Forensic Psychology

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 1

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

Course: Forensic Psychology

PEIMS Code: N1303012

Abbreviation: FORENSPSY

Grade Level(s): 11-12

Number of Credits: 1.0

Course description:

Forensic psychology is found at the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice

system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to

interact within the criminal justice system. It utilizes and applies basic skills developed in

psychology and criminal scenarios resulting in a structured and scientific approach to

investigative analysis; thereby, enabling police and law enforcement officials to predict criminal

activity via scientific analysis rather than intuition. Students will learn basic structured

psychological investigative techniques in question building, interviewing, criminal behavior

characteristics, truth detection methodology, research methods, statistical analysis and

probability forecasting.

Essential knowledge and skills:

(a) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 11-12.

Recommended prerequisite: Law Enforcement I and Psychology. Students shall be

awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.

(b) Introduction.

(1) CTE instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and

relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and

succeed in current or emerging professions.

(2) The Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Cluster focuses on planning,

managing, and providing legal services, public safety, protective services, and

homeland security, including professional and technical support services.

(3) Forensic psychology is found at the intersection between psychology and the

criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant

jurisdictions in order to be able to interact within the criminal justice system. The

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 2

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

course introduces theoretical frameworks used to identify and diagnose the clinical

psychiatric status of individuals involved in civil and criminal litigation. The course

applies basic skills developed in psychology and criminal scenarios resulting in a

structured and scientific approach to investigative analysis; thereby, enabling

police and law enforcement officials to predict criminal activity via scientific

analysis rather than intuition. Students will learn basic structured psychological

investigative techniques in question building, interviewing, criminal behavior

characteristics, truth detection methodology, research methods, statistical analysis

and probability forecasting.

(4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as

career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular

organizations.

(5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be

mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible

illustrative examples.

(1) The student knows the employability characteristics of a forensic psychologist in the

modern workplace and industry. The student is expected to:

(A) achieve business and industry employability skills standards such as

attendance, on-time arrival, meeting deadlines, working toward

personal/team goals every day, and ethical use of technology;

(B) identify roles, function, and responsibilities of the forensic psychologist

within the criminal justice system;

forensic psychology

(D) identify the value of the forensic psychologist in law enforcement and

criminal investigative environments;

(E) demonstrate the ethical standards required of the forensic psychologist; and

(F) identify training requirements of a forensic psychologist.

(2) The student relates core academic skills to forensic psychology. The student is

expected to:

(A) demonstrate computer and math skills to calculate statistical analysis of

survey data collected during research;

(B) write grammatically correct, accurate, and concise reports in legal and

ethical context for presentation in the criminal justice system;

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 3

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

forensic psychology;

(3) The student describes the intersections between the field of psychology and the

criminal justice system. The student is expected to:

(A) identify characteristics that differentiate the field of forensic psychology from

other related social sciences such as psychology and sociology;

(B) trace the historical development of contemporary perspectives in

psychology, including biological, behavioral, cognitive, sociocultural,

humanistic, and psychodynamic;

influenced the application of law in various cases;

(D) research, analyze, and present findings of historical psychological changes

in culture, criminals, and society;

(E) identify and relate the history of forensic psychology on the criminal justice

system;

(F) determine the historical relationship between forensic psychology and

society; and

(G) explain the empirical value of forensic psychology in law enforcement.

(4) The student understands the development of behavior may be a life-long process.

The student is expected to:

(A) critique the various perspectives presented in the nature versus nurture

debate;

(B) trace the influence of mental development on the individual;

(D) discuss and evaluate the concept of moral and ethical behavior; and

(E) evaluate and predict behavior given particular criminal scenarios.

(5) The student understands the principles of motivation and emotion. The student is

expected to:

(A) compare predominant theories of motivation and emotion;

(B) explore the interaction of biological and cultural factors in emotion and

motivation; and

behavior.

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 4

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

(6) The student understands the development and assessment of personality within the

legal system. The student is expected to:

(A) define personality;

(B) compare and evaluate various theories of personality, including

psychodynamic, sadistic, trait, humanistic, and sociocultural; and

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Criterion based

content analysis (CBCA), child custody assessments, risk assessments,

trauma assessments, and forensic interview and assessments; and

(D) discuss assessments used in the criminal justice system such as Reid and

Preparation, Engage/Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluate (PEACE)

techniques.

(7) The student understands basic elements of reasoning. The student is expected to:

(A) define and identify the elements of thought such as point of view, question

at issue, information, interpretation/inference, concepts, assumptions, and

implications;

(B) identify strategies and obstacles associated with problem solving and

decision making;

and

(D) understand the culpable mental states.

