Deck 3: Psychology of Investigations

Question 1

Which type of information, critical to a psychological autopsy, is most difficult to obtain?

A) educational records
B) family relationships
C) firearm history
D) toxicological profile

Answer 1

family relationships

Question 2

According to the text, criminal profiling is often depicted in the media as more ______ than it is in reality.

A) complex
B) lucrative
C) scientific
D) interesting

Answer 2

scientific

Question 3

Which type of profiling is often performed for insurance purposes?

A) geographical profiling
B) suspect-based profiling
C) juvenile analysis
D) psychological autopsy

Answer 3

psychological autopsy

Question 4

Kim Rossmo developed a program that attempts to pinpoint the location of an offender's residence and/or base of operations. This program is called ______.

A) CompStat
B) Criminal Geographic Targeting
C) Risk-Needs-Responsivity
D) Global Positioning System

Question 5

Racial profiling is an example of ______.

A) suspect-based profiling
B) geographical profiling
C) juvenile analysis
D) psychological autopsy

Question 6

Which statement about hypnosis is correct?

A) Hypnosis is usually established by an induction procedure.
B) Hypnosis causes people to lose control over their behavior.
C) Hypnosis is an ineffective and outdated investigative technique.
D) Hypnosis often successfully unlocks one's unconscious memories.

Question 7

Which answer choice illustrates a flaw in profiling?

A) the assumption that human behavior is consistent across time and place
B) the belief that context influences behavior
C) the focus on victim rather than offender characteristics
D) the tendency to overestimate the intelligence of the offender

Question 8

All of the following are profiling types discussed in the chapter except ______.

A) crime scene profiling
B) geographical profiling
C) juvenile analysis
D) psychological autopsy

Question 9

Risk assessment is a type of ______ profiling.

A) geographical
B) suspect-based
C) juvenile
D) psychological

Question 10

Devin is a 16-year-old who confessed to burglary because he just wanted to go home after a long interrogation. Devin is displaying ______.

A) reward sensitivity
B) rectification
C) false deception
D) stratification

Question 11

A method of identifying crimes that are likely to have been committed by the same offender because of similarities across the crimes is referred to as ______.

A) psychological autopsy
B) modus operandi
C) criminal investigation
D) linkage analysis

Question 12

The actions and procedures an offender uses to commit a crime successfully are called a ______.

A) signature
B) modus operandi
C) perpetrator staging
D) typology

Question 13

Risk assessment instruments are largely based on ______ prediction.

A) limited
B) clinical
C) criminal
D) actuarial

Question 14

The United Kingdom's Centre for Investigative Psychology focuses on a(n) ______ approach to criminal scene profiling, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation focuses on a(n) ______ approach.

A) behavioral; geographical
B) geographical; behavioral
C) clinical; actuarial
D) actuarial; clinical

Question 15

Which statement most accurately summarizes crime scene profiling?

A) It involves entering the evil mind of a serial killer.
B) It involves predictions about the offender's personality.
C) It involves discovering how victims are selected.
D) It involves identifying a perpetrator beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question 16

While crime scene profiling is based on a(n) ______ individual; psychological autopsy is based on a(n) ______ individual.

A) unknown; known
B) organized; disorganized
C) first-time; repeat
D) violent; nonviolent

Question 17

Why do many professionals prefer the term behavioral analysis to profiling?

A) Behavioral analysis has five distinct categories, while profiling has one category.
B) Behavioral analysis is considered a more scientific activity than profiling.
C) Behavioral analysis refers to a broad range of crimes, while profiling refers to violent crimes only.
D) Behavioral analysis requires a doctorate degree and extensive training.

Question 18

Jacob was a 23-year-old male with a history of depression who died after jumping from the third floor of the Pine Hills indoor mall. The death occurred on a Saturday morning and many shoppers witnessed the entire incident. Which type of psychological autopsy will most likely be performed on Jacob?

A) equivocal death autopsy
B) critical incident autopsy
C) physical reconstructive autopsy
D) suicide psychological autopsy

Question 19

Why is Colleen R. LaRose significant to profiling?

A) She was known as Jihad Jane and didn't fit the terrorist profile.
B) She was the first person to falsely confess to a crime.
C) She was the only person able to deceive the most-renowned polygraph examiner.
D) She was the first female serial killer.

Question 20

One of the major consumers of psychological autopsies is the ______.

A) Central Intelligence Agency
B) Centers for Disease Control
C) U.S. military
D) Federal Bureau of Investigations

Question 21

Research suggests that the best way to detect deception is through ______ cues.

A) emotional
B) behavioral
C) physiological
D) verbal

Question 22

Before viewing a lineup, it is important that a witness be told that ______.

A) the suspect is definitely in the lineup
B) identification of the suspect is crucial to the case
C) the suspect may not be in the lineup
D) the suspect is over age 18

Question 23

Asking questions that the suspect does not anticipate, or asking for more detail, is an example of ______.

A) emotional interviewing
B) cognitive lie detection
C) behavioral administration
D) full complexity regulation

Question 24

Which two adjectives most accurately describe the process of eyewitness identification?

A) scientific and stable
B) inadequate and deceptive
C) neutral and precise
D) complex and error-ridden

Question 25

Which individual would be the most affected by the passage of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act?

A) a suspected child sex offender
B) a suspected terrorist who is planning to board a plane
C) a job candidate applying for a job at Harris and Smith Accounting
D) a job candidate at the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Question 26

An interrogator who wants to increase cognitive load on a suspect would take which of the following actions?

A) play loud music during the interview
B) ask the suspect to recount events in reverse order of when they occurred
C) challenge the suspect by asserting the story makes no sense
D) request a second interrogator in front of the suspect

Question 27

Dr. Stevenson is preparing to hypnotize Lucy in order to help alleviate her severe fear of dental appointments. Which factor would be the most important in ensuring a successful hypnosis?

A) Lucy is motivated to cooperate.
B) Lucy has not been to the dentist within the past 12 months.
C) Lucy is estranged from her family.
D) Lucy has at least a high school education.

Question 28

Martin Orne became an authority on hypnosis as a result of his skillful examination of which infamous criminal?

A) Jeffery Dahmer
B) Kenneth Bianchi
C) David Berkowitz
D) Bernie Madoff

Question 29

In order to be legal in the United States, a show-up must ______.

A) occur immediately after the offense
B) involve at least two suspects
C) occur after a designated waiting period
D) involve photographs of both the suspect and distractors

Question 30

The term ______ refers to the tendency of investigators to prefer information that supports their own perspective, while ignoring other aspects that may not fit.

A) confirmation bias
B) suspect bias effect
C) contagion effect
D) selective perspective

Question 31

Law enforcement agencies report the most commonly used method for eyewitness identification is the ______.

A) polygraph
B) show-up
C) photo lineup
D) composite sketch

Question 32

Professional polygraphers prefer the ______, while researchers are more favorably disposed to the ______.

A) Control Question Test; Comparison Question Test
B) Guilty Knowledge Test; Comparison Question Test
C) Control Question Test; Guilty Knowledge Test
D) Guilty Knowledge Test; Control Question Test

Question 33

Which form of profiling has raised the most concerns about racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination?

A) crime scene profiling
B) suspect-based profiling
C) psychological profiling
D) geographical profiling

Question 34

Which hypothesis is a possible explanation for own-race bias?

A) false alarm hypothesis
B) differential experience hypothesis
C) unconscious transfer hypothesis
D) double-blind hypothesis

Question 35

What does survey research tell us about the relationship between police psychologists and profilers?

A) Many police psychologists pursue certification in profiling early in their careers.
B) Many police psychologists engage in profiling activities on a frequent basis.
C) Many police psychologists do not wish to be considered profilers.
D) Many police psychologists earn most of their income through private consultation as profilers.

Question 36

For unconscious transfer to occur, previous encounters with the innocent person must have been ______.

A) meaningful
B) brief
C) extraordinary
D) painful

Question 37

Which statement is correct about the five categories of profiling discussed in the chapter?

