Psychological Foundations of Forensic Psychology
Code: 44451 ECTS Credits: 12| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Legal and Forensic Psychology | OB | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Elena Garrido Gaitán
- Email:
- elena.garrido@uab.cat
Teachers
- Maria Carmen Navarro Villanueva
- Jenny Cubells Serra
- Maria Jose Rodriguez Puerta
- Sergi Mora Montserrat
- Monica Balltondre Pla
- Elena Garrido Gaitán
- (External) Ŕngel Cuquerella
- (External) José Antonio Becerra
- (External) Maria Inés Lovelle Iglesias
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
No requirements.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This module aims to develop the Legal and Procedural common basis of the field in which the professional role is going to be performed, eminently in the legal field. Likewise, essential tools will be provided for the understanding of the profession such as the structuring of the report, ethical aspects, structuring the expert process, as well as the important distinction between Legal and Forensic Psychology, initiating the bases in this module of both areas of knowledge that will be developed in the following modules.
Thus, it is intended to:
- Know the bases and differences between Forensic and Legal Psychology, as well as their different areas of work
- Provide the necessary knowledge related to the judicial processes in which they intervene as a forensic or legal psychologist.
- Strengthen the ethical, historical, documentary search and basic research foundations for Forensic and Legal Psychology.
- Know the language and processes of disciplines related to forensic work (police, forensics, court processes).
Competences
- Apply and compare forensic psychological assessment techniques.
- Apply the applicable regulations and show ethical and professional responsibility in the practice of forensic psychology.
- Contextualise the competences and specific concepts of general psychology within the area of legal and forensic psychology.
- Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- Students can communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
- That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
- Use the basic techniques and suitable methodologies to draw up and defend judicial reports.
- Work cooperatively, in complex or uncertain environments and with limited resources, in a multidisciplinary context, recognising and adjusting to the roles played by the different professionals.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the psychological concepts that are relevant in the field of legal and forensic psychology.
- Know and know how to interpret the different legal regulations that are used in the forensic practice of psychology.
- Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- Select and administer the appropriate instruments for forensic psychological assessment.
- Select the appropriate techniques for the preparation of judicial reports.
- Students can communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
- That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
- Work cooperatively, in complex or uncertain environments and with limited resources, in a multidisciplinary context, recognising and adjusting to the roles played by the different professionals.
Content
This module is structured in the following contents:
- Historical development in the legal and forensic field. Beginnings and development of Forensic Psychology.
- Legal and ethical basis. Ethical principles. Ethics applied to forensic practice. Mal Praxis and ethical protocols for intervention.
- Role of the expert. Types of forensic roles. Training to act as an expert.
- Psychological expert process. General procedure. Application areas. The report, the testimony.
- Basis of Legal Psychology.
- Psychological expertise within the legal process. General aspects of psychological expert evidence. Principles of criminal, civil, family, labor and canonical procedures.
- Forensic evidence: judicial police information. Functions of the judicial police. The scientific police.
- Forensic evidence: medical-forensic information. Fields of forensic medicine.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes and practical sessions | 60 | 2.4 | 2, 1, 8, 5, 6, 3 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 20 | 0.8 | 4, 7 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous work | 220 | 8.8 | 4, 8, 5, 6, 3, 9 |
This module is of a professional nature, which involves masterful teaching by experts in their subjects. Thus, a methodology is proposed in which different contents will be developed in each session, taught by the different specialists. In the course of the sessions, there will be activities that might be assessed as stated in the assessment section. Methodologically, these activities will consist of case resolution, participation in debates and/or exams ans tests, etc. Finally, students will have to do autonomous course work to pass the subject.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical tests and reports | 30% | 0 | 0 | 2, 1, 4, 7, 5, 3, 9 |
| Theoretical tests (exams) | 40% | 0 | 0 | 2, 1, 8, 3, 9 |
| Written work and reports | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2, 1, 4, 7, 8, 6, 3 |
The approach that we propose, aims to gather different scores on participation in the subject that allows to the continuous and definitive assessment. A continuous assessment will be carried out, measured through three different evidences. The final grade for the module 1 is planned between 0 and 10 point. It will be considered that a student has passed the subject if, in the weighted average of the different evidences, they obtain a score equal to or greater than 5, being the minimum grade for each piece of evidence a score of 4 for weighting purposes.
a) THEORETICAL EXAM (40% OF THE FINAL MARK). There will be a multiple choice exam on the content of the module (15th Week). In the period of two weeks maximum from the end of the test, students will receive their numeric qualification.
b) PRACTICAL EXAM (30% OF THE FINAL MARK). A case resolution exam will be carried out on the content of the module; it’s an individual essay based on short questions (15th Week). In the period of two weeks maximum from the end of the practical exam, students will receive their numeric qualification.
c) WORKS AND REPORTS (30% OF THE FINAL MARK). During the course of the Module, the delivery of a work will be requested, which may consist of an expert report, a follow-up report or a practical case analysis. Specific information on the case and/or type of report will be provided at the beginning of the semester via Moodle. It has to be delivered on-line (Moodle Campus) and has to be performed by two students (15th week). In the period of two weeks maximum from the report delivery, students will receive their numeric qualification through a rubric in the Virtual Campus.
In the event of failing any of the 3 tests (not in cases of unattendance), the grade for each failed test can be resit (independently and with an evaluation test that will follow the same evaluative format as the failed test). In case of resit, the maximum grade achievable for each evidence will be 7.
STUDENTS WITHOUT ASSESSMENT
Students who do not deliver/perform two or three of the proposed evidences are considered non-assessable. Thus, in case of not doing any, or in case of doing only one (passed or not), they will be considered non-evaluable.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS OF THE EVALUATION
• In the event that during an exam the presence of a student cheating is detected, they will automatically fail the test without the possibility of accessing the resit. In case of plagiarism in the writing of works, the option of direct suspense will be considered.
• Students who do NOT present all the evidence of the Module will NOT pass (fail) the subject
• In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not allowed in none of its phases. Any work that includes fragments generated with AI will be considered an academic dishonesty and may involve a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity.
• Once the subject has been passed (grade ≥ 5) systems cannot be established to improve the final grade.
• For more information, you have the Guide to the Assessment Guidelines of the Faculty of Psychology https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html
Bibliography
As this is a subject with diverse content, lecturers will provide selected bibliography for each of the different areas and topics covered. There is a mandatory reading in this course:
- Garrido, E.; Lovelle, M.I.; Mora, S. y Pina, R. (2022) Introducción a la psicología forense. Principios para la evaluación. UOC Editorial
Software
Not foreseen.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TEm) Theory (master) | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | afternoon |