Applied Psychology Quiz #3

Be able to define and state the goal of forensic psychology

Definition: application of psychological theory, research, practice and methodology to provide information relevant to a legal question

Goal: inform consumers about psychological issues that might assist them in their decision-making process regarding a legal issue

Be able to name some criminal and civil areas in which forensic psychologists may inform the courts

Criminal: competency to waive Miranda, competency to stand trial, insanity defense, sentencing evaluations, competency to be a witness

Civil: civil commitment, appointment of a guardian, personal injury, worker’s compensation, testamentary capacity, disability evaluations, fitness for duty, child custody, termination of parental rights

Be able to describe several differences between traditional clinical psychology and forensic clinical psychology

Traditional: patient-centered, supportive/empathetic, voluntary, client-driven, privileged

Forensic: centered on legal issue, objective, often involuntary, legally-driven, limited confidentiality

Be able to explain what amicus curiae briefs are and be able to name a few topic areas where such briefs have been submitted to the courts (on behalf of APA)

Amicus curiae briefs: “friend of the court”, summarize knowledge on various topic areas

Does capital punishment deter crime? How does jury size impact jury decision? How does pornography impact attitudes and behavior?

Be able to name some areas where psychologists can testify as an expert witness

Commitment to mental hospital, child custody issues, offender treatment programs, release from involuntary confinement, jury selection

Be able to define what is meant by competency and its relation to the trial process. How is competency assessed?

Definition: mental state of the defendant at the time of trial

Relation: criminal proceedings should not continue against someone who can not understand their nature and purpose

Assessment: competency screening test (CST), competency assessment instrument (CAI), Georgia court competency test (GCCT), interdisciplinary fitness interview (IFI)

How do forensic psychologists, who are employed by police departments, spend their time And, what are some ways forensic psychologists evaluate police candidates?

37% of time spent counseling police officers and their families?

32% of time spent screening and selecting police personnel

31% of time on training or organizational development

Personal interviews, observations of candidates performing in special situations, and psychological tests

Be able to describe insanity as it pertains to the trial process and criminal responsibility

Mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior

What are some ways that psychologists function as trial consultants?

Jury selection, juror questionnaires, mock trial/jurors, conduct public opinion surveys prior to trail, prepare witness, help attorney find best way to present their cases

What are some variables that relate to/influence juror/jury decision-making?

Individual differences (demographics, personality, attitudinal variables)

What is the misinformation effect?

Minor variations in interview questions affect reports of eyewitnesses (language of questions can shape witness reports, misleading questions can lead to development of false memories,, including role of self and others

Be able to name a couple pros and cons of a career in forensic psychology

Pros: many different career path options, don’t necessarily need undergraduate degree in psychology, opportunities for growth, often exciting work, can be challenging, good job outlook

Cons: many career paths require advanced degrees, high stress/burnout potential, cases may cause high stress levels (population you work with), often long work days, starting salaries often not high (but have potential to increase over time)

What are the important components discusses in class related to one’s ability to competently waive their Miranda Rights?

Knowingly: refers to an individual’s ability to understand the language in which the Miranda rights were read or written

Intelligently: refers to the individual’s ability to comprehend the meaning of the warning

Voluntarily: means that the individual waived his or her rights without being coerced by the police to do so

Know the information on the slide entitled, “What isn’t forensic psych"?”

• when many people think of forensic psychology, they think of FBI profilers

• most forensic psychologists are not involved in solving crimes

• most FBI profilers have police backgrounds, not graduate education is psychology

• while a handful of forensic psychologists might do something similar to profiling, it is rare

What are shadow juries?

Group of people who observe a trial and share their opinions with lawyers. Shadow juries help lawyers understand how the actual jury might react with the evidence and decide on a case

How does the Interdisciplinary Fitness Interview (IFI) differ from the other competency assessments that were mentioned during lecture?

Specifically focusing on both the legal and psychopathological aspects of fitness for trial rather than primarily focusing on diagnosis or interventions making it a more systematic psycholegal inquiry

What percent of those that are wrongfully convicted confess to a crime, and why might they confess?

25%

Due to mental impairment, disability, or instability, intoxication or drug use, fear if violence, actual violence, threat of a long prison sentence, ignorance of the law, and misunderstanding

When are inmates likely to be psychologically assessed?

• when the offender enters the correctional system

• when decisions are made concerning the offender’s exit into the community

• during times of psychological crisis

• in death penalty cases where competency to be executed is considered

What are some empirically based procedures used to help select jurors?

Lawyers hire psychologists as jury selection consultants, psychologists use empirically based procedures to select juror (focus groups, shadow juries, systematic rating of prospective jurors, surveys of community to detect bias)