Patterns of offending behaviour: a sequence analysis approach

Objectives: The main aim of this paper is to understand the pattern of actions involved in offending behaviours, in general. A particular case will be provided: A sequence analysis to describe the timeline of events between individuals deciding to consume alcohol, and then drive a vehicle. Design: The study used a sequence analysis design, in which a series of actions related to drinking alcohol and driving were presented and individuals’ patterns of behaviours investigated. Method: The method involves taking a series of recorded interviews into driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. The current sample of interviews (N=60) were transcribed and analysed until a mutually exclusive and exhaustive list of behaviours was agreed upon. Frequently occurring behaviours were then analyse for significant transitions. Results: Results showed clear patterns of actions in individuals’ choices to consume alcohol and drive a vehicle. A lag one sequential analysis approach was used (i.e., a-b, b-c, c-d). This analysis involves transitions between only the one preceding behaviour (antecedent), to give a chain of events. Transition maps showing the sequence of events were developed to clearly show the patterns of behaviours that lead to driving under the influence of alcohol. Conclusions: The present research highlights the sequences of actions and choices leading up to driving under the influence. The method has implications, which will be discussed, for policy and policing, as well as other related driving offences (i.e., drugs etc.). Limitations related to analysis are discussed and guidance provided. Relation to other areas of Forensic Psychology (i.e., rape cases, violence) will also be outlined

Effects of pretesting implicit self-determined motivation on behavioural engagement: evidence for the mere measurement effect at the implicit level

Research into individuals' intended behavior and performance has traditionally adopted explicitly measured, self-report constructs, and outcomes. More recently, research has shown that completing explicit self-report measures of constructs may effect subsequent behavior, termed the "mere measurement" effect. The aim of the present experiment was to investigate whether implicit measures of motivation showed a similar mere measurement effect on subsequent behavior. It may be the case that measuring the implicit systems affects subsequent implicit interventions (e.g., priming), observable on subsequent behavior. Priming manipulations were also given to participants in order to investigate the interaction between measurement and priming of motivation. Initially, a 2 [implicit association test (IAT: present vs. absent) ×2 (Prime: autonomous vs. absent) and a 2 (IAT: present vs. absent) × 2 (Prime: controlled vs. absent)] between participants designs were conducted, these were them combined into a 2 (IAT: present vs. absent) ×3 (Prime: autonomous vs. controlled vs. absent) between participants design, with attempts at a novel task taken as the outcome measure. Implicit measure completion significantly decreased behavioral engagement. Priming autonomous motivation significantly facilitated, and controlled motivation significantly inhibited performance. Finally, there was a significant implicit measurement × priming interaction, such that priming autonomous motivation only improved performance in the absence of the implicit measure. Overall, this research provides an insight into the effects of implicit measurement and priming of motivation and the combined effect of completing both tasks on behavior

Age-related physical and psychological vulnerability as pathways to problem gambling in older adults

Background: To inform clinical treatment and preventative efforts, there is an important need to understand the pathways to late-life gambling disorder. Aims: This study assesses the association between age-related physical health, social networks, and problem gambling in adults aged over 65 years and assesses the mediating role of affective disorders in this association. Methods: The sample comprised 595 older adults (mean age: 74.4 years, range: 65–94 years; 77.1% female) who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to assess physical frailty, geriatric pain, loneliness, geriatric depression, geriatric anxiety, and problem gambling. Results: Pathway analysis demonstrated associations between these variables and gambling problems, providing a good fit for the data, but that critically these relationships were mediated by both anxiety and depression symptoms. Conclusions: This study indicates that late-life problem gambling may develop as vulnerable individuals gamble to escape anxiety and depression consequent to deteriorating physical well-being and social support. When individuals develop late-life problem gambling, it is recommended that the treatment primarily focuses upon targeting and replacing avoidant coping approaches

Detecting a decline in serial homicide : have we banished the devil from the details?

