History of Forensic Psychology

1
History of Forensic Psychology

• Ancient Chinese lie detector
• 14th century Europe insanity and idiocy
• 16th century Britain expert witnesses
• 18th century
• concept of competence introduced
• Baccaria introduces proportionality

2
History (continued)

• 19th century
• Professional assessors of competence
• Wundt introduces scientific psychology
• Ebbinghaus studies human memory
• Schrenk-Nortzing first forensic psychology case
• Introduction of geographical profiling
• Introduction of psychological testing

3
History (continued)

• 20th century
• Nature/nurture controversy
• Munstenberg introduces forensic psychology in
  civil cases
• 21st century
• Professionalization of psychology
• 1932 1st forensic text
• WWII study of battle fatigue (PTSD)

4
History (continued)

• 1950s research on the validity and reliability
  of witnesses
• 1960s research on rape and child sexual abuse
• 1970s Vietnam Vets syndrome (PTSD)
• 1980s research on divorce
• 1980s and 1990s studies on recovered memory
  syndrome
• Todays status of forensic psychology

5
Forensic Psychology Today
PSYCHOLOGICAL INFORMATION TO FACILITATE LEGAL
DECISION-MAKING

• Clinical/Police
• Human Relations Experts
• Social
• Counseling
• Correctional
• Behavioural specialists
• Organizational
• Developmental
• Pure applied research
• Clinicians

• Consultation to police depts.
• Mediation for litigating parties
• Role-playing juries
• Risk assessment
• Competence/offender programs
• Profiling
• Assess social penal programs
• Neglect, physical sexual abuse
• Scientific data preparation
• Develop treatment programs

6
Theories of Crime (1)

• Classical school of criminology
• Emphasized concept of free will
• People CHOSE to become criminals
• Positivist school of crimilogy
• Use of the scientific method to determine causes
  of crime
• Biological theories
• Constitutional theory Sheldon
• Aggressive delinquents tend to be mesomorphs
• Usually because they were early adolescents

7
Theories of Crime (2)

• Nature/Nurture issue
• Adoptive studies
• Twin studies H-factor
• What is inherited? Learning disabilities, frontal
  lobe issues and autonomic arousal problems,
  hormonal problems
• Impulsivity
• Difficulties learning
• Excessive emotional reactivity

8
Theories of Crime (3)

• Sociological theories
• Structural problems in society
• Anomie
• Karen Horney approach-approach and
  avoidance-avoidance conflicts (eg elevator
  experiment)
• Competition vs. brotherly love
• Theory of differential opportunity
• All people are equal but some more equal than
  others
• Credential society and the vertical mosaic

9
Theories of Crime (4)

• Reaction formation crime
• Active rejection of middle-class values
• Rational crime
• Reinforced behaviour for crime
• Eg. Welfare cheating
• Subcultural crime
• Norms of the subgroup are different from the
  legislative majority (eg. Male and female
  circumcision)