Psychological Profiling: Key Concepts and Communication

Definition: profiling is a form of psychometric testing used to measure an individual's personality in a specific situation (e.g., management roles).
Law enforcement use: criminal profilers analyze crime details, evidence, and witness testimony (if available) to identify suspects and develop a psychological portrait.

Profiling involves recording and analyzing a person's psychological and behavioural characteristics to assess capabilities or categorize individuals.
First impressions can be driven by appearance; dress acts as a communication medium and can influence inferences about social class, culture, and status.
Examples linked to professions (police, doctor, nurse, ambulance) illustrate how clothing can cue assumptions about role and status.
Implications for profiling: descriptions of attire can lead to assumptions about class or job type in investigations.

Roach-Higgins et al. (1992): dress communicates meaning; individuals attach meaning to how others dress.
Benling et al. (1991): clothing affected impressions of intelligence and academic ability; suits vs jeans affected judgments.
Well-dressed individuals often perceived as having higher self-esteem and confidence; attire can influence actions and judgments.
Practical profiling cue: a witness describing someone in a suit might suggest middle-class status or professional job; a tracksuit might imply working-class or unemployed context.

In interviews, professional attire (e.g., smart trousers, blouse, simple black shoes) is viewed as professional and helps maintain comfort and focus.

Communication reveals much about an individual (accents, how well someone speaks, voice characteristics).
Voice and speech features can aid investigators in identifying or profiling offenders when multiple witnesses describe similar voice traits.
NLP and representational systems (introduced by Bandler, 1975): communication patterns link to how people experience and describe the world.
Six representational systems (often grouped into three primary styles): Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic (VAK).
Most people use a mix of 2–3 styles rather than a single one.

Visual: preferences involve seeing; indicators include diagrams, displays, films; cues to look for when communicating with Visual learners.
Auditory: preferences involve listening; cues include spoken language, sounds, repetition for clarity.
Kinaesthetic: preferences involve physical experience; cues include touch, doing, hands-on material.
Practical takeaway: identify a person’s preferred mode and tailor communication accordingly; this can strengthen understanding and rapport.

A simple self-assessment (A, B, C choices) helps classify learning/communication style as Visual, Auditory, or Kinaesthetic.
Application steps:
- Identify the style (observe eye movements, listen to language).
- Tailor your message to the identified style (Visual: use visuals; Auditory: use spoken words; Kinaesthetic: include hands-on elements).
- Prepare a concise report highlighting the preferred style to aid communication.

Visual: See, Looks, See-to-understand, Displays/diagrams/films; best with visuals.
Auditory: Hear, Listen, Speak, Sounds; best with spoken language and repetition.
Kinaesthetic: Feel, Touch, Hands-on; best with practical experiences.

Purpose: improve accuracy of EWT by refining questioning methods.
Fisher et al. (1989): real interviews showed issues such as:
- Frequent use of brief, direct, close-ended questions.
- Questions not aligned with witnesses' mental representation of the event.
- Frequent interruptions hindering free recall.
Four principles to enhance recall (Cognitive Interview):
1) Context Reinstatement (CR): mentally recreate the event scene and context.
2) Report Everything (RE): disclose all details, even trivial ones.
3) Recall from a Changed Perspective (CP): describe the event from another viewpoint.
4) Recall in Reverse Order (RO): recount the episode in reverse or varied orders.
Geiselman et al. (1985): participants shown simulated crime videos; cognitive interview produced significantly more recall than standard interviews.
UK survey: cognitive interview widely used, but time-consuming.

Context Reinstatement (CR): focus on weather, setting to trigger memory; relates to auditory aspects of recall.
Report Everything (RE): encourage full detail from mental image; aligns with visual recall cues (seeing details in head).
Recall from Changed Perspective (CP): adopt different viewpoint; engages kinaesthetic/empathic simulation.
Recall in Reverse Order (RO): describe events backwards/forward to check consistency; may raise questions about truthfulness if people struggle with reverse recall.
Non-verbal aspects: body language remains an important complementary factor in interviews.

Use dress and appearance cues carefully but ethically in profiling contexts; avoid overreliance on appearance alone.
Leverage VAK to tailor communication for interviews and reporting; use visuals for Visual learners, spoken language for Auditory, hands-on elements for Kinaesthetic.
Apply cognitive interview principles to improve EWT reliability while balancing time constraints and interview flow.
Be aware of potential biases when interpreting sensory details (voice, dress, etc.) and corroborate with multiple sources.

Note: The above consolidates key concepts and practical takeaways for quick recall and exam-style responses.