Psychology for Law Enforcement

Welcome to LESM A203 Psychology for Law Enforcement.

LESM A203 Psychology for Law Enforcement provides you, the student, with an introduction to some of the ways in which psychological theories and research can be applied to the many and varied roles performed by police officers, members of the correctional services and private security personnel. Little or no prior knowledge of psychology is presumed on your part.

The course is a compulsory two semester, ten credit, middle level course for HKMU students seeking a Bachelor of Social Sciences, or Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Law Enforcement and Security Management.

The course prescribes five assignments, with the best four counting as the course assessment. There will be twelve two-hour tutorial classes, two day schools of three hours each, and a three hour unseen final examination.

You probably will have taken other courses through Hong Kong Metropolitan University, so you should now be well aware of both the study skills required for distance learning and how HKMU courses are organized. It is still recommended, though, that you read this Course Guide thoroughly before looking at the study units or your textbooks.

The Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It suggests the amount of time you are likely to need to spend in order to complete the course, and will give you a general idea when your assignments are due. For detailed information on assignments, however, please refer to the Assignment File and, for information on due dates and cut off times for work to be submitted, please refer to the Presentation Schedule.

In distance learning as practised by Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the study units (not the tutor) replace the university lecturer. This is one of the great advantages of distance learning: you can read and work through specially designed study material at your own pace at times and places that suit you best. Think of it as reading the lecture instead of hearing it from a lecturer. In the same way that a lecturer might set you some reading to do, the study unit will tell you when to read your textbook or other material. In the same way that a lecturer might give you an in-class exercise, your study unit will have exercises (called by various names) for you to do at appropriate points. You are also likely to find review questions at the end of each unit. Do them all, as these exercises and questions give you the practice necessary to achieve the learning outcomes of the course and to pass the examination.

LESM A203 Psychology for Law Enforcement aims to:

1. Provide you with a basic understanding of the methods used by psychologists in their research and in the development of theories.
2. Enable you to assess the usefulness of a number of well established psychological theories and principles and their application to specific areas of police work.
3. Develop your understanding of some of the internal and external factors which affect human behaviour and functioning.
4. Enable you to improve your own interpersonal skills with particular regard to dealing with members of the public, victims, witnesses and suspects.

Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:

1. Explain and exemplify the ways in which the findings of psychological research can aid police officers in their day-to-day work.
2. Review appropriate and inappropriate styles of communication and explain how they affect the nature of interactions with members of the public.
3. Discuss some of the factors that can escalate or reduce aggressive behaviour.
4. Examine the characteristics of memory and the difficulties associated with obtaining accurate information from victims, witnesses and suspects.
5. Identify the nature and sources of stress associated with police duties.

Course overview

The following chart gives a general overview of the course structure.

The study units summarize key issues, explain the relevant concepts and examples, and comment on related readings. Each unit contains activities and self-tests to reinforce your understanding of the issues under discussion. Moreover, the assignments will provide you with further feedback and help you achieve the learning outcomes of the course.

The course is structured so that each unit builds upon previous units. Each unit contains a variety of techniques to help you study, and you should be aware that the following points will help you to get the most out of the information presented:

1. Read each study unit carefully. This is like paying attention throughout a whole lecture.
2. Use the unit guide to help direct you in what to read in the textbook and when to read it.
3. Test your comprehension and analytical skills by working through the activities and self-tests that appear through the units. Don't skip ahead to find the answers — you will learn better by doing the thinking yourself
4. Complete the assignments on time.
5. Check out the other sources of information referred to in the unit. Those other sources might include Internet websites, videos, and so on.

Each unit has subject matter, self-tests and a summary of the materials covered.

Printed materials

Set textbook

The prescribed textbook is:

Ainsworth, P B (2002) Psychology and Policing, Cullompton, UK: Willan Publishing.

You should read the study units carefully as they can guide your learning and tell you how to approach any assignment related to the unit. Otherwise, you may miss important information. You must read both the study units and the set textbook. Moreover, you should also try to read articles in newspapers and journals and other books related to the topics. The more widely you read, the better your appreciation and understanding of the course.

Each unit is divided into a number of sections. The first section provides the learning outcomes and introduces the materials to be covered. The next section constitutes the contents of the study unit. This section will guide your learning and direct you to complete the activities and self-tests. The final section contains the summary of the unit and answers to the activities and self-tests.

Non-assessed activities and self-tests

You will come across non-assessed activities and self-tests in each of the study units. These are designed to help you remember and apply what you have learned, and to prepare for your assignments and examination. The activity and self-test questions provide you with immediate feedback on your understanding of the subject matter just learned. By answering these questions and referring to the suggested answers (included at the end of every unit) you can check your progress accordingly. However, you should attempt all questions before referring to the answers.

Checking understanding

If you encounter any problems, please make notes and raise those problems with your tutor as soon as possible.

Set reference books

It is proposed that a collection of readings will be produced which will incorporate all of the materials referred to in this blueprint. However, the following books provide a good source of material which will be useful on the course:

Blau, T H (1994) Psychological Services for Law Enforcement, New York: Wiley.

Brewer, N and Wilson, C (eds) (1995) Psychology and Policing, Hillsdale, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Canter, D and Alison, L (eds) (1999) Interviewing and Deception, Aldershot, UK: Dartmouth Publishing Company Limited.

