Deck 12: Battered Women Syndrome and Syndrome Evidence

Question 1

Which was NOT a factor in the trial of Nicole Doucet Ryan?

A) The defence attempted to argue duress as she was not planning to kill her husband herself.
B) Doucet argued she did not believe police would protect her as her husband was a RCMP.
C) The Supreme Court overturned her acquittal saying duress was improperly used at trial.
D) Ducet ended up serving 11 years before being paroled from Kingston Penitentiary.

Answer 1

Ducet ended up serving 11 years before being paroled from Kingston Penitentiary.

Question 2

What do we know about the risks for IPV?

Answer 2

Answers will vary but might include the following from the text: Risk of IPV is greater for women though some studies say men are also abused at similar rates; men less likely to be injured and much less likely to report. Predictors of IPV include alcohol abuse, antisocial behavior, and personality disorders, which are all found in men and women alike; low income and history of family violence are also predictors. Men are more likely to kill female partners, especially younger women in 15-24 age group; women also more likely to be killed when they are separated from partner. Aboriginal women four times more likely to be abused; immigrant women more likely to experience IPV the longer they have been in Canada and if they depend on abuser for visas and financial support. Gay men and lesbians report twice as much IPV as heterosexuals. Batterers are sometimes superficially normal but have problems with suspiciousness, jealousy, antisocial behavior, impulsivity, and dependence on alcohol or drugs. Typologies of batterers include: men who are only violent within the family; men who are generally violent and antisocial; men who have a borderline dysphoric personality.

Question 3

Researchers proposing a(n)_____ framework for expert testimony argue that syndrome language should be dropped and that there should be less focus on psychological reactions and more focus on the realities facing an abused woman.

A) human capital
B) existential
C) defence centered
D) social agency

Answer 3

social agency

Question 4

Boeschen et al.'s five-level model of expert testimony is designed for victims of:

A) child abuse.
B) domestic violence.
C) sexual assault.
D) any type of violent trauma.

Question 5

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of combining BWS and RTS under PTSD.

Question 6

In Boeschen et al.'s five-level model of expert testimony, explaining that a victim's behaviour or symptoms are consistent with PTSD or rape trauma would be level:

A) 2.
B) 3.
C) 4.
D) 5.

Question 7

Female victims have the highest rates of spousal homicide in what age category?

A) 15 - 24
B) 25 - 34
C) 35 - 44
D) 45 - 54

Question 8

Researchers Burgess and Holmstrom describe recovery from rape as a two-stage process: the _____ phase and the _____ phase.

A) acute crisis; reorganization
B) critical reactive; adaptive
C) hyper-symptomatic; resolution
D) denial-shock; introspective

Question 9

Which statement about Cormier and Woodworth's study comparing students and RCMP officers on gender and the seriousness of IPV is FALSE?

A) Students saw abuse as more severe when the victim was female and the abuser was male.
B) RCMP officers rated same sex couples IPV as more serious than the students did.
C) Students rated females abusing males as more serious than the RCMP officers did.
D) RCMPs saw abuse as more severe when the victim was female and the abuser was male.

Question 10

Which statement about the World Health Organization's 10^th version of The International Classification of Diseases is FALSE?

A) It uses gender-neutral terminology but does not recognize abuse in same-sex couples.
B) It includes PTSD as a maltreatment syndrome.
C) It includes "battered spouse syndrome."
D) It includes "effects of abuse of an adult."

Question 11

Which was NOT described in the text as one of the criticisms of Lenore Walker's research that led to her descriptions of the battered woman?

A) The data was collected in door-to-door canvassing of a limited number of San Francisco neighborhoods.
B) Only a minority of the women surveyed had experienced all three stages of the hypothesized cycle of abuse.
C) Those who collected the data were aware of the hypotheses, which may have caused experimenter bias.
D) There was no systematic comparison of women suffering other forms of trauma or no trauma at all (control).

