Deck 1: An Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Question 1

According to Sheldon's (1949)constitutional theory,which of the following are most likely to become involved with crime?

A) ectomorphs
B) mesomorphs
C) those with lesions in the temporal lobe
D) those having experienced maternal deprivation
E) men with two Y chromosomes

Answer 1

mesomorphs

Question 2

Which of the following psychologists would be most interested in the expert testimony provided by Von Schrenck-Notzing in 1896?

A) a psychologist interested in the diagnosis of juvenile delinquents
B) a psychologist interested in the effect of pre-trial press coverage
C) a psychologist interested in the problems with hypnotic interviewing
D) a psychologist interested in the accuracy of child eyewitnesses
E) a psychologist interested in lie detection

Answer 2

a psychologist interested in the effect of pre-trial press coverage

Question 3

Place the following events in chronological order:
1-Cattell conducts some of the first experiments in North America on the psychology of testimony
2-APA recognizes forensic psychology as a speciality discipline
3-Hugo Munsterberg publishes On the Witness Stand
4-The U.S.Supreme courts lays out the Daubert criteria for determining when scientific evidence should be admitted in court

A) 4, 2, 3, 1
B) 3, 4, 2, 1
C) 4, 3, 2, 1
D) 1, 2, 3, 4
E) 1, 3, 4, 2

Answer 3

1, 3, 4, 2

Question 4

Which task is likely to be performed by an experimental forensic psychologist?

A) examining the effects of judges' instructions on jury verdicts
B) providing expert testimony
C) examining the effects of correctional programs on reoffending rates
D) studying the effects of police stress on job satisfaction
E) all of the above

Question 5

Who is generally considered the father of forensic psychology?

A) John Henry Wigmore
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) James Ogloff
D) James Cattell
E) Hugo Munsterberg

Question 6

Which of the following theorists is most closely associated with labelling theories of crime?

A) Merton
B) Becker
C) Sutherland
D) Bowlby
E) Bandura

Question 7

The following psychologist was the first to propose a testable theory of criminal behaviour:

A) Bandura
B) Freud
C) Munsterberg
D) Eysenck
E) Marston

Question 8

According to Eysenck,which of the following would be at risk for criminal behaviour?

A) someone with good conditionability
B) someone with low levels of extraversion and neuroticism
C) someone with high levels of extraversion and neuroticism
D) someone who is easy to socialize
E) someone with low self-control

Question 9

What is the main difference between a clinical forensic psychologist and a forensic psychiatrist?

A) Forensic psychiatrists cannot provide expert testimony in court.
B) Clinical forensic psychologists can prescribe medication.
C) Forensic psychiatrists aren't concerned with mental health issues.
D) Clinical forensic psychologists rely more on a medical model of mental illness.
E) Forensic psychiatrists are medical doctors.

Question 10

Which of the following psychologists would be most interested in the expert testimony provided by Varendonck in 1911?

A) a psychologist interested in the diagnosis of juvenile delinquents
B) a psychologist interested in the effect of pre-trial press coverage
C) a psychologist interested in the problems with hypnotic interviewing
D) a psychologist interested in the accuracy of child eyewitnesses
E) a psychologist interested in factors that influence jury decision making

Question 11

According to Sutherland's (1939)differential association theory,crime is the result of?

A) poverty
B) labelling
C) learning
D) socio-economic strain
E) high levels of extraversion and neuroticism

Question 12

Which of the following individuals would be most interested to hear about research showing that child eyewitnesses can be highly inaccurate?

A) Varendonck
B) Bandura
C) Marston
D) Von Schrenck-Notzing
E) Eysenck

Question 13

Which of the following is not a likely activity of a clinical forensic psychologist?

A) studying the effects of lighting conditions on eyewitness recall
B) evaluating the parents of a troubled teen for custody and access recommendations
C) delivering treatment programs to high risk sex offenders
D) assessing juvenile delinquents in detention centres for behavioural problems
E) practising relaxation techniques with police officers on leave due to burnout

Question 14

Stern's 1901 "reality experiment" involved a bogus quarrel between two students in which a gun was involved.Stern concluded that:

A) racial discrimination is common
B) pre-trial media has a strong influence on eyewitness accuracy
C) retroactive memory-falsification tends to occur
D) emotional arousal influences accuracy of recall
E) none of the above

Question 15

A researcher arranges for a confederate to enter his classroom,steal his wallet,and run out.The researcher then asks the students to provide a description of the "offender" in an effort to study eyewitness recall.This is an example of:

A) a verifiable experiment
B) a virtual experiment
C) a reality experiment
D) a misinformation test
E) a subjective recall test

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of "psychology in the law"?

A) a psychologist providing expert testimony in court on the accuracy of eyewitness identification
B) examining how we can improve the assessment of fitness to stand trial
C) validating a tool for predicting risk of violence
D) a researcher examining factors that affect police decision making in a lab setting
E) studying the impact of a new interrogation technique to see if it decreases the likelihood that people will make false confessions

Question 17

Judges currently use findings from psychological research to decide whether a witness on the stand is lying or not.This is a good example of:

A) psychology and the law
B) psychology in the law
C) informational influence
D) Normalization
E) psychology of the law

Question 18

John Bowlby's (1944)theory of crime suggests that the primary cause of antisocial behaviour is:

A) low self-control
B) poverty
C) inappropriate role models
D) maternal deprivation
E) chromosomal abnormalities

Question 19

Alfred Binet conducted a series of studies to examine how question style influenced the accuracy of child eyewitnesses.He found that:

A) moderately leading questions result in the most accurate answers
B) free recall results in the most accurate answers
C) highly leading questions result in the most accurate answers
D) free recall results in the least accurate answers
E) eyewitness accuracy did not vary across question type

Question 20

The case of Brown v.Board of Education (1954)has been cited as a significant case in the development of psychology and the law.On what issue in this case did psychologists submit a brief to the Supreme Court?

