Deck 12: The Psychology of Child and Adult Sexual Assault Victims

Question 1

According to the Canadian Violence Against Women Survey,what percentage of Canadian women experienced at least one incident of sexual assault after the age of 15?

A) 9
B) 19
C) 29
D) 39

Answer 1

39

Question 2

What was the final outcome of the McMartin Preschool case?

A) Raymond Buckey and his mother were found not guilty.
B) The jury was deadlocked and a second trial was never held.
C) Raymond Buckey plea-bargained guilty to lesser charges.
D) Charges against all the teachers,including Raymond Buckey and Peggy McMartin Buckey,were dropped because of lack of substantial evidence.

Answer 2

Raymond Buckey and his mother were found not guilty.

Question 3

An investigator considers the statements made by a child in a case of alleged sexual abuse to determine if they are truthful or untruthful.Particular emphasis is placed on whether the statement seems coherent,has sufficient detail,and seems spontaneous rather than rehearsed.Which procedure is being used here?

A) Statement Validity Checklist
B) criteria-based content analysis
C) SIRR technique
D) M scale

Answer 3

criteria-based content analysis

Question 4

According to the 2001 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Maltreatment,what percentage of child maltreatment investigations involved sexual abuse allegations?

A) 5 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 50 percent

Question 5

According to the Criminal Code,which procedure designed to reduce the trauma of testifying by children who have been sexually abused is permitted,based on the discretion of the judge?

A) the use of closed-circuit television
B) allowing the child to testify behind a closed screen
C) allowing the use of child-sized chairs
D) allowing the use of dolls or drawings to supplement the child's testimony

Question 6

Which of the following techniques or procedures was NOT used by Children's Institute International staff in interviewing McMartin Preschool children?

A) use of positive and negative consequences
B) the use of suggestive questions
C) repetitious questioning
D) questioning several children together

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT one of the procedures that can be used to help reduce the trauma of testifying by children who have been sexually abused?

A) using child-sized witness chairs or allowing children to sit on the floor
B) using screens to shield the child from the defendant
C) allowing children to testify over closed-circuit television
D) allowing the testimony of a child to be read to the court

Question 8

Which treatment is designed specifically for use with children who have experienced childhood sexual abuse that has proven effective at reducing trauma-related symptoms among children and helping them to go on to live a symptom-free life?

A) Childhood Abuse and Trauma Centred Therapy
B) Psychoanalytic Trauma Therapy
C) Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
D) Reactive-Emotive Sexual Abuse Therapy

Question 9

Which of the following female victims experienced the most significant trauma in response to vaginal rapes?

A) reproductively aged women
B) prepubescent women
C) menopausal women
D) infertile women

Question 10

Of what is psychic numbing a major symptom?

A) rape trauma syndrome
B) posttraumatic stress disorder
C) postrape depression
D) psycho-trauma sex disorder

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the guidelines proposed by Porter and colleagues that should be used to inform the assessments of sexual abuse allegations?

A) evaluating the content of the memory
B) evaluating the credibility of the individual
C) corroborating the allegations
D) considering individual differences

Question 12

In the McMartin Preschool trial,for how long was one child cross-examined?

A) 15.5 hours
B) 15.5 days
C) 21 hours
D) 21 days

Question 13

What is the term for the use of general conclusions from social science research to determine factual issues in a specific case?

A) criterion-based content analysis
B) statement validity analysis
C) social context testimony
D) social framework testimony

Question 14

At what age can a child be interviewed by a judge to determine ability to give evidence?

A) below the age of 7
B) below the age of 10
C) below the age of 12
D) below the age of 14

Question 15

In which country was the criterion-based content analysis technique developed?

A) United States
B) Canada
C) Germany
D) France

Question 16

How has the number of sexual assaults reported to police changed?

A) It has been steadily increasing since 1996.
B) It has been steadily decreasing since 1993.
C) It has been steadily increasing since 1982.
D) It has been steadily decreasing since 1986.

Question 17

Testimony by a psychologist for the defence in a case of alleged sexual abuse of a child might reflect all but one of the following.Which would NOT be a part of the defence testimony?

A) whether prosecution experts met standards for admissibility
B) proof of the validity of the child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome
C) how false memories can be implanted in children and adults
D) how leading questions can create suggestibility and false reports by children

Question 18

In the Kelly Michaels case,social scientists prepared an amicus brief.What was its purpose?

A) It dealt with the suggestible nature of the interviewing procedures.
B) It questioned the child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome.
C) It offered support for ultimate-opinion testimony being admitted into trial.
D) It argued that an expert for the prosecution had gone beyond acceptable limits in her testimony.

Question 19

Which organization published Helping a Child Be a Witness in Court: 101 Things to Know,Say,and Do?

A) The Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System
B) London Family Court Clinic in Ontario
C) Vancouver Family Court Clinic in British Columbia
D) Child Witness Protection Program

Question 20

In cases of alleged sexual abuse of children,for whom does a psychologist testify?

A) almost always for the prosecution
B) almost always for the defence
C) for either side
D) almost always for the judge

Question 21

Compare the acceptability,according to scientific criteria,of the battered woman syndrome and the rape trauma syndrome.

Question 22

What are some of the temptations for the forensic psychologist testifying about rape trauma syndrome?

Question 23

What is the relationship of rape trauma syndrome to posttraumatic stress disorder?

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of the factors on the Sexual Assault Symptoms Scale?

A) Disclosure Shame
B) Cognitive Trauma
C) Depression
D) Self-Blame

Question 25

Describe three of the five levels of testimony in evaluating the appropriateness of admitting scientific testimony on the trauma of having been raped.

Question 26

Should posttraumatic stress syndrome be substituted for rape trauma syndrome?

Question 27

What are some characteristics of the long-term reactions phase?

Question 28

What are some of the topics of testimony by the psychologist as expert witness when the alleged rape victim claims the presence of rape trauma syndrome?

Question 29

Describe some rape myths.

Question 30

Evaluate the use of anatomically detailed dolls in childhood sexual abuse allegations.Give three guidelines for their use.

Question 31

What are the major symptoms used to demonstrate the presence of PTSD?

Question 32

What is psychic numbing?

Question 33

Describe four roles for psychologists in cases where it is claimed that children have been sexually abused.

Question 34

Female detectives are considerably more likely than male detectives to arrest suspects in sexual assault cases even after controlling for the influence of other factors shown to predict arrest.

Question 35

What are some characteristics of the acute crisis phase?

Question 36

Distinguish between two phases present in the reactions of rape victims.

Question 37

Describe how sexual assault cases were treated historically in the legal system.How are sexual assault cases treated in the courts today?

Question 38

What is criterion-based content analysis? Describe some of the criteria used in this procedure.

Question 39

Describe the origins of the term rape trauma syndrome.

Question 40

Describe activities by the psychologist in the assessment of the presence of rape trauma syndrome.

Question 41

What suggestions have been made to help improve procedures for interviewing children in sexual abuse cases?

Question 42

What are the two main goals for the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System in Ontario?

Question 43

What was the traditional view of the competency of children to testify in court? How does the modern Canadian court ensure that children under 14 are competent to give testimony?

Question 44

What types of testimony might psychologists give as expert witnesses in sexual abuse cases?

Question 45

What innovations have been introduced to ease the trauma of testifying by a child who has been a victim of sexual abuse? What has been described in the Criminal Code?

Question 46

Why do so many psychologists believe that a consideration of posttraumatic stress disorder is more important than that of rape trauma syndrome among rape victims?

Question 47

Outline the four major guidelines provided by Porter and colleagues (2003)to the courts regarding the evaluation of credibility in sexual abuse allegations.