Forensic Psychology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Forensic Psychology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Criminal Profiling

The practice of using behavioral and psychological analysis to infer characteristics of an unknown offender based on crime scene evidence, victimology, and offense patterns. Modern profiling integrates statistical data with clinical insight.

Competency to Stand Trial

A legal standard requiring that a defendant has a sufficient present ability to consult with their attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings, as established in Dusky v. United States (1960).

Insanity Defense

A legal defense asserting that the defendant was suffering from a severe mental disorder at the time of the offense that rendered them unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct or conform their behavior to the law. Standards vary by jurisdiction (M'Naghten, ALI, Durham).

Risk Assessment

The systematic evaluation of the likelihood that an individual will engage in future violent, criminal, or otherwise harmful behavior. Approaches include unstructured clinical judgment, actuarial instruments, and structured professional judgment tools.

Eyewitness Testimony Reliability

Research demonstrating that eyewitness memory is reconstructive and susceptible to distortion through factors such as weapon focus, cross-race identification bias, post-event misinformation, and suggestive lineup procedures.

False Confessions

Admissions of guilt for crimes the confessor did not commit, often resulting from psychologically coercive interrogation techniques, vulnerability of the suspect (youth, intellectual disability, mental illness), or a combination of situational pressures.

Jury Selection and Consultation

The application of social and cognitive psychology to the process of selecting jurors (voir dire) and predicting juror behavior. Trial consultants use surveys, mock trials, and demographic and attitudinal data to advise attorneys on jury composition.

Psychopathy

A personality construct characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) developed by Robert Hare is the primary assessment tool used in forensic settings.

Malingering

The intentional fabrication or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms motivated by external incentives such as avoiding criminal responsibility, obtaining disability benefits, or evading military duty.

Daubert Standard

A legal standard established by Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993) that governs the admissibility of expert witness testimony in federal courts. Judges evaluate whether testimony is based on sufficient facts, reliable methodology, and properly applied principles.

Key Terms at a Glance

Actuarial Risk Assessment:A statistical approach to predicting future behavior using empirically derived factors and algorithms, producing probability estimates of recidivism or violence.

Competency to Stand Trial:The legal requirement that a defendant possesses sufficient mental capacity to understand court proceedings and assist in their own defense.

Criminal Profiling:The analysis of crime scene evidence, victim characteristics, and offense patterns to infer the likely demographic, behavioral, and psychological traits of an unknown offender.

Cross-Race Effect:The tendency for individuals to more accurately recognize faces of their own racial group compared to faces of other racial groups.

Daubert Standard:The legal standard for admissibility of expert testimony in federal courts, requiring that the testimony be based on reliable scientific methodology.

Diminished Capacity:A legal doctrine allowing evidence of mental abnormality to negate the specific intent element of a crime, reducing the severity of the charge.

Dual-Role Conflict:The ethical challenge forensic psychologists face when their obligation to the court or retaining party conflicts with concern for the welfare of the person being evaluated.

Expert Witness:A person qualified by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education to provide specialized opinion testimony in court on matters beyond the understanding of laypersons.

Eyewitness Identification:The process by which a witness to a crime identifies the perpetrator from a lineup, photo array, or showup procedure.

False Confession:An admission of guilt for a crime that the confessor did not commit, which may be voluntary, compliant, or internalized.

Forensic Assessment:A psychological evaluation conducted for legal purposes, such as competency evaluations, risk assessments, or sanity evaluations, using specialized instruments and procedures.

Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI):A verdict available in some jurisdictions where the defendant is found guilty but recognized as having a mental illness, resulting in criminal punishment with access to mental health treatment.

HCR-20:A structured professional judgment tool for violence risk assessment comprising 20 items organized into Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management scales.

Insanity Defense:A legal defense claiming the defendant was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct or conform their behavior to the law due to a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the offense.

Investigative Psychology:A scientific approach to criminal profiling developed by David Canter that applies psychological theories and empirical methods to criminal investigation.

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