A) prejudice and discrimination
B) intelligence
C) aggression
D) inclusion of mitigating factors in death penalty decisions
E) gender differences in treatment readiness

Question 21

According to Hess (1987,1999),which of the following accurately represents a dimension along which law and psychology can be contrasted?

A) Law is idiographic while psychology is nomothetic.
B) Law is descriptive while psychology is prescriptive.
C) Law is proactive while psychology is reactive.
D) Law is academic while psychology is operational.
E) Law defines truth objectively while psychology defines truth subjectively.

Question 22

What is the significance of the case of R.v.McIntosh and McCarthy (1997)?

A) It dealt with racial segregation.
B) It raises potential problems with the Mohan criteria.
C) It dealt with issues associated with the insanity defence.
D) It highlighted the importance of voluntary (i.e., non-coercive) confessions.
E) It established guidelines for cross-examination.

Question 23

Which of the following was not identified by Hess (1987,1999)as a dimension along which law and psychology differ?

A) latitude
B) principles
C) criteria
D) purpose
E) epistemology

Question 24

What is the main difference between an expert witness and other witnesses in court?

A) Expert witnesses are not cross-examined.
B) Expert witnesses can only testify about what they directly observed.
C) Expert witnesses are able to offer their opinion to the court.
D) Expert witnesses are only available for the prosecution.
E) Expert witnesses do not have to meet any criteria before they are allowed to testify.

Question 25

Which of the following is not specified by the Daubert criteria,which are used to determine the validity of scientific evidence?

A) the research adheres to professional standards
B) the research is falsifiable
C) the research has been peer reviewed
D) the research has a recognized rate of error
E) the research has been conducted in real-world (i.e., non-lab) settings

Question 26

Hess (1987,1999)describes seven dimensions along which law and psychology differ.Which of the following statements is false?

A) Psychology is nomothetic and law is idiographic.
B) Psychology is prescriptive and law is descriptive.
C) Psychological knowledge is gained through research and legal knowledge is gained through precedent.
D) A psychologist's behaviour is severely limited within the court while the behaviour of a lawyer is less restricted.
E) Psychology believes in the quest for objective truths whereas the law defines truth subjectively.

Question 27

According to Haney (1980),there are three primary ways in which psychology and law relate to one another.Name,define,and provide an example of each.

Question 28

Which of the following indicators demonstrates that forensic psychology has established itself as a field?

A) the development of professional associations that represent the interests of forensic psychologists
B) a consensus on the definition of forensic psychology
C) the fact that forensic psychologists now regularly take on the role of legal scholar
D) the fact that criteria for admitting expert testimony from forensic psychologists have become more lenient
E) widespread prescription privileges for forensic psychologists

Question 29

The issue in the case of Jenkins v.United States (1962)that is of most interest to forensic psychologists is?

A) the right for a defendant to plead not guilty by reason of insanity
B) the duty to inform a third party of potential risks
C) the duty to report suspected cases of child abuse
D) the admissibility of expert testimony from psychologists on mental disorders
E) the use of psychology in civil trials

Question 30

Why is the case of R.v.Mohan (1994)so important to forensic psychologists?

A) It stressed the duty to protect a third party.
B) It dealt with the admissibility of expert evidence.
C) It established guidelines for reporting child abuse.
D) It highlighted the importance of client confidentiality.
E) It dealt with the issue of racial segregation.

Question 31

Provide a comprehensive (i.e.,broad)definition of forensic psychology.

Question 32

The "general acceptance test" relates to:

A) eyewitness recall
B) child witnesses
C) aggression and segregation in schools
D) suggestive questioning techniques
E) the admissibility of expert testimony

Question 33

What are the three major categories of crime theories discussed in your text?
List the three categories and describe a specific theory that fits into each category.

Question 34

What is the "general acceptance test"?
What is the main criticism associated with this test?

Question 35

What would be considered the most ethical behaviour for a psychologist who is hired as an expert witness?

A) provide testimony consistent with the party that hired you
B) ensure that both the defence and the prosecution have an expert witness
C) provide testimony relevant to the case as you understand it
D) discuss your testimony with both the defence team and the prosecution team
E) provide only a written report rather than testify in person

Question 36

Hess (1987,1999)discusses at least seven different dimensions along which psychology and law differ.List four of these dimensions and define precisely what they mean.

Question 37

According to Ogloff and Cronshaw (2001),what are the two main functions of expert witnesses?
Also,how do expert witnesses differ from ordinary witnesses in court?

Question 38

Name the three roles that forensic psychologists can play and describe the sorts of activities that each type of forensic psychologist would be involved in (use examples).

Question 39

According to R.v.Mohan (1994),which is not a consideration when determining the admissibility of expert testimony?

A) The expert must be qualified.
B) The testimony must provide information that goes beyond the jurors' common understanding.
C) The evidence provided must be necessary for assisting the trier of fact.
D) The testimony must have been allowed into evidence by a higher court.
E) The evidence must not violate any rules of exclusion.

Question 40

What are the Mohan criteria?
Outline the four criteria and identify a potential problem with them.