Serial Killers

Serial Killers are a study in the psychopathic

perversion - usually a man with a sexual dysfunction
The US has 5% of the worlds population
and 75% of its serial killers
Buffalo Bill is the serial killer in The Silence
of the Lambs
Dr. Lecter says that Buffalo Bill was not
born, but made through years of child abuse
Buffalo Bill dresses like a woman, wears
makeup, hides his penis = gay lifestyles?
Film perpetuates the idea that if you are gay
and a man you really want to be a woman
Film links homosexuality, transsexuals, and
female impersonation directly to killing

SerialmurderFilmsUSA
Decade

No.offilms

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

12

1970s

20

1980s

23

1990s

64

SerialmurderFilmsUSA
70

1920s

60

1930s

50

1940s

40

1950s

30

1960s
1970s

20

1980s

10

1990s

No.USFilms

General Serial Killer Profile

Demographics

Male (88.3%)
White

Average intelligence

80% of all serial killers

73% of male serial killers
93% of female serial killers
107 in our data base
n = 71

Often a police groupie

Seldom involved with groups

General Serial Killer Profile

Demographics Average age is 28
Males
27.5

is average age at first kill

is the youngest (Clarence Hill)

72 is the oldest (Ray Copeland)
Jesse

Pomeroy (Boston in the 1870s)

Killed

28 people by the age of 14

Spent 58 years in solitary confinement until he died

Females (Kelleher & Kelleher, 1998)

30

is average age at first kill

14

is youngest (Caril Ann Fugate)

55 is oldest (Marie Becker)
Angels

of death, revenge killers, and team killers

tend to be younger

General Serial Killer Profile

Race
Race

Percentage

White

80.1%

Black

13.0%

Hispanic

4.5%

Asian

2.4%

General Serial Killer Profile

Childhood

Unstable home (37%)

Absence of loving and nurturing relationship
Physical ailments and disabilities
Head injuries
Triad

bed wetting
fire starting
animal torture

Effects of the Family

Child Abuse
ComparisonofSerialKillerstotheGeneralPopulation
(Mitchell&Aamodt,2004)
TypeofAbuse

General
Population

SerialKillers

Physical

6%

36%

Sexual

3%

26%

Psychological

2%

50%

Neglect

18%

18%

Other

6%

Notapplicable

NoAbuseReported

70%

32%

General Serial Killer Profile

Forensic History
Triad
Most

have a criminal history (80%)

75% spent time in jail/prison prior to their
serial killing
Many received psychiatric treatment
33% spent time in a forensic unit
Many murdered well before their serial
killing

Most frequently selected victims

[Hickey (2002; 399 serial killers)]
Strangers(70%)
1.Collegestudents,
prostitutes
2.Littleboysandgirls
3.Hitchhikers
4.Peopleathome
5.Handicappedpeople
6.Storeowners,
landlords
7.Peoplewalkingstreet
8.Olderwomen
9.Policeofficers
10.Derelicts/transients
11.Peoplerespondingto
newspaperads

Acquaintances(20%)
1.Friendsandneighbours
2.Girlfriendsand
boyfriends
3.Waitressesand
prostitutes
4.Coworkers
5.Landlords,employers,
guards
6.Gangmembers
7.Patients

Family(10%)
1.Ownchildren
2.Husbands
3.Wives
4.Inlaws
5.Nephews,nieces
6.Ownmother
7.Sibling
8.Grandparents

Male Serial Killers(399):

Methods
1. Firearms mainly (41%)
2. Suffocation (37%)
3. Stabbing (34%)
4. Bludgeoning (26%)
5. Firearms only (19%)
6. Poison (11%)
7. Drowning (3%)
8. Other (2%)

Motives
1. Sex (55%)
2. Control (29%)
3. Money (19%)
4. Enjoyment (16%)
5. Racism and hatred (11%)
6. Mental problems (6%)
7. Cult-inspired (5%)
8. Attention (2%)

Female Serial Killers (62):

Methods
1. Poison (80%)
2. Shooting (20%)
3. Bludgeoning (16%)
4. Suffocation (16%)
5. Stabbing (11%)

6. Drowning (5%)

Motives

1. Money (74%)
2. Control (13%)
3. Enjoyment (11%)
4. Sex (10%)
5. Drugs, cult involvement,
cover up, or feelings of
inadequacy (24%)

III. Female Serial Killers & their victims

Femaleserialkillerstendtobe

"blackwidows"whokilla
successionofhusbands,lovers,or
otherfamilymembers.

