criminal behavior exam 3

What is ESP?

Perception without using normal senses

What is telepathy?

Reading minds; transmission of information from one person to another without using known senses

What is clairvoyance?

Receiving information about objects, people, or events without sensory input

What is precognition?

Perceiving future events without using known senses

What is telekinesis?

Moving or manipulating objects at a distance using the mind

Who was Uri Geller?

Claimed to be telekinetic and bend spoons

What was the truth about Uri Geller?

Spoons were weakened beforehand; not real psychic ability

What do magicians show about psychic abilities?

They can replicate them using tricks and illusions

What was the setup of the Forer experiment?

Students received a “personalized” personality profile that was actually the same for everyone

What were the results of the Forer experiment?

About 90% said the profile was accurate and personal

What is the Barnum (Forer) Effect?

Tendency to accept vague/general statements as personally true

What is the key rule about psychic claims?

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

Who exposed psychic detectives?

James Randi and Joe Nickell

What sources do “psychic detectives” use?

Phone books, maps, newspapers, TV shows, books, neighborhood talk

What are vague statements used by psychic detectives?

General statements like “something unfortunate has occurred”

What are likely guesses?

High-probability guesses such as the abductor being male

What is retrofitting?

Fitting facts after the prediction

What errors do psychic detectives ignore?

Mistakes after the fact in interviews or books

What do psychic detectives advertise?

Only their successes after the fact

What do studies show about psychic detectives?

No better than chance

Why might police believe psychic detectives helped?

Confirmation bias

What is mass murder?

3 or more victims in one incident

What is a serial killer?

3 or more victims in separate incidents over more than 3 days

What is a spree killer?

3 or more victims in separate incidents over less than 3 days

What is the organized vs disorganized distinction?

A classification of offenders as planned or chaotic

What is the issue with organized vs disorganized?

Not fully accepted and includes a mixed category

What is the key idea about killers?

Killers are not all the same and have different psychological causes and motivations

What did Gerald Schaefer do?

Killed and tortured women

What did Schaefer claim?

He was trying to control urges

What was the reality about Schaefer?

He enjoyed the violence

What mental illness did Herbert Mullin have?

Schizophrenia

What did Mullin believe?

He had to kill to prevent earthquakes

Who created the Scale of Evil?

Dr. Michael Stone

What does the Scale of Evil measure?

Motive, intent, and cruelty (1–22)

Are all serial killers psychopaths?

No, but many have psychopathic traits

Is psychopathy the same as psychosis?

No

What are traits of a psychopath?

Manipulative, no remorse, egocentric

How common is psychopathy?

About 1% of adults

How many victims did Ted Bundy have?

30 or more young women

What did Bundy enjoy?

Causing pain

Did Bundy show remorse?

No

What were Bundy’s traits?

Verbal, socially skilled, good appearance, started with small crimes

What areas was Bundy involved in?

Politics

How did Bundy lure victims?

Used charm

What pattern did Bundy show?

Escalation

What type of killer was Bundy?

Sexual serial killer

What does brain imaging show in psychopaths?

Emotional processing differences

What brain area is involved?

Medial prefrontal cortex

What is the result of this difference?

Emotions do not connect normally

How many victims did Gary Ridgway have?

48 or more women

Who were Ridgway’s main victims?

Prostitutes

What were Ridgway’s motivations?

Sexual and hatred toward prostitutes

What was Ridgway’s background?

Married, wives cheated, obsessed with prostitutes

What were Ridgway’s traits?

No feeling, no sympathy, no remorse

What was Ridgway’s goal?

To kill as many as possible

What behaviors did Ridgway show?

Threw off investigations, dumped bodies in clusters, returned to bodies, left trails

What is the final takeaway about Ridgway?

Organized offender with high victim count

What is Tommy Lynn Sells known as?

Cross County Killer

What types of victims did Tommy Lynn Sells have?

Various genders and ages, about 27 to 70

What did Sells claim was his motive?

He was abandoned and abused as a child

What traits did Tommy Lynn Sells show?

Manipulative, used many lies, possible sadistic tendencies, no remorse

What was Sells’ score on the evil scale?

Very high, around 22

What did experiments show about psychopathy and emotion?

Physical response anticipation differs

How do psychopaths respond emotionally?

They do not respond much emotionally

How do normal people respond emotionally?

They show fear and anticipation responses

How do psychopaths react to disturbing stimuli?

They react less than normal people

How many victims did John Wayne Gacy have?

33 young males

How did Gacy appear in everyday life?

Normal adult, married, had a house, successful

What was Gacy’s family background?

Father was alcoholic, abusive, rejected him, possible sexuality issues

What behaviors did Gacy engage in?

Torture, killing victims, burying bodies

What was Gacy’s evil scale score?

Very high, near 22

What is a major criticism of early profiling?

Profilers were not properly trained

What training did early profilers lack?

Psychological interviewing and research methods

What problems exist in profiling methods?

Small sample sizes, weak or biased interviews, poorly structured interviews

What criticism exists about the FBI and profiling?

They have not clearly reported accuracy rates

What is missing from FBI profiling reports?

Success and failure rates

What is another issue with profiling data?

Authors do not report full data

What is a problem with profiles themselves?

They contain very general information

How might investigators misuse profiles?

They may fit facts to the profile after the fact

What is the overall conclusion about profiling?

It may seem useful but accuracy is questionable

What influences profiling results?

Bias

How can profiling information be misused?

It may be interpreted to fit the case