Forensic midterm

What is forensic psychology?

Applies psychological knowledge and methods to legal questions, such as competency to stand trial, mental state, and violence risk

What is legal psychology?

Examines psychological principles related to the legal system, including eyewitness testimony, jury decision-making, and behavior in legal settings.

What is the difference between forensic psychology and legal psychology?

Forensic psychology applies psychology to legal questions; legal psychology examines psychological processes related to law.

What is forensic assessment?

Evaluating a person to answer a specific legal question.

What happens during a forensic assessment?

Conducting interviews, reviewing records and history, administering psychological tests, evaluating mental state or risk, preparing reports, and possibly providing expert testimony.

What is the difference between forensic assessment and treatment?

Forensic assessment answers a legal question; treatment helps improve mental health, behavior, or functioning.

What is the focus of a forensic setting?

Answering a legal question and emphasizing legally relevant findings; evaluations may be court-ordered, and confidentiality may be more limited.

What are projective tests?

Tests using ambiguous stimuli to explore how someone interprets or responds to them.

What is an example of a projective test?

The Rorschach inkblot test.

What are objective tests?

Tests using standardized questions or statements with established scoring procedures.

What is an example of an objective test?

The MMPI-2.

What is a structured interview?

Uses predetermined questions asked in the same order

What is an unstructured interview?

Uses open-ended questions and flexible conversation.

What is a semi-structured interview?

Uses prepared questions but allows follow-up questions.

What is reliability?

Consistency; a reliable test produces similar results under consistent conditions.

What is validity?

Whether a test measures what it is intended to measure.

What is the difference between reliability and validity?

Reliability means consistency; validity means measuring what the test is intended to measure.

What are psychometric properties?

Characteristics used to evaluate test quality, including reliability, validity, standardization, and norms.

What is standardization?

Consistent administration and scoring of a test.

What are norms?

Reference information used to compare an individual's results with a reference group.

Who developed the original MMPI?

Psychologists Starke Hathaway and J. C. McKinley.

When was the original MMPI developed and published?

Developed in the late 1930s and published in 1943.

How was the original MMPI developed?

Researchers compared psychiatric patients' responses with a comparison group to identify items that distinguished the groups.

What is the MMPI-2 used for?

Assessing personality patterns and psychological symptoms.

What is CBT?

Cognitive behavioral therapy; helps change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

What is psychodynamic therapy?

Explores underlying emotional conflicts and past experiences.

What is humanistic therapy?

Emphasizes personal growth and self-understanding.

What is behavioral therapy?

Uses learning principles to change behaviors.

What is group therapy?

People work on concerns together with a therapist.

What is medication used for in psychological treatment?

Managing symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

What is the most common treatment approach?

There is no single most common treatment for every condition; CBT is widely used.

Which is better: medication, talk therapy, or both?

It depends on the condition, severity, and individual. A combination can be more effective for some conditions.

What does talk therapy help people do?

Develop coping skills and change thought or behavior patterns.

What is psychopathy?

A pattern of interpersonal, emotional, and behavioral traits; it is not interchangeable with ASPD or criminal behavior.

What are common traits of psychopathy?

Superficial charm, manipulation, deceitfulness, lack of empathy, reduced guilt or remorse, shallow emotions, impulsivity, and irresponsibility.

Does every person with psychopathic traits display every trait?

No. Not every person displays every trait.

Who is Robert Hare?

A Canadian psychologist known for psychopathy research and developing the PCL-R.

What is the PCL-R?

The Psychopathy Checklist–Revised, used by trained professionals to assess psychopathic traits.

How is the PCL-R administered?

Through a structured assessment involving a clinical interview and review of relevant background information or records.

How many items are on the PCL-R?

20 items.

How are PCL-R items scored?

Each item receives 0, 1, or 2 points.

What is the maximum PCL-R score?

40 points

What is a commonly used PCL-R cutoff in some North American forensic settings?

30 or higher, although cutoffs vary by setting and jurisdiction.

Does a PCL-R score alone definitively classify someone?

No. A score alone is not a complete diagnosis or definitive conclusion.

What is factor analysis?

A statistical method used to identify groups of items that tend to relate to one another.

What does Factor 1 represent in the traditional two-factor model?

Interpersonal and affective traits, such as manipulation and lack of remorse.

