Criminal Minds

1. Criminal Minds Do you think like a criminal? Cognitive explanations for crime

2. The Test • This is a story about a girl. • While at the funeral of her own mother, she met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing, so much the dream guy that she was searching for that she fell in love with him immediately. • However, she never asked for his name or number and afterward could not find anyone who knew who he was. • A few days later the girl killed her own sister.

3. The Question • Question: Why did she kill her sister?

4. The Answer • Answer: She reasoned that if the guy appeared at her mother's funeral, then he might appear at another family funeral. • If you answered like this, you think like a psychopath.

5. Hoax! • This scenario is reported to have been used by a famous America Psychologist to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Allegedly many arrested serial killers took part in this test and answered correctly. • IT IS NOT TRUE!!!!

6. Discussion • What is a more plausible reason for killing her sister? • Can you really discover psychopathological tendencies from just one question? • What other factors would we need to take into account? • Is it that simple (reductionist)? • Why is the idea that psychopaths are different so attractive to us? • See the website below for more information: - • http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/sister.asp