The current research provides perspective regarding the true prevalence of serial murderers in modern society and addresses the conflict between the evidenced decline in serial homicide and the viewpoint that the phenomenon is increasing. The likelihood that serial murderers are responsible for most unresolved homicides and missing persons is examined in the context of a declining prevalence. A mixed methods approach was used, consisting of a review of a sample of unresolved homicides, a comparative analysis of the frequency of known serial homicide series and unresolved serial homicide series, and semi-structured interviews of experts. In failing to become serial killers, aspiring and probable serial killers and spree killers have impacted the rate of serial murder by not reaching their potential. The past decade contained almost half the cases (13%) that existed at the 1980s peak of serial homicide (27%). Only 282 (1.3%) strangled females made up the 22,444 unresolved homicides reviewed. Most expert respondents thought it unreasonable that any meaningful proportion of missing persons cases are victims of serial homicide. Technology, shifts in offending behavior, proactive law enforcement action, and vigilance of society have transformed serial killing and aids in viewing offenders as people impacted by societal shifts and cultural norms. The absence of narrative details inhibited some aspects of the review. An exhaustive list of known unresolved serial homicide series remained elusive as some missing persons are never reported. Future research should incorporate those intending to murder serially, but whose efforts were stalled by arrest, imprisonment, or death

Driving under the influence of alcohol: a sequence analysis approach

Driving under the influence of alcohol: A sequence analysis approac

Cooling-off periods and serial homicide: A case study approach to analysing behaviour between murders

Understanding cooling-off periods is an important step towards conceptualising life course events of serial killers, between their murders. Analysing the behaviours of serial killers between each homicide may give insight into when or if they will kill again, as well as informing definition criteria of what constitutes a serial killer as opposed to mass or spree killing. Research in this area typically analyses aggregate, large-scale data; however, this can often miss the idiosyncratic, specific details that are needed in real-word cases. To provide a more detailed account, an in-depth case study approach was taken to analyse the behaviours of Dennis Rader and Lonnie Franklin Jr., two well-known American serial killers, throughout their criminal career and identify patterns in their dormancy periods between murders. The analysis highlights that trophy-taking, the use of letters to communicate with the public, and offending-orientated fantasy may increase the length of a cooling-off period by suppressing homicidal urges. In contrast, the need for homicidal control may influence the effectiveness of such suppressing factors over time. The present research suggests that life-events can influence intervals between murders, even acting as a catalyst at times, which may help legal decision making

Resonant enhancement of damping within the free layer of a microscale magnetic tunnel valve

Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 117, article 17B301 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4907701Picosecond magnetization dynamics in the free and pinned layers of a microscale magnetic tunnel valve have been studied using time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy. A comparison of the observed dynamics with those of individual free and pinned layers allowed the effect of interlayer coupling to be identified. A weak interlayer coupling in the tunnel valve continuous film reference sample was detected in bulk magnetometry measurements, while focused Kerr magnetometry showed that the coupling was well maintained in the patterned structure. In the tunnel valve, the free layer precession was observed to have reduced amplitude and an enhanced relaxation. During magnetization reversal in the pinned layer, its frequency approached that of the low frequency mode associated with the free layer. At the pinned layer switching field, the linewidth of the free layer became similar to that of the pinned layer. The similarity in their frequencies promotes the formation of precessional modes that exhibit strong collective properties such as frequency shifting and enhanced linewidth, while inhomogeneous magnetization of the pinned layer during reversal may also play a role in these observations. The collective character of precessional dynamics associated with mixing of the free and pinned layer magnetization dynamics must be accounted for even in tunnel valves with a small interlayer coupling.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013

The psycho-criminology of burial sites:developing the Winthropping Method for locating clandestine burial sites

The majority of geographical profiling research focuses on the relationship between offender and location, which works particularly well when a burial site is known. In real-world investigations, however, burial or dump sites are often not known. The aim of the current paper is to outline a relatively under-used method of geographic profiling: Winthropping. While the method has been around for several decades, few studies have provided any research findings using it. There are two likely reasons for Winthropping being under-used: first, it has not been clearly, theoretically explained; second, given its relative novelty, it may not be immediately clear how to use it in research and real-world scenarios. The current paper outlines several key psychological (e.g., satisficing and affordances) and criminological (e.g., rational choice theory and crime geometry) theories that may explain why Winthropping works. Case studies are provided, and a methodological approach (matrix forecasting) is then provided to show how it could work in research practice and real-world applications. Overall, Winthropping is deemed to be highly useful, and it is hoped that experts in the field will begin developing this tool for wider, applied use