Question 12

In deciding whether to allow expert testimony, judges often consider whether information about PTSD, BWS or RTS is common knowledge or in other words, _____ of jurors.

A) off the understanding
B) beyond the ken
C) out of the realm
D) over the days

Question 13

Explain how BWS testimony has been viewed by the courts in Canada.

Question 14

Describe the symptoms of BWS.

Question 15

Aboriginal women are _____ times more likely to experience violence than non-Aboriginal women.

A) 4
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10

Question 16

According to the text, which statement about research on violence against men is FALSE?

A) Women perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) at rates equal or similar to men.
B) Law enforcement responses against female perpetrators of IPV tend to be lax.
C) Factors predicting IPV like antisocial behavior and alcohol abuse were not found in female perpetrators.
D) About 15 percent of women serving federal sentences had a history of perpetrating IPV.

Question 17

Which statement about the trial of Angelique Lavallee is FALSE?

A) Expert testimony about battered woman syndrome was used to support self-defence.
B) At trial the expert testimony was ruled inadmissible and Lavallee was convicted.
C) The Manitoba Court of Appeal disagreed on the use of the expert testimony and overturned the trial court decision.
D) The Supreme Court disagreed with the Court of Appeal and overturned its decision.

Question 18

Betty endured abuse throughout most of her 30 years of marriage. During that time, she became less resistant to the attacks and more submissive and resigned to her fate. A term often used for this state is:

A) adaptive symptomology.
B) complex dissociation.
C) learned helplessness.
D) regressed responsiveness.

Question 19

What does the research say about the scientific validity of RTS? How can the validity and reliability of studies be improved?

Question 20

Which is NOT one of Lenore Walker's recurring phases in the cycle of abuse in a typical violent relationship?

A) tension-building
B) acute battering
C) honeymoon
D) contrition

Question 21

Which statement from the text is NOT one of the research findings about the effects of trauma and abuse?

A) Low income levels and a history of family violence predicted IPV in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships.
B) Attentiveness to an abuser's subtle cues and potential for violence is called hyper-intuitiveness.
C) Nearly half of women who are sexually assaulted will exhibit all the clinical signs of PDST.
D) Women are more likely than men to be killed by a partner from whom they were separated.

Question 22

According to Koss et al., which is NOT one of the factors that modulate the responses of different rape survivors?

A) the violence and duration of the rape
B) the speed and effectiveness of a law enforcement response
C) the victim's environment and surrounding community
D) timing of the intervention and how it empowers the survivor

Question 23

Which is NOT one of the research critiques on the scientific validity of RTS?

A) Studies like Burgess and Holmstrom's initial research only included rape victims in hospitals.
B) Follow-up interviews extended so long that subsequent life events may have confounded results.
C) Responses of sexual assault victims are not universal or uniform enough to constitute a valid syndrome.
D) There is a lack of control groups (no trauma) or other forms of trauma for comparisons.

Question 24

Data indicate that about _____ percent of rapes are committed by strangers.

A) 15
B) 20
C) 25
D) 30

Question 25

Post-traumatic stress disorder was originally formulated to describe the psychological symptoms experienced by:

A) Holocaust survivors.
B) children from Russian orphanages.
C) Vietnam war veterans.
D) miners who survived burial accidents.

Question 26

According to Lenore Walker, battered women share all of these traits EXCEPT:

A) a tendency to accept responsibility for the abuse.
B) nontraditional sex role attitudes.
C) being socially isolated.
D) being increasingly dependent on the abuser.

Question 27

Case law and the Criminal Code dictate criteria for the use of a self-defence argument at trial. Which is NOT one of the conditions or standards currently contained or interpreted in the law?

A) The defendant reasonably believed on probable grounds that the force used to repel the danger was necessary.
B) The average juror does not need help understanding the actions of battered women.
C) Women need not wait until an act of harm is underway before responding with self-defence.
D) The defendant had reasonable apprehension of death or grievous bodily harm.

