Legal, Forensic and Criminological Psychology

Activity type

Psicologia generale, fisiologica e psicometria

SSD

M-PSI/01

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

3

Hours distribution

36 laboratory hours

Lecturers

VINCENZO CESTARI

Activity type

Psicologia generale, fisiologica e psicometria

SSD

M-PSI/01

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

3

Hours distribution

24 classroom hours

Lecturers

VINCENZO CESTARI

General aims
The course will provide students with an up-to-date knowledge of the study of emotions, stress and memory processes in relation to the experience of aversive events. Particular emphasis will be placed on the relationships between emotions, stress and memory for aversive and traumatic events. The analysis of the cognitive and behavioural consequences of aversive and traumatic experiences at different stages of the life span will also be explored in depth, with particular attention to those aspects most relevant to the legal-forensic and criminological contexts.

Specific aims
Knowledge and understanding.
By the end of the course the student will demonstrate a broad knowledge of the complex interactions between environmental events, emotions, stress and memory and their modulation by individual characteristics. The knowledge acquired will also promote a clear understanding of the effects of the above interactions in the context of behaviours of relevance in the legal-forensic field.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will have acquired skills that will enable them to deal, both in research contexts and in the workplace, with issues that are characterised by interdisciplinary elements, ranging from genetic background to disorders that have repercussions on social behaviour, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The professional and research fields in which the knowledge acquired during the course can be applied range from health protection and work to the legal-forensic context.

Autonomy of judgement.
The structure and content of the course are also designed to promote autonomy of judgement. The course provides an interdisciplinary body of knowledge that the student will progressively view from an integrated perspective. For example, the theme of the interaction between psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry and genetics in legal and forensic activities illustrates the ethical reflection that current scientific knowledge entails and that the student will address in the course. The writing of papers and the preparation of presentations on specific topics will also contribute to this.

Communication skills
Activities involving the oral and/or written presentation of work on specific topics in the literature of the discipline will also make an important contribution to the development of communication skills.

Learning skills.
The student will be guided to develop the ability to independently acquire knowledge on topics of interest by learning the most effective ways of mastering the scientific literature of interest through the use of "online libraries" (e.g. Pub-Med or Scopus) and developing the ability to effectively cope with reading up-to-date scientific material in English.

Lab

General objectives
The laboratory activities will integrate the knowledge acquired in the theoretical lectures on the study of emotions, stress and memory processes related to the experience of aversive events with practical activities and an in-depth analysis of the scientific literature. The knowledge of the relationships between emotions, stress and the memory of aversive and traumatic events, as well as their application in professional contexts, will be further deepened thanks to the theoretical and practical activities foreseen in the hours dedicated to the laboratory.

Specific objectives
Knowledge and understanding.
The laboratory activities will deepen and enrich the students' knowledge of the complex interactions between environmental events, emotions, stress and memory, and their modulation by individual characteristics, from a practical perspective. The laboratory activities will enhance understanding of the impact of the above interactions in the context of behaviours of relevance in the legal-forensic field.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the laboratory activities and the theoretical lectures, the student will have acquired skills that will enable him/her to address, in both research and work contexts, issues characterised by interdisciplinary elements ranging from genetic background to social behaviour. The laboratory activities will further develop the ability to apply the knowledge acquired during the course to the professional field.

Autonomy of judgement.
The structure and content of the workshop are also designed to promote autonomy of judgement, which is pursued with an integrative view of the interdisciplinary knowledge of the programme. Autonomy of judgement will also be developed by stimulating the ability to critically analyse the literature in the field and through research and application planning activities.

Communication skills
Activities involving the oral and/or written presentation of work carried out on specific topics through an in-depth study of the literature in the field of study will also make an important contribution to the development of communication skills.

Learning skills.
The student will be guided to develop the ability to independently acquire knowledge on topics of interest by learning the most effective ways of mastering the scientific literature of interest through the use of 'online libraries' (e.g. Pub-Med or Scopus) and developing the ability to effectively cope with reading up-to-date scientific material in English.