(8) The student understands the multifaceted aspects of mental health. The student is

expected to:

(A) explain stress and the individual's physiological, behavioral, and

psychological responses to stressors;

(B) evaluate cognitive and behavioral strategies for dealing with stress that may

lead to crime;

acknowledge the sociocultural stigma of labeling behavior as abnormal;

(D) recognize the biological, social, and cognitive origins of abnormal behavior;

and

(E) discuss major categories of abnormal behaviors and identify their respective

characteristics as classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 5

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

(9) The student understands the influence of society and culture upon behavior and

choices. The student is expected to:

(A) describe how attributions affect explanations of criminal behavior;

(B) explore the nature and effects of bias and discrimination;

conformity are likely to occur; and

(D) describe the effects of the presence of others on individual behavior.

(10) The student explains the functions and applications of the theoretical

approaches/strategies, tools, equipment, technologies, and materials used in the field

of forensics. The student is expected to:

(A) identify categories of evidence;

(B) demonstrate use of technology to research techniques, assessments, and

risk assessment by culture, individual, community, and society;

(D) demonstrate utilization of assessments and profiling of criminal behavior;

(E) determine questionnaire assessments to ascertain appropriate punishment

for criminal behavior within the criminal justice system;

(F) identify and manage conflict between individuals, and groups;

(G) demonstrate understanding of “truth” and “ethics” as a student and as a

forensic psychologist;

(H) identify and demonstrate the techniques of a forensic psychologist;

(I) demonstrate interview and interrogation techniques of the forensic

psychologist;

(J) apply forensic psychology assessment values to law enforcement scenarios

and situations;

(K) demonstrate the use of risk assessments and profiling in the criminal justice

system; and

(L) demonstrate the forensic psychologist skills in a mock setting such as field

research, courtroom presentation, or public speaking.

(11) The student applies the concepts and skills of forensic psychology to simulate an

actual work situation. The student is expected to:

(A) identify potential clientele of the forensic psychologist;

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 6

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

(B) research major case studies;

(D) gather evidence using various research methods and report the findings;

(E) research or interview a forensic psychologist expert; and

(F) interact with guest lecturers in the field of forensic psychology.

Description of specific student needs this course is designed to meet:

The Forensic Psychology course is designed for students who have shown an interest in Law

Enforcement and/or Criminal Justice programs. By gaining the skills and techniques presented

in this course, students are prepared to to enter the workforce. Careers in forensics are noted to

have a 27% increase between 2014 and 2024 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics and it is being

added as a major at many universities secondary to an increased demand in this area.

Major resources and materials:

Fulero, S. & Wrightman, L.S. (2009). Forensic psychology. (3

ed.). University of Kansas:

Cengage.

Huss, M. (2014). Forensic psychology. Research, clinical practice, and applications. (2

ed.).

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Kasschau, R. A. & McTighe, J. (2014). Understanding psychology. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill

Education

Recommended course activities:

Students will participate in both academic and real world activities in the areas of criminal

behavior and criminal scenarios resulting in a structured and scientific approach to investigative

analysis, which enable police and law enforcement officials to predict criminal activity via

scientific analysis rather than intuition. Students will perform basic structured psychological

investigative techniques in question building, interviewing, criminal behavior characteristics,

truth detection methodology, research methods, statistical analysis and probability forecasting.

Students will conduct at least one survey and utilize statistical analysis to establish findings from

the survey. Students will demonstrate interview skills to determine the ability to identify

Approved for use beginning: 2008-2009

Expires: TBD, revision of CTE TEKS

Page 7

Approved Innovative Course

• Districts must have local board approval to implement

innovative courses

• Innovative courses may meet state elective credit only

• CTE Innovative courses may not be the final course in a

coherent sequence for an endorsement

• Course requirements must be met without modification

characteristics found in criminals attempting to mislead law enforcement during structured

criminal scenarios.

Suggested methods for evaluating student outcomes:

Formative and summative assessments utilizing technology and other applications utilizing a

computer or smart device may be used. Ethics, honor, and responsibility will be stressed

throughout the content of this course due to the importance of these character traits for a

Forensic Psychologist.

Teacher qualifications:

Bachelors/Masters of Science in Criminology, Forensic Science, or Psychology or related field

and certified to teach in Criminal Justice or Psychology and 5 years of working as an investigator

in law enforcement career field.

Recommended educator certifications:

Psychology:

Secondary, Grades 6-12 or Grades 9-12

Trade and Industrial Education:

Grades 6-12 with appropriate work approval as identified on the certificate

Grades 8-12 with appropriate work approval as identified on the certificate

Vocational Trades and Industry with appropriate work approval as identified on the certificate

Additional information: