Deck 1: Section 2: Psychology and Law: a Cautious Alliance

Question 1

The knowledge and skills of clinical psychologists might be relevant for the legal system in which one of these cases?

A) When selecting jurors potentially sympathetic to the defendant.
B) When assessing a mentally ill defendant for potential risk of violence.
C) When deciding whether the eyewitness is able to remember the scene of crime.
D) When evaluating the state of mind of a teenager who brought guns to school.

Answer 1

When assessing a mentally ill defendant for potential risk of violence.

Question 2

Sam is a cognitive psychologist. What aspect of the legal process might he provide assistance with to the court?

A) Determining the general fairness of the legal system.
B) Advising at what age children are fully cognizant of their actions within the law.
C) Evaluating the defendant's competence to stand trial.
D) Clarifying whether jurors understand the instructions for deliberating a verdict.

Answer 2

Clarifying whether jurors understand the instructions for deliberating a verdict.

Question 3

Brandeis's brief in Muller v Oregon (1908) was a milestone in the development of the psychology and law union because it:

A) relied on expert testimony from professional psychologists.
B) expanded graduate training for psychologists.
C) mandated the use of research training for judges.
D) opened the door for U.S. courts to use social scientific evidence.

Answer 3

opened the door for U.S. courts to use social scientific evidence.

Question 4

Trial consultants may be hired to perform the following duties:

A) preparing witnesses and shaping trial strategy.
B) citing law and writing abbreviated briefs.
C) performing psychological evaluations and risk assessment
D) conducting research and advocating for reform

Question 5

The basis of the adversarial system in law is that:

A) the prosecution depends on the adverse nature of the case.
B) truth will emerge as a result of contest between opposing sides.
C) the defense depends on eyewitness testimony only.
D) the truth always prevails.

Question 6

The _____ approach treats laws as a tool that needs to be regularly reexamined and adjusted, whereas _____ treats laws as evolved to reflect the principles found in nature.

A) legal objectivism; environmental law
B) environmental law; legal objectivism
C) legal realism; "natural law".
D) "natural law"; legal realism

Question 7

During the trial, each side is trying to win the case. However, the goal of the legal system overall is to:

A) achieve justice.
B) achieve peace.
C) obtain compensation for all parties.
D) not be hampered by fairness.

Question 8

The primary goal of psychological science is to:

A) provide guidelines for behavior.
B) regulate human behavior.
C) demonstrate how punishment works.
D) provide accurate explanations of human behavior.

Question 9

In consideration of scientific testimony, gatekeeping in the legal sense includes:

A) determining court session protocol and procedures.
B) assessing the scientific validity of potential testimony.
C) counseling juries on the value of scientific evidence.
D) providing instructions to the jurors before they start deliberation.

Question 10

The knowledge and skills of developmental psychologists might be relevant for the legal system in which one of these cases?

A) When studying the dynamics of jury deliberation.
B) When assessing a mentally ill defendant for potential risk of violence.
C) When deciding whether the eyewitness is able to remember the scene of crime.
D) When evaluating the state of mind of a teenager who brought guns to school.

Question 11

Isabella is advocating for a change in the way domestic violence victims are treated by police and the courts. This is an example of the following role played by psychologists in the legal system:

A) advisor
B) evaluator
C) reformer
D) clinician

Question 12

Sylvester is hired by the defense to help select jurors who would be less likely to convict. This is an example of the following role played by psychologists in the legal system:

A) advisor
B) evaluator
C) reformer
D) clinician

Question 13

_____ can be described as an effort to figure out how the world works, whereas _____ provides a system for meting out just desserts.

A) Law; science
B) Science; legislature
C) Legislature; law
D) Science; law

Question 14

According to the text, the goal of psychology is to ____, whereas the goal of the legal system is to _____.

A) emphasize the characteristics of groups; emphasize individual cases
B) emphasize individual cases; emphasize the characteristics of groups
C) apply abstract principles; understand the general nature of humans
D) develop legal protocol; generalize details of a case

Question 15

Precedents can best be described as:

A) legal cases that have established a rule that are then used to decide future cases with similar issues.
B) past decisions dictating all future cases, regardless of the "goodness-of-fit."
C) reviews of facts in a case that occurred in a similar jurisdiction.
D) rulings on the matters that were raised by the same parties that are participating as plaintiff and defendant in the current case.