A) They are mutually exclusive in that only one type can occur per case.
B) They can be practiced by licensed profilers only.
C) They often overlap, in that more than one may be relevant in a case.
D) They have been designated as such by the American Psychological Association.

Question 38

Actuarial predictions are based on ______, whereas clinical predictions are based on ______.

A) conditional circumstance; latent analysis techniques
B) psychological reports; medical records
C) statistical probability; subjective experience
D) missing data; anecdotal information

Question 39

Which polygraph test is viewed the most favorably by researchers?

A) Comparison Question Test
B) Reflective Accuracy Exam
C) Guilty Knowledge Test
D) Relevant/Irrelevant Exam

Question 40

Which statement about detecting deception is correct?

A) Nonverbal emotional cues are the best indicator that a person is lying.
B) Law enforcement officers have been successfully trained in detecting deception.
C) A person's lack of eye contact with the questioner is the only sure way to determine that the person is lying.
D) Detecting deception is a complex activity.

Question 41

Profiling is based on the assumption that human behavior is consistent across time and place.

Question 42

The earliest forms of crime scene profiling were based on clinical data.

Question 43

The majority of police investigators believe that profiling can be useful.

Question 44

Research suggests that the great majority of individuals who confess to crimes are innocent.

Question 45

What is the predominant method of interviewing and interrogation used by police in the United States?

A) the Reid method
B) the Kassin method
C) the PEACE model of interviewing
D) the Canter method

Question 46

Hypnosis is a form of sleepwalking.

Question 47

Psychological research has established that human behavior is more consistent ______ than ______.

A) across situations; across time
B) across time; across situations
C) in noncriminals; in criminals
D) in criminal offenders; in noncriminals

Question 48

All of the following are types of false confessions as identified by Kassin and his colleagues except ______ confessions.

A) voluntary
B) coerced compliant
C) coerced internalized
D) externalized

Question 49

The psychological autopsy attempts to reconstruct the deceased person's state of mind prior to his or her death.

Question 50

Police officers and psychologists are often no more accurate than laypersons in detecting deception in adults.

Question 51

In a sequential lineup, neither the witness nor the person administering the lineup is aware of the identity of the suspect.

Question 52

Commitment bias refers to the idea that a witness who has initially identified a face, even an incorrect one, will be more likely to choose that face again.

Question 53

Actuarial predictions are based on statistical probability and data rather than subjective experience.

Question 54

Polygraphs are no longer used in law enforcement.

Question 55

Developmental and forensic psychologists have long known that adolescents are fundamentally the same as adults biologically, cognitively, and psychologically.

Question 56

The goal of profiling is to predict who will commit a crime.

Question 57

Crime scene profiling was developed by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Question 58

Highly unique faces are easier to identify than plain or average faces.

Question 59

What is one criticism with the predominant method of interrogation used in the United States?

A) It rarely produces a true confession.
B) It is insufficiently accusatorial.
C) It has a high risk of producing false confessions.
D) It fails to obtain information about a crime.

Question 60

Which statement about police interrogation is correct?

A) If a suspect is in custody, police must inform him of the right to remain silent before beginning to question him.
B) Police are not allowed to deceive suspects during the questioning process.
C) Police may not coerce a confession through physical means, but they may coerce one through psychological means.
D) Police cannot legally interrogate suspects for more than 6 hours.

Question 61

What three fundamental questions are central to the psychology of investigations in their early stages?

Question 62

What is the most controversial type of suspect-based profiling? Explain why this type of profiling is so controversial.

Question 63

Kassin contends that there are five myths of confessions that are prevalent in the criminal justice system. Identify these myths.

Question 64

Explain how the case of the Central Park 5 pertains to the issue of false confessions.

Question 65

Define sequential lineup, simultaneous lineup, double-blind lineup, and show-up.

Question 66

Describe the three processes involved in deception. What does the research tell us about how investigators can best detect deception in an individual?

Question 67

Identify the three broad categories of investigative psychology.

Question 68

Explain the two major theoretical perspectives for explaining the effects of hypnosis. How can hypnosis be most helpful in investigations?