Psychological Profiling & Forensic Psychology Flashcards
7 cards from real CCP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Psychological Profiling & Forensic Psychology flashcards as text
Which defense mechanism, commonly identified in violent offenders, involves attributing one's own unacceptable impulses to others?
Answer: Projection
Projection is the defense mechanism where individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts or impulses to others, commonly observed in paranoid and violent offenders.
In the context of criminal profiling, the 'cooling-off period' is a defining characteristic of which offender type?
Answer: Serial killer
A cooling-off period between homicides is the defining characteristic that distinguishes a serial killer from spree and mass murderers.
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) uses which scoring scale for each of its 20 items?
Answer: 0–2
Each PCL-R item is scored 0, 1, or 2, yielding a maximum total score of 40, with a clinical threshold of 30 for psychopathy.
Which psychological concept describes the offender's tendency to return to the scene of the crime because it provides emotional gratification?
Answer: Return to scene behavior
Return to scene behavior occurs when an offender revisits the crime scene to relive the experience, gather intelligence, or deflect suspicion.
In forensic psychology, 'malingering' refers to:
Answer: Deliberate fabrication of symptoms for external gain
Malingering is the intentional production or feigning of symptoms motivated by external incentives such as avoiding criminal responsibility or obtaining compensation.
Which theory proposes that criminal behavior results from an individual learning attitudes, values, and techniques from intimate personal groups?
Answer: Differential association theory
Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory holds that criminal behavior is learned through interaction with others in intimate personal groups.
The term 'equivocal death investigation' refers to a death where:
Answer: The manner of death is uncertain and requires psychological autopsy
An equivocal death investigation occurs when the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accident, or natural) is unclear and a psychological autopsy is used to reconstruct the decedent's state of mind.