Question 28

Which statement about RTS and recovery from sexual assault is FALSE?

A) Women sexual assault victims are at greater risk for divorce and unemployment.
B) Some women who falsely claim sexual assault exhibit symptoms of RTS.
C) The average time a victim is in the original crisis phase following a sexual assault is a few weeks.
D) Canadian courts have generally been receptive to RTS testimony and rule it admissible in most cases.

Question 29

According to the text, which statement concerning IPV is FALSE?

A) Data from the General Social Survey indicate that 8.6 percent of women were physically abused.
B) Pop star Rihanna claimed that it took eight to nine incidents of domestic violence before one left the relationship.
C) The longer immigrant women stay in Canada the less likely they are to be involved in IPV.
D) Gays and lesbians report spousal violence at twice the rate of those in heterosexual couples.

Question 30

Which is NOT one of the three types of assessments that can be used to classify types of batterers according to Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart?

A) frequency of calls to police and support hotlines
B) the severity of marital violence
C) the generality of violence
D) presence of psychopathology and personality disorders

Question 31

Which is NOT one of the typologies of male batterers developed by Holtzworth-Munroe et al.?

A) Men who exhibit borderline-dysphoric personality problems.
B) Men who are generally violent and antisocial.
C) Men who are regressively immature and delinquent.
D) Men who are violent only within the family.

Question 32

Which is NOT one of the findings in Schuller's simulated trials using BWS and control testimony?

A) Jurors who did not hear BWS testimony were more likely to say that the defendant should have pleaded insanity.
B) Those who heard BWS testimony were more likely to see the act as manslaughter not murder.
C) Jurors who heard a BWS expert testify made more sympathetic statements about the defendant in deliberations.
D) Jurors were more lenient in verdicts only when BWS testimony indicated that the defendant fit the syndrome.

Question 33

Which statement about the legal classification of abuse-related disorders is FALSE?

A) One of the symptoms of battered woman syndrome is body image distortion or physical complaints.
B) A significant impairment in cognition, emotion regulation or behaviour that reflects dysfunction in psychological, biological or developmental processes is called a mental disorder.
C) Both battered woman syndrome and rape trauma syndrome were included in the most recent edition of the DSM.
D) A cluster of related symptoms leading to dysfunction in the performance of everyday activities is called a syndrome.

Question 34

In Canada, about _____ percent of sexual assaults are reported to police.

A) 10
B) 18
C) 25
D) 36

Question 35

According to the authors, sexual assault trials usually turn on the issue of:

A) DNA evidence.
B) believability.
C) testimonial expertise.
D) consent.

Question 36

To be consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD, symptoms must last at least _____ following a trauma.

A) one month
B) six months
C) one year
D) two years

Question 37

Which is NOT one of the rape myths discussed by the authors?

A) Rape charges are often filed when women simply regret having had consensual sex.
B) The typical rape is committed by someone unknown to the victim.
C) It is impossible to rape a woman who is unwilling or physically resists.
D) When a woman says she does not want sex, she does not really mean it.

Question 38

Which statement about sexual assault in Canada is FALSE?

A) The term rape was taken out of the Criminal Code in 1983 and replaced with categories of sexual assault.
B) Reports of sexual assault dropped from 1983 to 1993 but then started rising again.
C) One-third of sexual assaults reported to police result in sexual assault charges.
D) Sexual assault has the lowest rate of charges resulting from reports of any violent crime.

Question 39

In Boeschen et al.'s five-level model of expert testimony, explaining common victim reactions and general criteria for PTSD or rape trauma would be level:

A) 1.
B) 2.
C) 3.
D) 4.

Question 40

A sexual assault that involves a weapon or threats, or causes bodily harm is legally referred to as:

A) sexual assault level 1.
B) sexual assault level 2.
C) aggravated sexual assault.
D) sexual assault level 3.