Exam 2: Criminal Profiling: Science, Logic, and Cognition

Of all the steps in the scientific method, which step separates scientific inquiry from all others?

Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that occur when the criminal profiler is being intentionally deceptive.

An inference is a particular type of conclusion based on theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

Which logical fallacy is the opposite of a hasty generalization?

The correct use of the scientific method is impossible without critical thinking and the science of logic to accurately synthesize, interpret, and apply the results.

The first step in the scientific method is observation.

Case Study Read the following criminal profile and answer the questions below. The behavior at this crime scene indicates that the offender is a more mature male. We would expect him to be in his late 20s or early 30s at least. It should be noted that we mean the offender's emotional age, not necessarily his chronological age. Statistically speaking, absent any forensic or eyewitness evidence to the contrary, we believe the offender to be a white male. Most interpersonal violence is intra-racial. No suspect should be eliminated based on age or race alone. The FBI's Uniform Crime Report for 1998 the most recent edition) indicates for white female victims of homicide, white males were the offenders in 86% of the cases. -What type of reasoning is evident in this profile?

The experimental stage of the scientific method attempts to prove the hypothesis.

Which principle of logic bars the examiner from assuming facts for the purpose of analysis or from using Martians, UFOs, or Bigfoot to explain events?

Which of the following is not a step in the scientific method?

The majority of professionals are aware of the covert forms of bias, but need education in the overt forms of outright fraud.