Theycanalsobenursesorother

medicalprofessionalswhobecome
selfappointed"angelsofdeath"
murderingbabies,elderly,orthe
desperatelyillinamisguided
efforttorelievetheirsuffering.

Aggression Statistics
15,533

murders in the U.S. in 1999

15,586 murders in the U.S. in 2000
16,037 murders in the U.S. in 2001
16,204 murders in the U.S. in 2002
Expand definition to violent crime
(murder, non-negligent manslaughter,
rape, robbery, and aggravated assault):
1,430,693

in 1999
1,425,486 in 2000
1,439,480 in 2001
1,426,325

in 2002

What did Freud say?

Eros:

Life force
Drive-thwarted
Instinct
Catharsis
Thantos: death force

What did Freud say?

"The existence of this inclination to

aggression, which we can detect in
ourselves and justly assume to be present
in others, is the factor which disturbs our
relations with our neighbors and which
forces civilization into such high
expenditure [of energy]. In consequence of
this primary mutual hostility of human
beings, civilized society is perpetually
threatened with disintegration.

What did Freud say?

Civilization has to use its utmost efforts in order

to set limits to man's aggressive instincts and
to hold the manifestations of them in check by
psychical reaction-formations. Hence,
therefore, the use of methods intended to incite
people into identifications and aim-inhibited
relations of love, hence the restrictions upon
sexual life, and hence too the ideal's
commandment to love one's neighbor as
oneself-a commandment which is really
justified by the fact that nothing else runs so
strongly counter to the original nature of man."

Is Aggression Instinctual?

Hobbes, Freud, and Lorenz say yes.

Freud and Lorenz in particular believe that aggressive
energy builds up and must be released.

Catharsis theory.
Unfortunately, aggressive catharsis frequently leads to more
aggression.

One problem with instinctual explanations is that they

tend to be descriptive and circular.

Theories of Aggression
Instinct Theory: Through evolution, humans
have inherited a fighting instinct similar to
that found in many species of animals.
Leading Proponent: Konrad Lorenz (ethology)
He says we have a biological need for
aggression. It gets stronger as time passes
since the last aggressive act (like hunger
increases hours after a meal).
This causes our energy level (drive level) to
increase. This energy must somehow be
released (catharsis).

Theories of Aggression
Instinct Theory says that humans learn their
own individual ways of expressing aggressive
motivation. Nonhuman species behave in
ways that are genetically programmed and
characteristic of all members of the species.

Fixed Action Pattern: complex behavior

that is largely unlearned and found in all
members of a species (or subgroup), and
that is triggered by a very simple
stimulus in the environment (releaser).

Hydraulic Theory
predicts:

1. Aggression is inevitable - the

accumulating energy must find an
outlet
2. Humans & animals will actively
'look for fights'.
3. After an attack an animal / human
will become less aggressive.
4. Animals reared in isolation will show
aggressive behaviour.

Roots of Violence
Instinct Freud-

innate (unlearned) behavior pattern

redirecting the death instinct (thanatos) to

others
Lorenz- inherited fighting instinct developed through
the course of evolution (strongest survive)

Not supported because:

Human

aggression takes many forms

Frequency of violence varies across cultures
Engaging in potentially lethal behavior makes little
sense in evolutionary terms

If not instinctual, can aggression

still be biological?
Evolutionary

psychologists argue yes.

Buss and Shackleford propose that our
ancestors found aggression to be
adaptive.
Lore and Schultz agree to a point. They
also point out that most species have
developed inhibitory mechanisms.
Thus,

aggression is an optional strategy.

Neurological and Chemical

Influences
Amygdala

(located in the forebrain).

Testosterone leads to an increase in aggression, but
also increases during aggression
If

testosterone is linked to aggression, does this mean that

men are more aggressive than women?

Maccoby

and Jacklin research suggests yes.

Across

cultures, women demonstrate less violence

Further, during era of womens liberation, non-violent crime
rate relative to male rate has increased, but not violent crime
rate.

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

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Seretonin levels in suicide

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Research on Humans

General Research Question: Do men show reactive increases in

testosterone after exposure to potential mates?

Are hormonal responses related to behavioral measures of

courtship?

Previous research on hormonal responses to sexual stimuli:

A number of studies have found increased LH or testosterone
levels in men within 10-20 minutes of the onset of exposure to
erotic or sexually explicit films
However, no published studies have demonstrated increases in
testosterone after more ecologically realistic social interactions
with potential mates

Study Design

Male subjects (mean age = 21.36) were randomly assigned to a

male (n=18) or female (n=21) condition

Subjects engaged in a 5-minute conversation with a male or female

confederate

Saliva samples were taken before and 15 minutes after the

interaction

Confederates rated the subjects behavior during the interaction.

