Investigative Psychology

Module code: CR2022

As a contemporary branch of applied psychology, investigative psychology focuses on understanding and profiling criminals. This includes developing an understanding of the crime scene behaviour and motivations of a range of offenders, including violent and sexual offenders, arsonists and property crime offenders.

It also includes how psychology can contribute to crime analysis techniques, such as crime linkage, offender profiling and geographical profiling, as well as the contribution of psychology to police interviewing of witnesses and suspects. 

By taking this module you’ll be able to explain how psychology can contribute to police investigations of crime, and critically discuss the strengths and limitations of the research/theory underpinning investigative psychology.