Question 16

Studies evaluating the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program found that:

A) the program is highly effective in reducing both drug use and delinquency.
B) the program is effective in reducing drug use but increases delinquency.
C) the program is not effective in reducing drug use.
D) the program is only effective in reducing delinquency.

Question 17

Differences in goals, methods, and styles of inquiry made the relationship between psychology and law:

A) natural and harmonious.
B) difficult but important.
C) impossible to forge.
D) successful in every way.

Question 18

Legal realists:

A) thought judicial decisions reflected principles found in nature.
B) felt judges used careful logic to arrive at a single correct decision in a particular case.
C) believed judges constructed the law through their interpretations of evidence and precedent.
D) showed little interest in applying social science research to the legal system.

Question 19

The knowledge and skills of social psychologists might be relevant for the legal system in which one of these cases?

A) When studying the dynamics of jury deliberation.
B) When assessing a mentally ill defendant for potential risk of violence.
C) When deciding whether the eyewitness is able to remember the scene of crime.
D) When evaluating which custody arrangement will most benefit the child's development.

Question 20

Ricardo is conducting research on the effects of solitary confinement on mental health. This is an example of the following role played by a psychologist in the legal system:

A) advisor
B) evaluator
C) reformer
D) clinician

Question 21

The roles of psychologists and their influence in the legal system created which positive changes?

A) Judges now tend to be well-informed about the recent advances in psychological research.
B) Judges are now more likely to accept expert testimony from psychologists as truth.
C) Judges have to articulate more clearly what their decisions are based on.
D) Judges often defer to the jury regarding whether the experts should be allowed to testify.

Question 22

A psychologist testifying in court feels it is his responsibility to correctly and clearly present scientific findings, even if this may lead to an unfair verdict by the jury. According to Saks (1990), such an expert fulfills the role of:

A) conduit-educator.
B) philosopher-advocate.
C) hired gun.
D) con artist.

Question 23

Amicus curiae briefs:

A) help experts testifying in court get their point across.
B) provide a way to influence the court when expert testimony is not allowed.
C) summarize the questions raised by the jury during deliberation of a verdict.
D) reflect scientists' lack of interest in the legal system.

Question 24

Roles that psychologists may play in the legal system include the following:

A) auxiliary judges.
B) gatekeepers.
C) reformers.
D) parapsychologists.

Question 25

According to the summary "Neuroscience in the Courtroom," recent advances in neuroscience have:

A) improved the reliability of expert witnesses.
B) increased cohesiveness of jury decision making.
C) made brain scans an accepted piece of evidence in trials.
D) raised important questions about free will and personal responsibility.

Question 26

According to the text, the term gatekeeper refers to:

A) securing the courtroom.
B) the sorting of various briefs for the purpose of finding relevant precedents.
C) the establishment of the tiers of fact.
D) the assessment of scientific validity of testimony before allowing it in trial.

Question 27

According to the textbook, when writing amicus curiae briefs, it may be hard for psychologists to balance the goals of:

A) science translation and advocacy.
B) authoritativeness and leniency.
C) speculation and deliberation.
D) reflectivity and action orientation.

Question 28

The way Daubert trilogy affected the legal system includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) judges are now more likely to exclude expert testimony, even if it's scientifically sound.
B) lawyers often "shop around" for an expert who would support their side.
C) superior courts are more likely to question trial judges' decisions about allowing expert testimony.
D) experts are virtually never prosecuted for perjury if they provided biased and scientifically incompetent testimony.

Question 29

The Daubert trilogy of cases impacts trial courts by:

A) putting the burden of decisions about allowing expert testimony on trial judges.
B) demonstrating that judges understand social science research and methods.
C) making judges take statistics courses and regular refresher training.
D) proving scientific research is well understood by all key actors in the legal system.

Question 30

For a reasonable evaluation of scientific validity of potential expert testimony, one needs to have sufficient understanding of:

A) court proceedings.
B) jury instructions.
C) research methods.
D) legal terminology.