Question 1

According to the text, the original study of battered women by Dr. Lenore Walker was criticized for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  Not all women in her sample experienced all the hypothesized stages of the cycle of abuse. 
B)  A comparison group of non-battered women was absent from her study. 
C)  The experimenters who collected the data knew about the study hypotheses and could have biased the results. 
D)  The sample in her study was too small.

Question 2

Researchers have identified several types of male batterers. The most common one is characterized by limited marital violence, absence of psychiatric or personality disorders, and relatively low rates of substance abuse. Which type is it?

Accepted Answer

A)  Batterer with borderline personality disorder. 
B)  Generally violent antisocial batterer. 
C)  Batterer with poor self-image. 
D)  Relationship/family-only batterer.

Question 3

So-called rape myths are common misconceptions about sexual assaults that are likely to be addressed by expert testimony about RTS. According to the text, which one of the following is NOT a rape myth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most rapes are committed when both parties have been drinking. 
B)  Most rapes are committed by strangers. 
C)  If a woman says she doesn't want to have sex, she doesn't really mean it. 
D)  It is impossible to rape a woman who is unwilling.

Question 4

What are rape shield laws and when do they NOT apply in court? Can expert testimony be problematic in this regard?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are rape shield laws and when...

Question 5

When studying rape victims, Burgess and Holmstrom (1979) found that _____ of the victims had returned to normal functioning within 5 years after the rape.

Accepted Answer

A)  only 5% 
B)  about half 
C)  about three quarters 
D)  over 95%

Question 6

What are the advantages of using PTSD over RTS and BWS in court?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the advantages of using PTSD...

Question 7

Betty endured abuse throughout most of her 30+ years of marriage. During that time, she became less resistive to the attacks and more submissive. A term Lenore Walker used to describe this state is:

Accepted Answer

A)  posttraumatic stress syndrome. 
B)  reorganization phase. 
C)  learned helplessness. 
D)  hypervigilance.

Question 8

A judge would often refuse to allow experts to present information about RTS to the jury. All of the following would be typical reasons for the judge's decision, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  RTS testimony may interfere with the jury's fact-finding role. 
B)  RTS testimony may lead to more invasive questioning of the victim. 
C)  RTS testimony may bias the jury against the defendant. 
D)  RTS testimony may lead to a successful plea of incompetence.

Question 9

According to the text, females are _____ likely to report spousal violence to police. The spousal homicide rate of female victims is _____ that of male victims.

Accepted Answer

A)  more; several times higher than 
B)  more; much lower than 
C)  less; very similar to 
D)  less; much higher than

Question 10

All of the following are descriptions of what a syndrome is, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  a pattern of behaviors common to people with certain characteristics. 
B)  a cluster of related symptoms that lead to a significant dysfunction. 
C)  a set of psychological and emotional reactions to a specific event. 
D)  a group of symptoms that only women, but not men, experience.

Question 11

Ibn-Tamas v. United States (1979) was one of the first cases in which:

Accepted Answer

A)  expert testimony was offered on rape trauma syndrome (RTS). 
B)  expert testimony was offered on battered woman syndrome (BWS). 
C)  expert testimony was offered on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTS
D) . 
D)  a woman was acquitted for the killing of her abusive husband.

Question 12

Some experts contend that PTSD as an established medical diagnosis should be used instead of BWS to defend a battered woman who killed her abusive spouse. However, critics of this idea point to several disadvantages of the PTSD defense. These disadvantages include all of the following, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  The PTSD label characterizes the woman as mentally disordered. 
B)  The PTSD diagnosis can be used to claim incompetence to stand trial. 
C)  The use of PTSD can lead to the prosecution's inquiries into other traumatic events in the defendant's past. 
D)  Some victims of persistent abuse do not meet criteria for PTSD.

Question 13

Statistics noted in the text indicate that serious violence perpetrated by intimate partners is _____ to happen against women.

Accepted Answer

A)  more likely 
B)  less likely 
C)  equally as likely 
D)  unlikely

Question 14

According to the text, jurors appear to be _____ inclined toward women who kill their partners _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  positively; after years of abuse 
B)  negatively; despite the evidence of abuse 
C)  negatively; but only if the woman killed her husband while he was asleep 
D)  especially positively; because they sympathize with abused women

Question 15

Which of the following statements correctly describes the current state of BWS acceptance?

Accepted Answer

A)  BWS is accepted by many practitioners but also criticized by many researchers. 
B)  Both practitioners and researchers uniformly reject the BWS diagnosis nowadays. 
C)  Both practitioners and researchers have been more accepting of BWS recently. 
D)  None of the above is correct.

Question 16

Angel has been a long-time victim of spousal abuse. The abuse escalated to the point that it was reported to the police, and the case wound up in court. Angel is MOST LIKELY to be a:

Accepted Answer

A)  female. 
B)  male. 
C)  police officer. 
D)  skinhead.

Question 17

The use of BWS in courts _____ BWS has been widely _____ by the scientific community.

Accepted Answer

A)  continues unabated because; accepted and celebrated 
B)  continues unabated though; criticized and seen as controversial 
C)  has been waning because; criticized and seen as controversial 
D)  has been waning though; accepted and celebrated

Question 18

Some experts argue that, in battered woman cases, expert testimony should focus on the social reality of the woman's situation rather than on her psychological reactions. Which of the following is NOT a question that such social agency framework (SAF) testimony would raise?

Accepted Answer

A)  How charming and charismatic was the abuser to entice the woman to stay with him? 
B)  How often did the woman call the police and what were the responses from the officers? 
C)  What were the potential risks for the woman if she left her husband? 
D)  Were there community resources the woman could use to help her leave the abuser?

Question 19

Studies have found that women who used violence against their abusers were likely to be found _____ in a jury trial, and expert testimony on BWS was likely to _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  guilty; support the prosecution's arguments 
B)  not guilty; help the defendant win an acquittal 
C)  guilty; make little difference 
D)  not guilty; matter very little

Question 20

Which one of the following syndromes is an established medical condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chronic late syndrome. 
B)  Battered woman syndrome. 
C)  Posttraumatic stress disorder. 
D)  Black rage syndrome.

Exam 11: Battered Woman Syndrome, Rape Trauma Syndrome, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder