Forensic Psychology Reports and Competence Evaluations - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering forensic reporting, competence evaluations, assessment tools, legal standards, and related populations.

Mental State at Time of Offense (MSO)

Comprehensive assessment of a defendant's psychological state, cognitive functioning, and psychological factors during the criminal act; informs culpability and related considerations.

Competence to Proceed

Legal capacity to participate in ongoing proceedings, including understanding charges and communicating with counsel.

Competence to Plead

Ability to understand the plea process and consequences, and to enter a plea knowingly.

Competence to Confess

Ability to knowingly and voluntarily discuss or admit guilt within the legal process.

MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool (MacCAT-CA)

Structured interview tool assessing competence to stand trial across understanding, appreciation of charges, and reasoning about legal options.

Grisso Miranda Rights Comprehension Measures

Assessment of a defendant's understanding of Miranda warnings.

Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales

Measures susceptibility to leading questions and social pressure during interviews.

Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview

Interview framework for assessing whether a juvenile can participate in adjudicative proceedings.

M'Naghten Test

Insanity standard focusing on whether the defendant knew right from wrong at the time of the offense.

Insanity Defense

Legal defense asserting mental illness or defect negating criminal responsibility.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

Widely used psychological personality inventory for clinical assessment.

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)

Instrument used to rate psychopathic traits and tendencies.

Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS)

Assessment tool for credibility of reported symptoms and potential malingering.

Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 (HCR-20)

Structured instrument for evaluating violence risk.

Civil Commitment

Involuntary hospitalization when mental illness and danger to self/others justify treatment under the law.

Competence to Manage Finances

Capacity to understand and manage financial affairs, including intellectual functioning and adaptive skills.

ADA Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable workplace adjustments under the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable participation.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Civil rights law prohibiting disability discrimination and requiring accommodations.

Social Security Disability Evaluation (SSDI)

Formal assessment for Social Security disability benefits, evaluating mental health and functional limits.

Functional Limitations

Restrictions in daily functioning due to mental health or cognitive impairment affecting processing, social interaction, or self-management.

Forensic Report Principles

Core standards for reports: objectivity, multiple information sources, clear documentation, and avoidance of definitive legal conclusions.

Confidentiality

Privacy protections and limits on information sharing in forensic evaluations.

Standardized Assessment Instruments

Validated tools used in forensic evaluations (e.g., MMPI-2, PCL-R, HCR-20).

Ethical Guidelines

Professional ethics guiding forensic psychology practice, including boundaries and consent.

Civil Commitment Criteria

Legal criteria requiring mental illness to substantially disturb thought/mood, impair judgment, or pose harm to self/others.

Independent Living Scales

Assessment of daily functioning and independence in living skills.

Foster Care Evaluation

Assessment of attachment quality and care quality in foster placements.

Custody Evaluation

Multidisciplinary assessment to determine the child's best interests and parental capabilities.

Best Interests of the Child

Legal standard prioritizing the welfare and safety of the child in custody decisions.

Orton-Gillingham Phonetic Instruction

Evidence-based reading instruction emphasizing phonics and decoding.

Computer-Assisted Learning

Use of computer technology to support instruction and practice.

Visual Processing

Cognitive ability to interpret and analyze visual information.

Auditory Processing

Ability to interpret auditory information and language cues.

Processing Speed

Rate at which cognitive tasks are performed and information is processed.

Long-Term Retrieval

Ability to store and retrieve information over extended periods.

Short-Term Memory

Immediate recall and retention of information over short intervals.

Visual Scanning

Ability to rapidly search and encode visual information.

Delusional Perception

Perceptual misinterpretation of real stimuli leading to false beliefs.

Hallucination

Perception without external stimuli, such as hearing voices.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Trauma-related disorder with intrusive memories, avoidance, and hyperarousal.

Bipolar Disorder

Mood disorder with episodes of mania/hypomania and depression; can affect judgment.

Schizophrenia

Mental disorder with delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking.

Delusional System

Fixed, systematized false beliefs not shared by others in culture.

Civil Commitment Report (§19.06)

Report evaluating mental illness status and involuntary hospitalization criteria under §19.06.

Workers' Compensation Mental Injury Report (§19.08)

Evaluation of work-related psychological trauma and causation.

ADA Reasonable Accommodation Report (§19.09)

Report detailing disability status and recommended workplace accommodations under §19.09.