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

Question 1

Which of the following is not a step in the scientific method?
a. Observation
b. Hypothesis
c. Experimentation
d. All of the above are steps in the scientific method

Answer 1

All of the above are steps in the scientific method

Question 2

Which of the following is not a component of critical thinking?
a. A set of skills to process and generate information and beliefs
b. The habit of using skills to guide behavior
c. The mere possession of a set of skills
d. All of the above are components of critical thinking

Answer 2

The mere possession of a set of skills

Question 3

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

Answer 3

False

Question 4

is the process of argumentation and the science of valid thought and reasoning.
a. Bias
b. Critical thinking
c. Metacognition
d. Logic

Question 5

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?
a. The principle of identity
b. The principle of the excluded middle
c. The principle of sufficient reason
d. None of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is not a basic principle of logic?
a. The principle of identity
b. The principle of the excluded middle
c. The principle of critical thinking
d. The principle of sufficient reason

Question 7

What are the 2 types of inductive arguments?
a. Statistical and inductive generalization
b. Statistical and deductive generalization
c. Experiential and statistical
d. Experiential and probable

Question 8

Of all the steps in the scientific method, which step separates scientific inquiry from all others?
a. Hypothesis
b. Experimentation
c. Observation
d. Conclusion

Question 9

Which logical fallacy is the opposite of a hasty generalization?
a. Card stacking
b. Sweeping generalization
c. False precision
d. Appeal to tradition

Question 10

What are the two general categories of reasoning behind the criminal profiling process?
a. Induction and deduction
b. Critical thinking and logic
c. Speculation and inference
d. None of the above

Question 11

If a hypothesis remains standing after a succession of tests or experiments fail to disprove it, then it may become a .
a. Scientific principle
b. Scientific theory
c. Scientific fact
d. None of the above

Question 12

The scientific examiner is an imperfectly calibrated instrument.

Question 13

is the cornerstone of the scientific method.
a. Induction
b. Deduction
c. Falsification
d. Observation

Question 14

Which principle of logic may be used to argue for individually profiling particular crimes---that is, treating each case as an individual event, rather than as an extension of "similar" crimes?
a. The principle of identity
b. The principle of the excluded middle
c. The principle of sufficient reason
d. None of the above

Question 15

What is the most common logical fallacy because of its effectiveness?
a. Argumentum ad hominem, or "argument to the man"
b. Appeal to tradition
c. Appeal to authority
d. Suppressed evidence or card stacking

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

If an examiner's methods or results are influenced by the real or perceived expectations of his or her employer, this would be an example of .
a. Observer effects
b. Context effects
c. Expectancy effects
d. All of the above

Question 19

Scientific theories that withstand the test of time and study eventually become .
a. Scientific knowledge
b. Scientific facts
c. Scientific principles
d. None of the above

Question 20

The first step in the scientific method is observation.

Question 21

Inductive arguments should contain qualifiers.

Question 22

Outline the differences between inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. Which category of reasoning is involved in behavioral evidence analysis? Explain.

Question 23

Define the scientific method. List the 3 steps of the scientific method and provide an example that applies to each.

Question 24

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

Question 25

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.
List two examples of qualifiers used in this profile. Statistically speaking, most, 86%

Question 26

Define the term logical fallacy. Provide 2 examples of common logical fallacies in criminal profiling and the forensic discipline.

Question 27

The principle of sufficient reason may also be called the principle of causality.

Question 28

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.
Provide one disadvantage of this type of reasoning.

Question 29

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.

Question 30

Deductive reasoning involves arguments whereby, if the premises are true, then the conclusions must also be true.

Question 31

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?