer effectiveness, preventing and reducing burnout, developing strategies for combating crime
40
Racial profiling
US v Montero-Camergo- the court addressed the seizure of drugs from a vehicle near the US- Mexico border and ruled that race could NOT be used to stop a vehicle even if other factors were also present
41
Police Deviance
In a 4-year period in the mid 90s, in 47 cities, over 500 police officers were convicted of federal crimes Types: High Level Corruption: violent crimes, denying civil rights, criminal enterprise, major bribes, property crimes Low Level Corruption: Role malfeasanse (destroying evid), being above the law, minor bribes, playing favorites, gratuities
42
History of psychology and police selection
First undertaken by Lewis Terman, a stanford psychologist in 1916 (tested IQ of 30 applicants for PO and firefighter jobs in San Jose, CA (avg IQ=84). Terman recommended that no one with IQ under 80 be accepted for these jobs 1955- 14 american cities with pop over 100,000 formally tested police candidates 1965- 27% of loval police agencies 1960's and 70s- several national commissions called for formal psychological assessment Psychologists began serious involvememnt in the selection of PO in 1967- LE Assistance Administration began providing funding to local LE agencies Mid 80s- 11 states req psych screening of police candidates 90s- formal assessment of PO candidates is routine
43
2 common conceptualizations regarding how to approach police screening
1. screen out disturbed applicants- typically the most important goal for police chiefs 2. select those with a desirable profile
44
Requirements for Police work
Physical prowess, perceptual acuity, interpersonal sensitivity, intelligent discretion familiarity with the law and social sciences
45
Demands for police work
job pressures, constant interaction with criminals, workload, lack of appreciation, danger
46
Conflicts for police work
society's ambivalence | involvement of social science
47
Tools used is psychological selection of police
Interview Psychological Tests Situational Tests
48
The interview
Most widely used tool for screening Problematic- is it valid prediction of job performance? Impression management (people portray themselves more positively in interviews). No agreed upon format (structured interviews exist)
49
Psychological Tests
MMPI-(Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) identifies individuals w/ psychotic or neurotic problems; most commonly used CPI- (California Psychological Inventory) assesses personal traits such as dominance, sociability and flexibility IPI (Inwald Personality Inventory) strictly for police selection; developed specifically to measure the suitability of personality attributes and behavior patterns of LE candidates
50
By how much does using the MMPI and CPI in combination increase accuracy rate of police selection?
85%
51
Situational Tests
Samples of behaviors relevant to police work: foot patrol, clues test, bull session Not proven to be superior predictions of performance relative to personality tests
52
Two primary roles of the pysch in police training
1. teacher | 2. consultant
53
What is most entry-level police training devoted to?
crook-catching as much as 90% of the training time Officers spend only 10-15% of their job duties on this activity More time is spent on providing services and keeping the peace
54
What are the 6 parts of the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals' recommend curriculum
400 hrs 1. intro to CJ system 2. law 3. human values and problems 4. patrol and investigation procedures 5. police proficiency 6. administration
55
What are some common topics taught by psychologists?
1. handling mentally ill people 2. human relations 3. criminal psychology 4. relationships with authority figures 5. suicide
56
What are the 6 areas of consultation for psychologists?
1. evaluating training programs 2. recommending topics or approaches to training 3. research in the frequency or effects of certain experiences (shootings/pursuits) 4. responding to critical incidents 5. Providing officers with counseling 6. hostage negotiations
57
On the job training provided by psychologists
wellness training informational and skill training organizational training
58
Wellness training topics
Stress management alcohol and drug abuse relationships with one's spouse surviving critical incidents
59
Police suicide
Approx 450 officers commit suicide annually (about 150 killed in the line of duty)- higher rates than in general population
60
Informational and skill training topics
Managing people with mental illness Increasing cross-cultural awareness Improving communication skills Working with victims of rape and sexual assault
61
Organizational Training
Leadership and supervisory skills Police depts may face questions regarding: sexual harassment, grief management, racial discrimination, substance abuse awareness
62
How do police play a major role in the evaluation of police activities?
``` Evaluating general policy innovation (eg. implementation of "community policing" programs) Evaluating individuals (fitness for duty evaluations) ```
63
What should the evaluator be like for fitness-for-duty evaluations
Be qualified, licensed psychologist or psychiatrist Be familiar with testing and evaluation research in police psychology NOT be providing counseling in the same dept
64
What should a fitness-for-duty evaluation include?
At least one interview with the officer several psychological tests interviewing w/ supervisors, family members, and co-worker Review of psychological and medical evaluations
65
What are the 2 types of fitness for duty evals?
1. physical | 2. psyhcological
66
Positive Risk
there is something present that should not be
67
Negative Risk
They're not doing something that they should be doing
68
Outcomes of FFDE
Officer is unfit- take gun and badge and never give back Officer is unfit but treatable Officer is conditionally fit Officer showed no burden of mental illness (fit) Officer produced an invalid presentation
Forensic Psych
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