Students will be able to use the articulated knowledge of the course in legal-forensic and criminological contexts and, more generally, in a range of professional contexts. By the end of the course they will have a thorough knowledge of the relationships between emotions, stress and memory and will have developed important skills in using the relevant scientific literature in the professional and research contexts in which they may be involved.

No prerequisites

Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS
The study of Emotions from XIX century to date.
Emotions: adaptive roles and modulation in the context of aversive events.
Genes and Behaviour.
Relationship between an individual's genetic background, environment, and behavioral phenotype.
The study of Stress: from the physiological approach to cognitivism and cognitive neuroscience.
Relationship between stress and memory processes.
Stress and aversive events. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Psychological trauma and traumatic events
Cognitive and behavioural effects of trauma: role of genotype and environment in the response to traumatic events e in aggressive behaviour.
The study of the relationship between memory and emotions (emotional memory): a contribution to the knowledge of the mechanisms of long-term memory formation and possible clinical implications of traumatic memories.
Mechanisms underlying Consolidation and Reconsolidation of memory.
Emotions and memory trace strength.
Modulation of cognitive and behavioral effects of aversive events: possible interventions.

Course activities will also include knowledge of research activities aimed at the study of specific memory processes, with particular emphasis on the memory of events with emotional content. In addition and particularly in the part of the course dedicated to laboratory activities, in-depth literature review activities on specific course topics are planned, with the students developing papers and PowerPoint presentations illustrating possible application and implications of the program topics.


Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS LAB
The study of Emotions from XIX century to date.
Emotions: adaptive roles and modulation in the context of aversive events.
Genes and Behaviour.
Relationship between an individual's genetic background, environment, and behavioral phenotype.
The study of Stress: from the physiological approach to cognitivism and cognitive neuroscience.
Relationship between stress and memory processes.
Stress and aversive events. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Psychological trauma and traumatic events
Cognitive and behavioural effects of trauma: role of genotype and environment in the response to traumatic events e in aggressive behaviour.
The study of the relationship between memory and emotions (emotional memory): a contribution to the knowledge of the mechanisms of long-term memory formation and possible clinical implications of traumatic memories.
Mechanisms underlying Consolidation and Reconsolidation of memory.
Emotions and memory trace strength.
Modulation of cognitive and behavioral effects of aversive events: possible interventions.

Course activities will also include knowledge of research activities aimed at the study of specific memory processes, with particular emphasis on the memory of events with emotional content. In addition and particularly in the part of the course dedicated to laboratory activities, in-depth literature review activities on specific course topics are planned, with the students developing papers and PowerPoint presentations illustrating possible application and implications of the program topics.

Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS
Laboratory of Emotions and Memory of Traumatic Events
Below is a selection of articles used in the preparation of the
laboratory lessons
Articles recommended for study in preparation for the
laboratory component of the exam:
Baum, M. L. (2013). The monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genetic predisposition
to impulsive violence: Is it relevant to criminal trials? Neuroethics, 6(2), 287–
306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12152-011-9108-6
Birkett MA. The Trier Social Stress Test protocol for inducing psychological
stress. J Vis Exp. 2011 Oct 19;(56):3238. doi: 10.3791/3238. PMID: 22042290;
PMCID: PMC3227197.
Beckers, T., Hermans, D., Lange, I. et al. Understanding clinical fear and
anxiety through the lens of human fear conditioning. Nat Rev Psychol 2, 233–
245 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00156-1
Kindt M, van Emmerik A. New avenues for treating emotional memory
disorders: towards a reconsolidation intervention for posttraumatic stress
disorder. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2016 Aug;6(4):283-95. doi:
10.1177/2045125316644541. Epub 2016 May 1. PMID: 27536348; PMCID:
PMC4971600.
Kredlow, M. A., & Otto, M. W. (2015). Interference with the reconsolidation of
trauma‐related memories in adults. Depression and Anxiety, 32(1), 32–
37. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22343
Stark, S. M., Kirwan, C. B., & Stark, C. E. (2019). Mnemonic similarity
task: A tool for assessing hippocampal integrity. Trends in cognitive
sciences, 23(11), 938-951.
Uhrig MK, Trautmann N, Baumgärtner U, Treede RD, Henrich F, Hiller W,
Marschall S. Emotion Elicitation: A Comparison of Pictures and Films. Front
Psychol. 17 febbraio 2016;7:180. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00180. PMID:
26925007; PMCID: PMC4756121.
Recommended reading (optional)
Lacy, J. W., & Stark, C. E. L. (2013). The neuroscience of memory: Implications
for the courtroom. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(9), 649–
658. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3563
Nathan J. Kolla, Marco Bortolato. The role of monoamine oxidase A in the
neurobiology of aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior: a tale of mice and
men. Prog Neurobiol. 2020 November; 194: 101875.
doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101875.
Lange, I., et al. (2017). Behavioral pattern separation and its link to the neural
mechanisms of fear generalization. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience, 12(11), 1720-1729.
Lecei, A., & van Winkel, R. (2020). Hippocampal pattern separation of
emotional information determining risk or resilience in individuals exposed to
childhood trauma: Linking exposure to neurodevelopmental alterations and
threat anticipation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 108,160-170.
Eiserbeck, A. et al. (2023). Deepfake smiles matter less—the psychological
and neural impact of presumed AI-generated faces. Scientific Reports, 13(1),
16111.
Choi, K. H., Kim, J., Kwon, O. S., Kim, M. J., Ryu, Y. H., & Park, J. E.
(2017). Is heart rate variability (HRV) an adequate tool for evaluating human
emotions?–A focus on the use of the International Affective Picture System
(IAPS). Psychiatry research, 251, 192-196.
Sandra Ortega Ferreira. Emotional activation in human beings: procedures for
experimental stress induction. Psicologia USP 2019 | Journal article
DOI: 10.1590/0103-6564E20180176 EID: 2-s2.0-85080105718 , Part
of ISBN: 16785177 01036564


Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS LAB
Emozioni e memoria di eventi traumatici
A.A. 2023-2024

Below is a selection of the scientific articles used in the course lectures, which are recommended to be studied in depth in preparation for the theoretical component examination (3 cfu).

· Peter J. Snyder, Rebecca Kaufman, John Harrison & Paul Maruff (2010) Charles Darwin's Emotional Expression “Experiment” and His Contribution to Modern Neuropharmacology, Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 19:2, 158-170, DOI: 10.1080/09647040903506679

· Dalgleish T. The emotional brain. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2004 Jul;5(7):583-9. doi: 10.1038/nrn1432. PMID: 15208700.

· McSwiggan S, Elger B, Appelbaum PS. The forensic use of behavioral genetics in criminal proceedings: Case of the MAOA-L genotype. Int J Law Psychiatry. 2017 Jan-Feb;50:17-23. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2016.09.005. Epub 2016 Nov 4. PMID: 27823806; PMCID: PMC5250535.

· Lazarus RS. From psychological stress to the emotions: a history of changing outlooks. Annu Rev Psychol. 1993; 44:1-21.

· De Kloet ER, Joëls M, Holsboer F. Stress and the brain: from adaptation to disease. Nature Rev Neurosci. 2005, 6: 463-475.

· de Quervain D, Schwabe L, Roozendaal B. Stress, glucocorticoids and memory: implications for treating fear-related disorders. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2017 Jan;18(1):7- 19. doi: 10.1038/nrn.2016.155. Epub 2016 Nov 24. PMID: 27881856.

· McGaugh, J. L. (2004). The amygdala modulates the consolidation of memories of emotionally arousing experiences. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27, 1– 28.

· LaBar, K., Cabeza, R. Cognitive neuroscience of emotional memory. Nat Rev Neurosci 7, 54–64 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1825

· Caspi A, McClay J, Moffitt TE, Mill J, Martin J, Craig IW, Taylor A, Poulton R. Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science. 2002 Aug 2;297(5582):851-4.

· Parsons RG, Ressler KJ. Implications of memory modulation for post-traumatic stress and fear disorders. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Feb;16(2):146-53. doi: 10.1038/nn.3296. Epub 2013 Jan 28. PMID: 23354388; PMCID: PMC3752300.

Suggested reading (not compulsory)

· Psicologia e biologia delle emozioni. Robert Plutchik. Bollati Boringhieri, 1995

· La regolazione delle emozioni. A cura di O. Matarazzo e V. L. Zammuner. Il Mulino, 2015

· Šimić G, Tkalčić M, Vukić V, Mulc D, Španić E, Šagud M, Olucha-Bordonau FE, Vukšić M, R Hof P. Understanding Emotions: Origins and Roles of the Amygdala. Biomolecules. 2021 May 31;11(6):823. doi: 10.3390/biom11060823. PMID: 34072960; PMCID: PMC8228195.

Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS
N/D
Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS LAB
N/D

Lectures/Labs will be delivered in person. Any necessary change in the modality will be timely and officially communicated to students. Lectures will be delivered and organized so as to favour the acquisition of knowledge regarding Psychology as outlined in the Main Objectives section.

As per the obligations set by the Degree Course.

NB: In accordance with the course decisions on laboratory activities and taking into account the opinions expressed by the students, it is considered useful, in their interest, to modify the evaluation methods by introducing a single written examination containing both questions on the laboratory activities (3 CFU) and questions on the theoretical part (3 CFU), to be taken exclusively in the context of the examination dates set by the University.

It should be noted that students who do not participate in the laboratory, in addition to the above mentioned assignment, will also have to prepare a PDF paper and a PPT presentation (to be handed in to the lecturer one week before the roll call) on a topic of their choice from the programme, on which they will do an oral integration, which will take place on the same day of the roll call, following the written test.

A written assignment containing open and closed questions on the topics covered in the syllabus and the indicated reference articles. Students may also create PowerPoint presentations during lab sessions for non-graded practice purposes.

Module: EMOTIONS AND MEMORY OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS

• The monoamine oxidase A (MAOA): genetic predispositionto impulsive violence and its possible relevance in criminal trials


• Work on the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) literature


• The Trier Social Stress Test protocol as an example for inducing psychological stress. Analysis of the literature of the field


• Work and exercise on The Trier Social Stress Test protocol 


• Experimental Fear Conditioning procedure in humans and animal models: a crucial tool to understand the mechanisms underlying memory consolidation and reconsolidation and clinical fear and anxiety. Part 1


• Experimental Fear Conditioning procedure in humans and animal models: a crucial tool to understand the mechanisms underlying memory consolidation and reconsolidation and clinical fear and anxiety. Part 2


• Treating emotional memorydisorders: reconsolidation window as a target for pharmacological intervention for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. 


• Treating emotional memorydisorders: reconsolidation window as a target for behavioral and non pharmacological intervention for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. 


• Pattern Separation and Mnemonic similaritytask: A tool for assessing hippocampal integrity and the ability to discriminate between similar stimuli. The possible involvement of Pattern Separation in eyewitness testimon.


• Research on Emotion: tools to elicit Emotion: A Comparison of Pictures and Films.


• Heart rate variability (HRV) and other physiological measures as tools for evaluating humanemotions. A focus on the use of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). 


• AI and cognitive functions: their interaction from scientific and forensic perspectives. 

• The study of Emotions from XIX century to date.


• Emotions: adaptive roles and modulation in the context of aversive events.


• Genes and Behaviour.


• Relationship between an individual's genetic background, environment, and behavioral phenotype.


• The study of Stress: from the physiological approach to cognitivism and cognitive neuroscience.


• Relationship between stress and memory processes.


• Stress and aversive events. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


• Psychological trauma and traumatic eventsCognitive and behavioural effects of trauma: role of genotype and environment in the response to traumatic events e in aggressive behaviour.


• The study of the relationship between memory and emotions (emotional memory): a contribution to the knowledge of the mechanisms of long-term memory formation and possible clinical implications of traumatic memories.


• Mechanisms underlying Consolidation and Reconsolidation of memory.


• Emotions and memory trace strength.


• Modulation of cognitive and behavioral effects of aversive events: possible interventions.