Effects of Social Interactions on Testosterone

30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Male

Female

Female condition: paired t (18) = 2.10, p = .05, d = .99

Male condition: paired t (17) = 0.90, p = .38, d = .44
Change scores did not differ significantly across conditions

Change in Testosterone by Courtship-Like Behavior

Female Condition
6

3
Display Scale Ratings
2

1
-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Change in Log Transformed Testosterone Levels

r (19) = .52, p < .05

Roney et al., 2003

Courtship Behaviors
(immediate)

Activation of LimbicHypothalamic
Structures

Cues from
Females

r = .52

Testosterone Increase
(post 20 minutes)

Violence in Hunter-Gatherer Society

Yanomamo group of hunter-gatherers in Amazon studies over last 25 years

(Napolean Chagnon)

Inter-tribe violence very common with cycles of killings and retaliations

Chagnon estimated that about 70% of individuals over age 40 had lost at
least one close genetic kin to homicide

kinship groups that retaliate swiftly and demonstrate their resolve to

avenge deaths acquire reputations for ferocity that deter the violent designs
of their neighbors. a group with a reputation for swift retaliation is
attacked less frequently and thus suffers a lower rate of mortality.
Aggressive groups coerce nubile females from less aggressive groups
whenever the opportunity arises. Many appear to calculate the costs and
benefits of forcibly appropriating or coercing females from groups that are
perceived to be weak.

Yanomamo men who have killed someone undergo a purification ritual that
gives them the status of unokai

Women almost never unokai

Chagnon computed that unokai on average had more offspring than nonunokai 4.91 vs. 1.59 on avg., collapsed across adult age groups

Men who had killed also had more wives: 1.63 vs. 0.63 on average

He speculates that men who have killed are both considered more valuable
to the group (avenge and deter attacks from other groups) and thus are
more attractive as mates, and they are able to forcibly acquire
resources/women from other men in the group

Roots of Violence (cont.)

Biological

Factors

High

testosterone linked to higher aggression and

less helping behavior in both males and females
Low levels of serotonin inhibit ability to restrain
aggressive urges
Drive

theoriesexternally elicited drives

arouses motive to harm others
Frustration-aggression

theory not well-supported

because:
Frustration may lead to sadness, depression
People may aggress for other reasons (boxers,
soldiers)

XYY- Super Male Syndrome

Criminal Chromosomes?

Supermale? Or supercriminal?

Early work with karyotyping showed that normal men have an X and a Y
sex chromosome, unlike women who have two X chromosomes. In
1961, Sandberg et al. found a man with an extra Y Chromosome (XYY).
Since the Y chromosome codes for maleness these individuals were
dubbed super-males. [Ritter, 1993]

In 1965 a well-respected geneticist, Patricia Jacobs, stated that the

incidence of XYY condition among the prison population was 20 times
greater than normal. Her study linked the XYY condition with subnormal
IQ and tendencies for violent crime.[Jacobs et.al. 1965].

The Jacobs study led to sensationalized trials in which lawyers tried to

exonerate the actions of the accused by blaming it on XYY syndrome.

A belief that XYY males were genetically predisposed to criminal

behaviour encouraged public leaders to call for genetic screening of
newborns and the imposition of interventions to prevent criminal
behaviors from occurring.

Personal Determinants

Type A behavior pattern

Hostile attributional style

Tend to perceive malice in others ambiguous acts

Narcissism (inflated self-esteem)

Type As (highly competitive, time-urgent, hostile) tend to be

more aggressive

Tend to lash out if grandiosity is threatened

Gender (higher in males)

Males tend to use direct forms (push, shove, coercion)
Females tend to use indirect (gossip, spread rumors)
Note: Gender differences disappear under provocation

What does Bandura say?

Is Aggression Learned?
Does

aggression pay?
Are people reinforced
for aggression?
If

so, operant conditional

suggests that they are
more likely to aggress in
the future.

Social

Learning Theory

Vicarious

reinforcement
Banduras famous study
with the Bobo doll.

Regional Differences in
Aggression and Social Models

Homicide

rates for White southern males are

substantially higher than for White northern
males (especially in rural areas)
However, they

do not endorse violence in

general, only as a tool for protection of property
and in response to insults: Culture of honor
based upon history as herding society

Nisbett

research on southerners reaction to

being bumped and cursed at
More

upset (cortisol increase), primed for

aggression (testosterone increase), more likely
to engage
in aggression after the incident.

Frustration-Aggression Theory

Dollards original definition: Frustration leads to (hostile)

aggression.

Is this always true?

Berkowitz revises theory to state

Frustration is defined as having ones goal attainment blocked.

Frustration produces anger, which provides a readiness to

agress but does not guarantee it.

Important concepts include expectations and relative

deprivation.

American society creates frustration.

Theories of Aggression
Negative Affect Theory: Proposed by Leonard
Berkowitz, it states that negative feelings and
experiences are the main cause of anger and
angry aggression. Sources of anger include:
pain, frustration, loud noise, foul odors,
crowding, sadness, and depression.
The likelihood that an angry person will
act aggressively depends on his or her
interpretation of the motives of the
people involved.

Situational Determinants
Temperature

(curvilinear relationship)

As temp. increases, assaults increase, but only up to a point

(around 90 degrees)
Hotter years (and summers) increased rates of violent crimes,
but not property or rape crimes

Alcohol

Intoxicated participants behave more aggressively and respond

to provocations more strongly
Alcohol myopiathe more alcohol, the more accepting of
sexual aggression to woman acting friendly (see Figure)
Low aggressors became more aggressive when intoxicated,
whereas high aggressors did not

Heat and Aggression

Heat and Aggression

Heat and the Bean Ball

U-shaped Curve

Reliable but not very

strong pattern

Alcohol

Strong

correlation between
alcohol use and violent crimes

Typical Experimental Design

Didtheybelievetheywere
drinkingalcohol
Yes

No

Yes

25%

25%

No

25%

25%

Didtheyactually
drinkalcohol

cp

Findings
Believe
drinking
alcohol

Believedrinking
alcoholandare
drinkingalcohol

Are
drinkingalcohol

Aggressive

Aggressive

Most
aggressive
cp

Alcohol & Fear

Alcohol

intoxication is related to behavioral

disinhibition
Many believe alcohol has anxiolytic effects
Some have theorized that alcohol-related
aggression is due to a fearlessness
However, there was little evidence to support
these theories
Use startle probe methodology to examine the
effects of alcohol on emotion

Alcohol & Startle

Have persons view pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral

slides while intoxicated
Compared to non-intoxicated participants overall startle
magnitude was reduced
Startle modulation remained intact
Alcohol seems to effect emotional processing through a
general dampening of brain activity
In contrast to Valium, which inhibits fear reactivity without
effecting overall startle magnitude

Alcohol & Fear

Alternative hypothesis:

Perhaps alcohol inhibits fear indirectly through higher cognitive

processes needed to evaluated fearful stimuli under complex
situations

Fewer attentional resources

Diminished ability to use associate memory involved in
processing complex situations, anticipate consequences,
and select appropriate responses

Alcohol & Fear

Experiment

with sober and intoxicated

individuals
Present light cues indicating the possibility
of electric shock
Green

light = safe
Red light = threat, might get a shock
For

half the trials present pleasant pictures

as distracters
Measure startle response

Alcohol & Fear

Alcohol

had an overall effect on startle

magnitude
In the distracting condition, alcohol also
reduced fear reactivity
Distracting condition placed the greatest
cognitive demands on participant in
processing of dual stimuli

Alcohol & Fear

Alcohol

only reduced fear in when

competing cognitive demands are present
Alcohol intoxication may serve as model
for behavioral inhibition in complex or
competing stimuli contexts
Could serve as a model for Factor 2
processes

Frustration and Aggression

Dollard, Doob, Miller,

Mowrer, & Sears

Frustration always leads to

aggression

Frustration is a blocked
goal

aggression is first targeted

against agent that is
blocking the goal

If that is not possible

aggression is often
displaced

cotton prices and lynchings

The Correlation
Between Cotton
Prices and Lynchings
was r = -.67.

Causes of Aggression,
Continued

Alcohol
75%

of individuals arrested for crimes of

violence were legally drunk at the time of their
arrests.
Experimental evidence implies that alcohol
ingestion increases aggression
Interpretation, alcohol is a disinhibitor. It
seems that under the influence of alcohol a
persons primary tendencies are revealed

Causes of Aggression,
Continued
Pain

and Discomfort

If

an animal experiences pain and cant flee, violence

follows
Most research has been done on heat
Violent crime and aggression increases as temperature
increases (e.g., baseball above 90)
Confound is increased interaction as it gets warmer
However, lab research suggests that temperature is
key component

Color
Research

demonstrates that room color

does not have much of an impact
However, uniform color has been
demonstrated to be related to an increase in
penalties received (in both football and
hockey)
Question

is: Does wearing a color make you

more aggressive or are referees more likely to
interpret ambiguous situations as aggressive?

