PSYC 3020 Lecture Notes - Full Confession, Offender Profiling, Serial Killer

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3020
• Professor: Dan Yarmey

Document Summary

Examine profiling of criminal suspects, detection of deception and lie detection through the use of the polygraph, confessions, hypnosis, interrogation and interview methods. Profiling of criminal suspects in some types of crimes, certain personality characteristics and behavioural tendencies may be revealed by psychological analyses. Psychologists have identified a number of key investigative tasks where psychology is particularly relevant. One of these relates to the collection and evaluation of investigative information that is often obtained from suspects. Another relates to investigative decision making, especially requiring an in-depth un- derstanding of criminal behaviour. Police interrogation - a process whereby the police interview a suspect for the purpose of gathering evidence and obtaining a confession. More subtle, psychologically based interrogation techniques are used now such as ly- ing about evidence, promising lenient treatment, and implying threats to loved ones. Police officers sometimes view these techniques as a necessary evil to obtain confes- sions from guilty persons.