Forensic Psychology Overview

Study Notes

Defined as the integration of psychological knowledge addressing criminal and civil justice issues.

Biological Perspective (pre-1890):
- Personality influenced by biological factors.
- Criminal behavior linked to biological elements.
- Changes in criminal personality require biological or medical interventions.
Psychoanalytic Perspective (Freud 1890-1930):
- Personality shaped by unconscious influences and childhood experiences.
- Criminal behavior stems from fixations that coincide with certain personality types.
- Treatment requires intensive individual therapy for personality alteration.
Behavioral Perspective (Watson & Skinner 1930-80):
- Personality formed through behavior reinforcement (positive/negative).
- Criminal actions emerge from strong associations reinforced by outcomes.
- Alterations possible through the Operant Conditioning Model.
Humanistic Perspective (Rogers & Maslow 1950-80):
- Emphasizes self-actualization in shaping behavior.
- Criminal behavior results from unfulfilled lower-level needs or psychological blocks.
- Focus on identifying effective pathways to address needs and blocks for personal growth.
Cognitive Perspective (Kelly 1980-now):
- Personality determined by behaviors and mental processes.
- Criminal behavior linked to abnormal cognition or behavior patterns.
- Changed through cognitive-behavioral training and learning techniques.

Human Psychology:
- Involves studying human thoughts and behaviors to discover predictive principles for enhancing well-being.
- Favors innovative, empirical, and proactive approaches.
Law:
- Enforces defined rules in response to behavior but is inherently reactive.
- Characterized by traditional authority and prescriptive norms.

Nomothetic:
- Studies groups or classes; individuals represent broader behaviors.
Ideographic:
- Focuses on the unique attributes and behaviors of individual cases.

Basic Research:
- Aims for fundamental knowledge without practical application (e.g., neurological studies).
Applied Research:
- Addresses specific practical problems (e.g., jury decision-making).
Social Issue Research:
- Engages with defined social issues (e.g., marijuana use).
Action Research:
- Combines research with community action to solve problems (e.g., crime reduction).
Integrative Research:
- Focused on specific organizational concerns (e.g., missing persons).

Integration: Haney’s Model:
- Psychology uses:
  - IN criminal justice for expert testimony in insanity cases.
  - AND criminal justice for best practices in line-up procedures.
  - In terms of social justice.
Integration: Monahan & Walker Model:
- Distinguishes between:
  - Adjudicative facts, which relate directly to cases.
  - Legislative facts, which inform future cases.
  - All considered within psychology’s role as both authority and social framework.

Quasi-Experimental Research:
- Designed for empirical rigor in real-world settings.
- Examines defined interventions, allowing correlation claims but challenging causal inference.
Non-Causal Inference Designs:
- Example: One-Group Post-Test Only Design.
- May lack comprehensive causal analysis due to insufficient experimental controls.