What does Factor 2 represent in the traditional two-factor model?

Lifestyle and antisocial traits, such as impulsivity and persistent rule-breaking.

What are the four facets of psychopathy in more detailed models?

Interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial.

What does RNR stand for?

Risk, Need, and Responsivity.

What is the Risk principle?

Match the intensity of treatment to the person's risk of reoffending; higher-risk individuals generally need more intensive services.

What is the Need principle?

Target changeable factors associated with offending, such as substance misuse or antisocial attitudes.

What is the Responsivity principle?

Deliver treatment in a way that fits the person's abilities, learning style, motivation, and circumstances.

What is an easy way to remember RNR?

Risk = how much treatment; Need = what to target; Responsivity = how to deliver it.

What are static risk factors?

Risk factors that cannot be changed.

What are dynamic risk factors?

Risk factors that can change over time.

What are protective factors?

Factors that can reduce risk.

What is expert testimony?

Evidence from someone with specialized knowledge that helps the court understand a subject or evaluate evidence.

What might a forensic psychologist explain in court?

Psychological testing, competency, or violence risk.

Does an expert witness decide guilt?

No. The expert provides an opinion within their area of expertise.

What is the Frye standard?

Novel scientific evidence must be generally accepted in the relevant scientific community.

What is the Daubert standard?

Evaluates the reliability and relevance of expert scientific testimony.

What are the commonly taught Daubert considerations?

Testability, peer review and publication, error rate, standards and controls, and general acceptance.

What is the difference between Frye and Daubert?

Frye emphasizes general acceptance; Daubert emphasizes reliability and relevance.

Which standard does Pennsylvania generally use for novel scientific evidence?

Frye's general-acceptance standard.

What is the federal standard for expert-evidence admissibility?

Federal Rule of Evidence 702, together with applicable rules and the relevant reliability analysis.

How can someone qualify as an expert under FRE 702?

Through knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education.

What is Federal Rule of Evidence 702?

The rule governing expert testimony in federal courts.

What are the four main FRE 702 requirements?

Helpful specialized knowledge, sufficient facts or data, reliable principles and methods, and reliable application to the case.

What does helpfulness mean under FRE 702?

The expert's specialized knowledge must help the fact-finder understand evidence or determine a fact in issue.

What did Frye v. United States (1923) establish?

The general-acceptance standard.

What did Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993) address?

Reliability and relevance of scientific expert testimony.

What did General Electric v. Joiner (1997) address?

Appellate review of decisions admitting or excluding expert evidence under an abuse-of-discretion standard.

What did Kumho Tire v. Carmichael (1999) establish?

Extended judicial gatekeeping to technical and other specialized knowledge.

What is correlation?

A relationship between two variables; correlation does not automatically mean causation.

What is a positive correlation?

As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.

What is an example of a positive correlation?

More hours spent studying may be associated with higher test scores.

What is a negative correlation?

As one variable increases, the other tends to decrease.

What is an example of a negative correlation?

More absences may be associated with lower grades.

What is an independent variable?

The variable a researcher manipulates to see whether it affects another variable.

What is a dependent variable?

The outcome measured by the researcher.

In a study-time experiment, what is the independent variable?

Assigned study time.

In a study-time experiment, what is the dependent variable?

Test score.

What is true experimental research?

Research that manipulates an independent variable, randomly assigns participants to conditions, and measures outcomes.

What is internal validity?

How confidently researchers can conclude that the independent variable caused the outcome rather than other factors.

What is external validity?

How well study results generalize to other people, settings, or situations.

What are problem-solving courts?

Specialized courts that address underlying issues contributing to repeated contact with the justice system.

What are drug courts designed to address?

Substance-use problems.

What are mental health courts designed to address?

Mental health needs.

What are veterans treatment courts designed to address?

Issues affecting eligible veterans.

What do DUI courts focus on?

Repeat impaired-driving offenses.

How do problem-solving courts commonly operate?

Through judicial supervision, treatment, monitoring, regular progress reviews, and incentives or sanctions.

What are the goals of problem-solving courts?

Address contributing problems, promote accountability, and reduce future offending.

What does competence mean in forensic psychology?

Work within your training and expertise.

What does impartiality mean?

Avoid allowing personal biases to influence conclusions.