On Wed, 11 Apr 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> Is there a difference between "criminal psychology"" and "forensic
> psychology"?
Criminal psychology is the misuse of psychology to cause people
grief [my own definition: this started out tongue-in-cheek, but I
I've decided I'm serious]
Some examples:
The agitated student who turned up in my office recently because
she had been accused of something and failed a lie-detector test.
As she knew she was innocent, she couldn't understand how this
could have happened. I told her.
The infamous "research" by Alfred Steinscheider on sudden infant
death syndrome which protected a murderer of five babies and
promoted a device useless for the purpose of saving babies (see
"The death of Innocents", Richard Firstman). _Pediatrics_ later
took the extraordinary step of apologizing for publishing his
paper. Steinschneider never did.
Recovered (repressed) memory therapy.
Any psychology-based accusations that the parents (mother
especially) are responsible for a disorder on the basis of flawed
or non-existent evidence. Exhibits A and B: schizophrenia and
autism.
Now, what the heck is "forensic psychology"?
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
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