Psychology and Crime past exam questions.   

Note that you complete one question from section A and one question from section B.  You will always have a choice of two questions from each section.

The exam lasts one and a half hours.  The section A question is worth 16 marks and the section B question is worth 34 marks.  You should therefore aim to spend half an hour on the section A question and an hour on the section B question. 

January 2002 Paper

Section A

1  (a) Briefly describe the evidence which suggests a link between individual differences and criminal behaviour. [6]

(b) Discuss the problems of researching the link between individual differences and criminal behaviour. [10]
 

2  (a) Describe the 'police personality'. [6]

(b) Evaluate the use of personality measures to investigate the 'police personality'. [10]

Section B

3  (a) Outline approaches to crime prevention. [10]

(b) Evaluate approaches to crime prevention. [16]

(c) You have been asked to design a town centre which will reduce the opportunities for crime.  Explain what factors you will need to take into account..  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

 

4  (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about behaviour in the courtroom. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about behaviour in the courtroom. [16]

(c) You have been asked your advice about the best size of jury to make the right decisions.  Explain what factors you would take into account when making your recommendations.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

June 2002 Paper

Section A

1 (a) Describe evidence that suggests a link between morality and crime. [6]

(b) Evaluate methods used to investigate the link between morality and crime. [10]


2  (a) Outline how the fear of crime has been investigated. [6]

(b) Discuss the difficulties of investigating fear of crime. [10]

        Section B
 

3 (a) describe explanations of criminal behaviour. [10]

(b) Evaluate explanations of criminal behaviour. [16]

(c) Using your knowledge of explanations of criminal behaviour, suggest why criminal behaviour seems to run in families.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]
 

4 (a) Outline treatment programmes and punishments for offenders. [10]

(b) Evaluate treatment programmes and punishments for offenders. [16]

(c) You have been asked to develop a treatment programme for offenders to reduce car crime.  What suggestions will you make?  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

January 2003 Paper

Section A

1 (a) Briefly describe evidence that investigates children as witnesses. [6]

(b) Evaluate methods used to investigate children as witnesses. [10]



2  (a) Outline research that investigates morality and crime. [6]

(b) Discuss the difficulties of investigating morality and crime. [10]

    Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about the police and police methods. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about the police and police methods. [16]

(c) You have been asked to help write guidance for the police on interviewing suspects.  Suggest what you should include.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]



4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about victims of crime. [10

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about victims of crime. [16]

(c) The police are trying to design a leaflet to encourage people to report crime.  Using your knowledge of crime-victim interaction suggest what factors they should consider.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

June 2003 Paper

Section A

1 (a) Briefly outline evidence that considers persuasion techniques in the courtroom. [6]

(b) Discuss the difficulties of researching persuasion techniques in the courtroom. [10]


2  (a) Outline how psychologists have investigated the effectiveness of punishments. [6]

(b) Evaluate the difficulties of investigating the effectiveness of punishments. [10]

     Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about offender profiling. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about offender profiling.. [16]

(c) You have been asked to develop a profile to help identify someone who has stolen a baby from hospital.  Suggest the steps you will go through to develop this profile.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

 

4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about witness testimony. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about witness testimony. [16]

(c) Suggest ways that the police can increase the accuracy of witness testimony.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

 January 2004 Paper

Section A

1 (a) Outline one study of individual or cultural differences in criminal behaviour. [6]

(b) Evaluate reductionist approaches to explaining criminal behaviour. [10]


2    (a) Describe psychological evidence of one variable that influences accurate identification of a suspect or event. [6]

(b) Evaluate the reliability of suspect or event identification. [10]

   
    Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about criminal thinking patterns. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about criminal thinking patterns. [16]

(c) You are a probation officer running a treatment group for persistent offenders.  Using your knowledge of criminal thinking patterns, how will you try to encourage your group that crime does not pay?  Give reasons for your answer. [8]


4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about offender punishments and treatments and preventing crime. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about offender punishments and treatments and preventing crime. [16]

(c) Your local football team is experiencing problems with hooligans.  Using your knowledge of psychology, what strategies might you use to reduce the amount of hooliganism.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

 June 2004  Paper

    Section A

1 (a) Outline one technique used to produce an offender profile. [6]