Kapardis, A (1997) Psychology and Law: a critical introduction, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Memon, A, Vrij, A and Bull, R (1998) Psychology and Law: truthfulness, accuracy and credibility, Maidenhead, UK: McGraw Hill.

Milne, R and Bull, R (1999) Investigate Interviewing: psychology and practice, Chichester, UK: Wiley.

Recommended readings

The following recommended readings will be included in a reading file in your course materials. Again, it is important that you complete this additional reading in order to help you grasp the essentials of the subject matter being presented:

Blau, T H (1994) Psychological Services for Law Enforcement, New York: Wiley,  Chapters 3, 8, 11 and 13.

Brewer, N and Wilson, C (eds) (1995) Psychology and Policing, Hillsdale, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., Chapter 16.

Bull, R and Horncastle, P (1994) 'Evaluation of police recruit training involving psychology', Psychology, Crime and Law, 1:143–9.

Kapardis, A (1997) Psychology and Law: a critical introduction, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 11 and pages 277–90.

Edelmann, R (1999) 'Non verbal behaviour and deception' in Canter, D and Alison, L (eds) (1999) Interviewing and Deception, Aldershot, UK: Dartmouth Publishing Company Limited, Chapter 8.

Taylor, S E, Peplau, L A and Sears, D O (2000) Social Psychology (10th edn) New Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall Inc., Chapter 3.

Geen, R G (1998) Human Aggression (2nd edn) Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press, Chapter 1.

Baron, R A and Byrne, D (2000) Social Psychology, 9th edn, Massachusetts, USA: Allyn and Bacon, Chapter 11.

Wilson, C and Braithwaite, H (1995) 'Police patrolling, resistance and conflict resolution' in Brewer, N and Wilson, C (eds) Psychology and Policing, Hillsdale, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Ainsworth, P B (1998) Psychology, Law and Eyewitness Testimony, Chichester, UK: Wiley, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9.

Milne, R and Bull, R (1999) Investigate Interviewing: psychology and practice, Chichester, UK: Wiley, Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7.

Fisher, R P and McCauley, M R (1995) 'Information retrieval: interviewing witnesses' in Brewer, N and Wilson, C (eds) (1995) Psychology and Policing, Hillsdale, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Kebbel, M R and Wagstaff, G F (1999) 'The effectiveness of the cognitive interview' in Canter, D and Alison, L (eds) (1999) Interviewing and Deception, Aldershot, UK: Dartmouth Publishing Company Limited.

Gudjonsson, G H (1992) The Psychology of Interrogations, Confessions and Testimony,  Chichester, UK: Wiley, Chapters 7 and 10.

Bull, R (1998) 'Obtaining information from child witnesses' in Memon, A, Vrij, A and Bull, R (1998) Psychology and Law: truthfulness, accuracy and credibility, Maidenhead, UK: McGraw Hill.

Ainsworth, P B (1998) 'Police folklore and attributions of guilt; can psychology challenge long held assumptions?' in Baros, J, Munnich, I and Szegedi, M (eds) Psychology and Criminal Justice: international review of theory and practice, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 399–406.

Brown, J M and Campbell, B A (1994) Stress and Policing: sources and strategies, Chichester: Wiley, Chapter 1.

Brown, J H, Cooper, C and Kirkaldy, B (1999) 'Stressor exposure and methods of coping among senior police managers at a time of organisational and management change',  International Journal of Police Science and Management, 2(3): 217–28.

Ainsworth, P B (2000) Offender Profiling, Cullompton, UK: Willan Publishing, Chapter 4.

Canter, D (2000) 'Offender profiling and criminal differentiation', Legal and Criminological Psychology, 5(1): 23–46.

Gottlieb, S, Arenberg, S, and Singh, R (1998) Crime Analysis: from first report to final arrest, Alpha Publishing: Monterey, USA, Chapter 5.

Jackson, J L and Bekerian, D A (eds) (1997) Offender Profiling: theory, research and practice, Chichester: Wiley, Chapter 1.

Pease, K (1998) 'Repeat victimization: taking stock', Crime Prevention and Detection Series Paper 90, London: Home Office Police Research Group.

Assignments are worth 50% of the total course mark. The final examination will be of three hour duration and have a value of 50% of the total course mark.

Twelve tutorials will be offered, each one lasting approximately two hours. The proposed tutorial topics are listed below.

Dayschool

Two three-hour dayschools will form an integral part of the course. These dayschools will allow students to hear from experts in the field of psychology and policing and to ask questions of the presenters. Attendance at these days is not compulsory, although students will be strongly encouraged to attend.

A note about the developer of this course

Peter B Ainsworth served as a police officer in England for four years before pursuing an academic career. He studied psychology at undergraduate level at Lancaster University (UK) and psychology and sociology at postgraduate level at Colorado University (USA). In 1978 he was appointed a lecturer in psychology in the department of social policy and social work at Manchester University, UK. He was recently promoted to senior lecturer and is currently director of the Henry Fielding Centre for Police Studies and Crime Risk Management.

Peter's primary research and teaching interests are in applied psychology, with a particular focus on the application of psychology to policing. He has published numerous books, chapters and articles on the subject of psychology and policing, in addition to other work in applied and forensic psychology.