Deck 14: Forensic Applications of Psychological Assessment

Question 1

What assessments are most likely to be used by a psychologist charged with determining a defendant's competence to stand trial?

A)Neuropsychological tests
B)Projective personality tests
C)Career assessment tests
D)Performance assessments

Answer 1

Neuropsychological tests

Question 2

The not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI)defense is used in approximately what percentage of cases?

A)1%
B)10%
C)20%
D)40%

Answer 2

1%

Question 3

In mitigation,the primary concern is determining whether or not:

A)the person encountered difficult life circumstances that caused them harm,thus lessening their responsibility for the crime.
B)circumstances exist in the individual's life that lessen their moral culpability for the crime committed.
C)the person is mentally ill and should not be held responsible for the crime.
D)the person had adequate access to a competent legal defense.

Answer 3

circumstances exist in the individual's life that lessen their moral culpability for the crime committed.

Question 4

Of the following,which could not fall under the "not guilty by reason of insanity" defense?

A)An individual diagnosed with schizophrenia commits a robbery during a psychotic episode
B)An individual,while under acute methamphetamine intoxication,assaults a police officer
C)An individual diagnosed with major depression attempts murder
D)An individual diagnosed with dementia steals a car

Question 5

For the purpose of legal proceedings,who defines an expert?

A)American Psychological Association
B)American Board of Forensic Psychology
C)Rules of evidence in federal and state courts
D)The judge presiding over the legal proceeding

Question 6

What position has the National Academy of Neuropsychology taken in regards to third party observers during forensic examinations?

A)The presence of TPOs is opposed .
B)The presence of TPOs is acceptable in most situations.
C)The presence of TPOs is acceptable in all situations.
D)It depends on who requested the observer.

Question 7

The __________ must consider certain criteria before allowing an expert to render an opinion to the court.

A)judge
B)jury
C)defense attorney
D)prosecuting (or plaintiff's)attorney

Question 8

After receiving a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict,the defendant is most often:

A)committed to a minimum security prison where they receive psychological treatment.
B)allowed to go free but with the stipulation that they will submit to psychological treatment.
C)committed to a mental health facility for no more than 30 days.
D)committed to a mental health facility indefinitely.

Question 9

A reasonable estimate for malingering in brain injury cases in personal injury litigation is:

A)10%-35%
B)25%-35%
C)25%-50%
D)50%-75%

Question 10

What is one required finding in order to impose the death penalty?

A)When the defendant's life is considered in its totality,there are no circumstances that warrant mercy from the court.
B)Execution will save the public money versus housing a convicted murderer for many years.
C)A firearm was involved in the crime.
D)When the defendant's history is considered,the court finds that the defendant did not encounter severe abuse as a child.

Question 11

A juvenile court action is technically a:

A)civil proceeding.
B)casual proceeding,or informal means of resolving issues.
C)criminal proceeding.
D)administrative proceeding.

Question 12

Defendants are assumed competent to stand trial unless:

A)they raise the issue with the court and prove otherwise.
B)they raise the issue with the court and the prosecutor bears the burden of proof.
C)the prosecutor raises the issue with the court and bears the burden of proof.
D)the prosecutor raises the issue with the court and the defendant bears the burden of proof.

Question 13

Expert witnesses should:

A)advocate for the subjective interpretation of data to assist the side that hired them.
B)advocate for the objective interpretation of data to assist the court.
C)only present the data that will benefit the side that hired them.
D)limit their testimony to the presentations of their opinions and not reveal actual test data.

Question 14

What is one difference between a therapeutic assessment and a forensic assessment?

A)Clinical assessments are more costly to the client than forensic assessments.
B)Broad issues are primary in a therapeutic assessment,whereas narrowly defined areas are typically the focus in a forensic setting.
C)Narrowly defined areas and events are primary in a therapeutic assessment,whereas broad issues are typically the focus in a forensic setting.
D)Forensic assessments have less threat to validity than therapeutic assessments.

Question 15

Regarding child custody evaluations,what is the most common of all ethical complaints filed against psychologists with their state licensing boards?

