Chapter 19 Flashcards
actuarial prediction methods
estimate risk levels and forecast the probability of events.
American Psychological Association Division
the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States,
base rate
the proportion of a population that has a certain characteristic, such as a symptom, sign, or disorder
child custody
decisions made based on a legal principle known as the “best interest of the child doctrine” and which fraught with challenges due to the importance of the decision and the competing interests of the parents
evaluations
looking at the strengths and weaknesses of research
civil commitment
a process by which a person is involuntarily hospitalized by civil authorities for the welfare of the person and others
clinical prediction methods
assessors use psychological tests, clinical interviews, clinical experience, and their personal judgments to make determinations of future dangerousness
competent to stand trial
the defendant’s present or current ability to understand the criminal process and function within it, established in Dusky v. United States (1960)
Duabert standards
the admissibility of evidence or testimony in court is based on its reliability and validity rather than its general acceptance in the field
expert witness
professionals that give their professional opinions in a court of law and is approved for the court via voir dire
fitness-for-duty evaluations
assessments usually requested after an extremely stressful experience by an officer or are used to assess whether an officer is able to continue working while receiving treatment for psychological problems
forensic psychology
the application of psychological methods and principles within the legal system that is best understood as a specialty area within clinical psychology that requires particular training that only a subset of clinical psychologists obtain
guardian ad litem
a court-appointed investigator who represents a client’s best interests in a guardianship proceeding
guilty but mentally ill
a middle ground for jurors contemplating whether to assign criminal responsibility to defendants whose mental status is in question
M’Naughten test
the first legal standard for the insanity defense in the history of the American legal system, which focuses on the cognitive ability of the defendant
Hugo Munsterberg
one of the first major promoters of the use of psychology in the legal arena (On the Witness Stand)
not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI)
if an individual was unable to control their actions due to a mental disorder—even if such actions were criminal—the individual would not be held responsible for the crime
On the Witness stand
Published by Hugo Münsterberg, a collection of magazine articles previously published by him where he discusses the many different psychological factors that can change a trial’s outcome
prediction dangerousness
psychologist’s assessment of the likelihood that an individual will behave violently or dangerously again in the future, often employed in sentencing or parole
pre-employment evaluations
varying assessments that usually include objective personality tests to assess psychopathology, a measure of cognitive or problem-solving ability, and a clinical interview
statistical prediction methods
assessors predict dangerousness according to a statistical or actuarial formula compiled from a comparison of an individual’s characteristics with known correlations to future dangerousness
voir dire
a process in which an expert witness is vetted by examining their education, training, and professional experiences
