Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Jacquin, M. Kristine
Committee Member
Eakin, Deborah
Committee Member
Armstrong, Kevin
Date of Degree
5-2-2009
Original embargo terms
MSU Only Indefinitely
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only
Major
Psychology
Degree Name
Master of Science
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Psychology
Abstract
This study compared the accuracy of criminal profiles produced by individuals versus profiles produced by teams of two. Participants were 239 college students who were randomly assigned to work alone or in a team. Participants were asked to read a double sexual homicide case, profile the offender, and answer the Profiling Offender Characteristics Questionnaire. The results indicate that although novice profiler teams only slightly outperformed individuals on overall profile accuracy, teamwork significantly improved profiling accuracy for the cognitive characteristics of the offender. In contrast, teams and individuals showed similar profile accuracy for all other facets of the offender. These results may reflect the type of reasoning used by teams and individuals to profile different offender characteristics.
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16280
Recommended Citation
Kaderabek, Barbara Kathleen, "Are two heads better than one? The effects of teamwork on criminal profile accuracy" (2009). Theses and Dissertations. 727.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/727