Summary PSYC 2205 Final Exam Study Guide

PSYC 2205-03 – Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Final Exam Study Guide
30-35 multiple choice question
2-3 short answers/essays
Psychology of Violence and Intimidation
 Violence – Physical force exerted for the purpose of inflicting injury, pain, discomfort, or
abuse on a person or persons or for the purpose of damaging or destroying property
o May be condoned by society
 Examples: use of reasonable force by officers, self-defense, military,
entertainment (sports), etc.
o Criminal violence
 Violence without justification (not condoned by society)
o Aggression
 May or may not involve physical force – expressions of anger
 Violence Research
o Characteristics and demographics of the individual
 Social factors
 Psychological factors
 Biological factors
o Contexts and environments in which it occurs (more or less inclined)
 Family
 Peer
 Community
 Data Sources
o Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs)
 Violent crimes (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery,
aggravate assault)
 Difference between assault and battery
o Assault – attempted battery, no physical contact required
o Battery – physical contact resulting in injury
 Property offenses (burglary, larceny/theft, mv theft, arson)
o National Incident-Based Reporting System

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 Modernize crime information
 Attempts to address UCR shortcomings and problems
 5-year trend in Violent crime is down
o More preventative measures, more effective policies
 Violent Crime Distribution in the US 2012
o Only includes offenses actually reported
o Majority of which is aggravated assault
o Decent amount of crime remains unreported to authorities
 Gender Differences in Violent Crime
o Males account for 87 to 90% of total arrests for violent crime
 90% of annual arrest rate
o Two explanations for gender discrepancies
 Socialization factors – males are socialized to be more aggressive
 Biological factors – testosterone implicated in aggression
 Ethno-racial Differences in Violent Crimes
o Official data reflects social inequalities
 High African American homicide rate
 Black males significantly higher risk to be homicide victims
 Significant predictor of gun violence = poverty
 Minorities are more likely to be of low-income
 Latino violence lower than economically deprived African Americans and
Caucasians (least likely to be homicide victims)
 Not all Hispanics treated equally – more/less marginalized or
victimized based on country of origin
o Importance of studying variety of ethno-racial groups
o Problems of ethnocentrism – negative attitude towards those victimized
 Types of Violence
o Instrumental violence – violence that is committed for a secondary goal
 Injury of individual is secondary to the acquisition of another external goal
 Money, status, security or material goods

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o Reactive violence – response to perceived threat by another
 Expressive violence
 Physical violence precipitated by a hostile and angry reaction to a
perceived threat or dangerous situation
 4 Causes of Violence
o Biological factors
o Socialization factors
o Cognitive factors
o Situational factors
 Biological Causes
o Neurological, physiological, or chemical influences on aggression and violence
o Interactions with social environment influences on child development
 Toxic materials found in the environment
 Traumatic head injury/multiple concussions
 Dietary deficiencies
 Prenatal alcohol and drug ingestions
 Birth trauma/complications
 Socialization Factors
o Processes through which a person learns patterns of thinking, behavior, and
feeling from his or her early life
 Social behavior – how one is socialized
 Observational learning through exposure
 More likely to mimic, imitate, and accept aggression as normative
 Cognitive Factors
o Ideas, beliefs, and patterns of thinking that emerge as a result of interactions with
the world during a person’s lifetime
 Have a more favorable attitude towards violence – instigators
 Processing and interpretation of information
 Problem solving
 Antisocial beliefs
 Situational factors