Deck 10: Section 3: The Insanity Defense

Question 1

What was the reason that both judges in the Ibn-Tamas case used to prohibit expert testimony on battered woman syndrome (BWS) in front of the jury?

A) Expert testimony is generally unnecessary during jury trials.
B) The expert did not have the required credentials and expertise.
C) BWS is not generally accepted as legitimate in the field of psychology.
D) All of the above were offered as the reasons by both judges.

Answer 1

BWS is not generally accepted as legitimate in the field of psychology.

Question 2

Studies that analyzed verdicts reached in cases of battered women who killed their husbands or partners, found that _____ of the women were convicted, and expert testimony on BWS _____.

A) very few; made a substantial impact on jurors
B) the vast majority; did not have much influence
C) about half; was crucial
D) none; made all the difference

Answer 2

the vast majority; did not have much influence

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT one of the common rape myths?

A) Most rapes are committed when both parties are drunk.
B) Most rapes are committed by strangers.
C) If a woman says she doesn't want to have sex, she doesn't really mean it.
D) It is impossible to rape a woman who is unwilling.

Answer 3

Most rapes are committed when both parties are drunk.

Question 4

Studies show that the police are _____ to arrest batterers and that restraining orders against intimate partners are _____.

A) reluctant; often violated
B) eager; strictly enforced
C) not likely; unenforceable
D) likely; rarely violated

Question 5

According to the text, nearly _____ of women who are raped will exhibit all of the clinical signs of PTSD.

A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 90%

Question 6

Lenore Walker has identified several characteristics that she thought most battered women shared. Which one is NOT among these characteristics?

A) Belief that women should be submissive to their husbands.
B) Tendency to accept responsibility for the abuse.
C) Poor self-image.
D) Poor family upbringing.

Question 7

According to responses to the National Crime Victimization Survey, intimate partner violence has been _____ in the last 15 to 20 years.

A) increasing
B) staying the same
C) decreasing
D) fluctuating (going up and down)

Question 8

Ibn-Tamas v. United States (1979) was one of the first cases in which:

A) expert testimony was offered on rape trauma syndrome (RTS).
B) expert testimony was offered on battered woman syndrome (BWS).
C) a battered woman was acquitted for killing her husband.
D) expert testimony was offered on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT commonly associated with rape trauma syndrome?

A) Depression.
B) Anxiety.
C) Self-blame.
D) Impulsivity.

Question 10

According to the text, the original study of battered women by Dr. Walker was criticized for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT:

A) not all women in her sample experienced all the hypothesized stages of the cycle of abuse.
B) a comparison group of non-battered women was absent from her study.
C) the experimenters who collected the data knew about the study hypotheses and could inadvertently influence the results.
D) the sample in her study was too small.

Question 11

Burgess and Holmstrom (1979) found that _____ of rape victims had returned to normal functioning 5 years after the rape.

A) only 5%
B) about half
C) about three quarters
D) over 95%

Question 12

According to the text, serious violence is much more likely to occur when:

A) males assault their female partners.
B) females assault their male partners.
C) females assault their female rivals.
D) males assault their male intimate partners.

Question 13

All of the following are descriptions of what syndrome is EXCEPT:

A) a pattern of behaviors describing a group of similar people.
B) a cluster of related symptoms that lead to a significant dysfunction.
C) a set of psychological and emotional reactions to a specific event.
D) a group of symptoms that women experience but men don't.

Question 14

After years of abuse and humiliation suffered in the hands of her husband, Katherine killed him when he was threatening her. Katherine's lawyers are most likely to argue:

A) self-defense.
B) insanity.
C) battered woman syndrome.
D) incompetency to stand trial.

Question 15

Researchers have identified several types of male batterers. Which type is the most common one, according to these studies?

A) Batterer with borderline personality disorder.
B) Generally violent antisocial batterer.
C) Batterer with poor self-image.
D) Relationship/family-only batterer.