Forensic Assessment Instruments Flashcards
Validity is best defined as:
A) the extent to which different raters achieve the same score on a test
B) The extent to which an instrument measures what it was designed to measure.
C) The extent to which an instrument matches the rater’s clinical judgment
D) The extent to which an instrument identifies false illness claims
B) The extent to which an instrument measures what it was designed to measure.
- Reliability is best defined as:
A. The extent to which different raters achieve the same score on a test.
B. The extent to which an instrument measures what it was designed to measure.
C. The extent to which an instrument matches the rater’s clinical judgment.
D. The extent to which an instrument identifies false illness claims.
A. The extent to which different raters achieve the same score on a test.
Sensitivity is defined as
A. A test’s ability to designate an individual who does not have a disease state.
B. A test’s ability to measure the test taker’s response style
C. A test’s ability to designate an individual with a disease state.
D. A test’s ability to measure future disease state outcomes.
C. A test’s ability to designate an individual with a disease state.
Specificity is defined as:
A. A test’s ability to designate an individual who does not have a disease state.
B. A test’s ability to measure the test taker’s response style.
C. A test’s ability to designate an individual with a disease state.
D. A test’s ability to measure future disease state outcomes.
A. A test’s ability to designate an individual who does not have a disease state.
Which is correct regarding actuarial risk assessment instruments?
A. They consist of a list of risk factors that allow risk adjustment based on the rater’s clinical experience.
B. They rely solely on the evaluator’s knowledge, skills, and experiencing in assessing future risk.
C. They perform worse than unstructured clinical judgment in assessing future violence risk.
D. They contain a predetermined list of empirically derived risk factors that use statistics to produce a final risk score.
D. They contain a predetermined list of empirically derived risk factors that use statistics to produce a final risk score.
Symptom validity tests are best described as:
A) Assessments that rely only on self-report without an embedded validity test.
B) Assessments used as an objective measure of a person’s cognitive ability and effort.
C) Assessments used to measure the credibility of self-reported emotional problems and impairments.
D) Assessments that measure a person’s competency to consent to treatment.
C) Assessments used to measure the credibility of self-reported emotional problems and impairments.
Performance validity tests are best defined as:
A) Assessments that rely only on self-report without an embedded validity test.
B) Assessments used as an objective measure of a person’s cognitive ability and effort.
C) Assessments used to measure the credibility of self-reported emotional problems and impairments.
D) Assessments that measure a person’s competency to consent to treatment.
B) Assessments used as an objective measure of a person’s cognitive ability and effort.
Which of the following is best defined as a symptom validity test?
A. Beck Depression Inventory-2
B. Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)
C. M-FAST
D. Inventory of Legal knowledge (ILK)
C. M-FAST
Which of the following is best defined as a performance validity test?
A) SIMS
B) SIRS-2
C) DES
D) Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK)
D) Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK)
The MMPI-3 “L scale” measures which of the following:
A) responses infrequently in the general population.
B) Rarely claimed moral attributes
C) Uncommonly high level of psychological adjustment.
D) Responses infrequent in psychiatric populations.
D) Responses infrequent in psychiatric populations.
What is the term that indicates the person has a given condition when it does not exist?
False positive
What is a result that wrongly indicates that the person does not have a condition when they do?
False negative.
What instruments are structured professional judgment (SPJ) instruments?
HCR-20 and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)
Which instruments are considered Actuarial Risk assessment instruments (ARAIs)?
Static-99R; Violence Risk Appraisal Guide-Revised (VRAG-R),
LKevel of Service Inventory-Revised, Stable-2007, Sex Offender Need Assessment Rating (SONAR)
What is the clinical idiographic method of risk assessment?
Combines an actuarial assessment with a structured professional judgment instrument. This is currently the gold standard of care.
What is an embedded validity indicator (EVI)?
Questions in the assessment assess whether the person’s report of symptoms is valid. Validity indicators can measure whether the person is likely under- or overreporting symptoms compared to other studied groups.
What is the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST)?
This is a screening test for adults (>18 y/o), where a score of 6 or higher suggests possible malingering and indicates a need for further testing.
What is the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms - 2nd Edition (SIRS-2)?
The gold standard for assessing malingering in adults. Longer to administer, eight primary scales and two supplementary scales. Generates an algorithm of symptom characteristics.
It may have worse sensitivity than the original, which can generate false negatives.
What is the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS)?
75 T/F questionnaire intended to measure malingering in adults. It has five scale domains, requires a 5th-grade reading level, and a score greater than 14 supports malingering. There are concerns about false positives.
What does the F scale of the MMPI measure?
Infrequent responses: responses that are infrequent in the general population
What does the Fp scale of the MMPI measure?
Infrequent psychopathology responses - responses infrequent in the psychiatric population
What does the L scale of the MMPI measure?
Uncommon virtues: rarely claimed moral attributes. Attempts to underreport symptoms to appear better than they are. The Mother Teresa scale.
What is the K scale of the MMPI measure?
Adjustment validity - if there is an uncommonly high level of psychological adjustment. This could be an indication of being defensive in the exam.
What is a strategy where individuals who are feigning cognitive deficits miss even the most basic questions?
Floor effect testing strategy.