Pornography and Violence

Against Women

Presidential commission on pornography concluded that

explicit sexual material in and of itself did not contribute
to sexual crimes, violence against women, or other antisocial acts.
But. Violent pornography has been shown to increase
acceptance of sexual violence (Malamuth and
Donnerstein).
Evidence that slasher movies have the same impact.

Social Learning and Mass

Media
TV

is full of violent models.

in 10 shows have violence.

By age 10 average child has viewed 8,000
murders on TV.
Few consequences of violence on TV.
High

correlation between the amount of TV

watched and viewers subsequent aggression
this data is correlational
Margaret Thomas demonstrated that viewing
TV violence can numb peoples reactions
when they
are faced with real-life
aggression

Why does media violence affect

us?
When

we summarize the ideas in the

research four themes arise:
Seeing

others being aggressive weakens our

learned inhibitions against violence.
Learn techniques, imitate.
Primes anger. Makes us more aware of
anger.
Desensitization to violence.

Reducing Aggression
What

doesnt work:

Viewingviolence
Verbalexpressionofanger
Displacingaggressiontoinanimateobjects

Reducing Aggression
What

does work:

Delay
Distraction
Relax
Incompatibleresponse

cp

Theories of Emotion
1. Common Sense Theory

Theories of Emotion
2. James-Lange
we feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike,
afraid because we tremble, and not that we cry, strike or
tremble because we are sorry, angry or fearful.
-- William James

Facial Feedback Theory

Smiling

makes you feel happier

Theories of Emotion
3. Cannon-Bard Theory

Schachters
Experiment
Schachter & Singer (1962)

subjects were injected with adrenaline (or a

placebo)

adrenaline sweaty palms, increased heart

rate, shakes

some subjects were told they would feel

aroused; some were told nothing
left subjects in a waiting room with a
confederate

euphoria condition

angry condition

Stanley Schachter
1922-1997

confederate played with a hula hoop and made

paper airplanes
confederate asked obnoxious personal
questions (e.g., With how many men other
than your father has your mother had
extramarital relations: (a) <5; (b) 5-9; (c) >9

Schachters Results

Theories of Emotion
4. Schachters Attribution Theory
Cognitive appraisal = TYPE of Emotion

Degree of Arousal = INTENSITY of Emotion

This figure is simpler

than Fig. 6.24 (which you can ignore) in your text

Misattribution of Emotion

emotions can be attributed to the

wrong source

(Dutton & Aron, 1974)

male subjects were asked to meet
the experimenter on a bridge
across the Capilano River in B.C.

Group 1: Capilano suspension

bridge
Group 2: sturdy modern bridge

attractive female research

assistant interviewed them in the
middle of the bridge and gave her
phone number
Men interviewed on the scary
bridge were more likely to call her

An idea for your next date?

Emotion in the Brain

The Amygdala

part of the limbic system (with the

hippocampus and hypothalamus)
amygdala = almond
processes emotional significance of
stimuli and generates immediate
reactions
damage to amygdala

abnormal activation of amygdala

inability to recognize facial emotions

absence of fear
absence of conditioned fear response
sudden violent rage

in fMRI studies, the amygdala is

activated by scary stimuli (even if youre
not aware of them)

Frontal Lobes

Phineas
Gage

Gage
is no longer Gage

Frontal Lobotomies

1935: chimps who were neurotic before surgery

became more relaxed after it

1930s: Egaz Moniz begins frontal lobotomies in

humans (and eventually wins Nobel Prize)

1950s: psychosurgery in vogue; 40,000 frontal

lobotomies in North America

The story of Agnes (Kolb & Whishaw)

orbitofrontal cortex

no outward signs of emotion

no facial expression
no feelings toward other people (but still liked her dog)
felt empty, zombie-like
Other patients lose prosody = emotional component of
speech

Patients with damage can remember info but dont

have emotions associated with it

Frontal patients show flat skin

conductance to disturbing stimuli

Right hemisphere specialized for

Happy or sad? emotion

Why?
righthemispherespecializedforrecognizingemotions

Do the two hemispheres have different

personalities?
lefthemisphere

activatedbypositiveemotions
leftfrontaldamagedepressed

sometimesoverlycatastrophicandweepyaboutinjury

diminishedlefthemisphereactivationindepressedpeople

righthemisphere

activatedbynegativeemotions
rightfrontaldamagefewernegativeemotions

oftennotappropriatelyupsetorconcernedaboutinjury