A)Breach of confidentiality
B)Errors or omissions from the informed consent process
C)Misconduct or bias
D)Practicing outside the scope of one's competence

Question 16

The burden of proving someone is an expert is placed on:

A)the party who offers the testimony to the court.
B)the party in opposition of the one who offers the testimony to the court.
C)the judge.
D)the state licensing board.

Question 17

A diagnosis of mental retardation requires that a person scores at least _____ standard deviation(s)below the mean on an intelligence test.

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 18

What is the most effective method to determine the degree and form of functional impairment in the event of central nervous system damage?

A)CAT scan
B)fMRI
C)Neuroimaging studies
D)Neuropsychological testing

Question 19

Testamentary capacity is:

A)the ability to execute a will and bequeath one's assets.
B)the competence to give testimony in court.
C)the ability to consent to a psychological evaluation.
D)the competence to execute a power of attorney.

Question 20

Which landmark court decision outlawed the execution of persons with mental retardation?

A)Atkins v.Virginia
B)Daubert v.Dow
C)Ferguson v.California
D)Miranda v.Arizona
E)Plessy v.Texas

Question 21

Studies on the Flynn Effect have observed an increase of _______ points per year in average IQs.

A)0.2
B)0.3
C)0.5
D)0.8

Question 22

In what context is the threat of conscious and intentional distortion greatest?

A)Clinical
B)Counseling
C)Forensic
D)School

Question 23

The ____________ contains a Relations with Parents scale that provides an objective evaluation of the child's regards for the parents.

A)BASC-2 SRP
B)BASC-2 TRS
C)BASC-2 PRS
D)BASC-2 SOS

Question 24

In clinical settings ___________ are primary,whereas forensic evaluations more commonly address ______________.

A)broad issues; narrowly defined issues or events
B)narrow issues; broad issues or events
C)narrow issues; only legal issues
D)subjective personality tests; objective personality tests

Question 25

________ focuses on the expert's methods as opposed to the opinions they have derived.

A)Acceptability
B)Admissibility
C)Credibility
D)Reasonableness

Question 26

Studies conducted at the University of Albany,State University of New York demonstrated that a third party observer ____________ impact(s)an examinee's performance on neuropsychological testing.

A)does not
B)negatively
C)positively

Question 27

Who is credited with discovering that the presence of an audience enhances your performance if you are very familiar with a task but decreases your performance if you have limited or no talent for the task?

A)Norman Triplett
B)Rensis Likert
C)Robert Zajonc
D)Wilhelm Wundt

Question 28

What is a factor considered by State and Federal Courts regarding the admissibility of expert testimony?

A)Has the expert published a scientific article within the previous year?
B)Has the hypothesis been subjected to peer review?
C)Was the sensitivity error rate zero?
D)Is the theory unanimously accepted in the appropriate scientific community?

Question 29

Which Supreme Court case most recently outlined the criteria of admissibility of scientific evidence?

A)Atkins v.United States
B)Atkins v.Virginia
C)Daubert v.Merrill Dow
D)Plessy v.Texas

Question 30

What is the estimated incidence of Antisocial Personality Disorder that occurs in a prison population?

A)15%
B)25%
C)60%
D)80%

Question 31

In clinical settings,the treating clinician's focus is on __________ however,the forensic examiner is concerned primarily with ___________.

A)the client's subjective view of the problem; accuracy
B)accuracy; the client's subjective view of the problem
C)the client's subjective view of the problem; autonomy of the client
D)autonomy of the client; the client's subjective view of the problem

Question 32

An individual with a mild traumatic brain injury who had initial,temporary deficits now reports severe memory loss and an inability to return to work.This is technically referred to as:

A)faking.
B)malingering.
C)perjury.
D)feigning.

Question 33

What has been found to be predictive of high error rates in clinical diagnoses?

A)Lack of neuroimaging studies conducted
B)A clinician with extremely high levels of confidence
C)A clinician new to the field
D)The administration of neuropsychological tests