(b) Evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used to produce an offender profile. [10]


2    (a) Outline one psychological technique used by the police in interviews or negotiations. [6]

(b) Discuss the reliability of police interview or negotiation techniques. [10]

     Section B

3   (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about victims of crime. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about victims of crime. [16]

(c) There has been a number of burglaries reported in your local newspaper.  Many people are now afraid that they will become a victim of burglary.  Using your knowledge of psychology, suggest how you might reduce people’s fear of becoming a victim of crime. Give reasons for your answer. [8]

 

4 (a) Describe explanations of criminal behaviour. [10]

(b) Evaluate explanations of criminal behaviour. [16]

(c) The police are concerned that a number of young people are meeting outside a local shop at night and vandalising cars.  Using your understanding of the social psychology of criminals, suggest why young people might be behaving in this way.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

January 2005  Paper

Section A

1 (a) Describe one study that investigates victims of crime. [6]

(b) Discuss why the choice of sample is important in victim surveys. [10


2 (a) Outline evidence that investigates whether there is a police personality. [6]

(b) Evaluate the use of psychometric tests to identify personality traits in the police. [10]

Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out the psychology of the courtroom. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about the psychology of the courtroom. [16]

(c) You are a criminal psychologist.  What recommendations would you suggest to make it easier for children to give evidence.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]
 

 4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about explanations of criminal behaviour. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about explanations of criminal behaviour. [16]

(c) You are a lawyer defending a person charged with burglary.  This person has along history of convictions for similar offences.  Using your knowledge of psychology, outline possible explanations for this history of offending.  Give reasons for your answer. [8]

  June 2005

1 (a) Describe one approach to crime prevention. [6]

(b) Assess the effectiveness of crime prevention measures. [10]

2 (a) Outline how procedures and techniques are used in the courtroom to persuade the jury. [6]

(b) Evaluate the usefulness of research into persuasion in the courtroom. [10]

Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about the processes and factors affecting witness testimony. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about the processes and factors affecting witness testimony. [16]

(c) You are a police officer and you have been given some clear eyewitness accounts of the appearance of a suspect.  Explain how you could use an identikit or an identity parade to help identify the suspect.  Give reasons for your answer [8]

4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about offender profiling.  [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about offender profiling. [16]

(c) The police are investigating a series of unusual murders.  Using your knowledge of psychology, suggest why they should call in an offender profiler.  [8]

January 2006

Section A

1 (a) Describe one piece of research which has investigated children as witnesses. [6]

(b) Discuss the problems faced by psychologists when conducting research into children as witnesses.  [10]


2 (a) Describe one psychological offender treatment programme. [6]

(b) Evaluate the effectiveness of psychological offender treatment programmes. [10]


Section B

3 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about criminal thinking patterns. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about criminal thinking patterns. [16]

(c) Some criminals see nothing wrong with offending. From your knowledge of psychology, suggest how criminals could be encouraged to change their thinking so that they obey the law. Give reasons for your answer. [8]


4 (a) Describe research into crime-victim interaction.  [10]

(b) Evaluate research into crime-victim interaction. [16]

(c) An elderly neighbour has read about a local victim of a serious crime and now is afraid to go out. Using your knowledge of psychology, suggest how they might be helped to overcome their fear. Give reasons for your answer. [8]

June 2006

Section A

1 (a) Describe one case study of offender profiling. [6]

(b) Discuss the usefulness of offender profiling. [10]


2 (a) Describe one social psychological explanation of criminal behaviour. [6]

(b) Discuss the differences between explanations of criminal behaviour. [10]


Section B


3 (a) Describe psychological factors which influence the police and police methods. [10]

(b) Evaluate psychological factors which influence the police and police methods. [16]

(c) The police have been called to a siege situation where hostages have been taken. As a psychologist, what advice would you give to the police in negotiating a peaceful end to the siege? Give reasons for your answer. [8]


4 (a) Describe what psychologists have found out about the psychology of testimony. [10]

(b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about the psychology of testimony. [16]

(c) A customer has been held at knifepoint during a bank raid. The customer is then asked to give a description of his attacker to the police. Using your knowledge of psychology, suggest what factors the police should be aware of which will influence the accuracy of the customer’s description.  [8]