Arizona State UniversityPSY 368Forensic Psychology Exam 1

Arizona State UniversityPSY 368Forensic Psychology Exam 1 Question 1 ______________ ruled that Daubert applied to technical and specialized knowledge, not just scientific expert testimony. Selected Answer: Kuhmo Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael Answers: Jenkins v. United States General Electric Co. v. Joiner Kuhmo Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Response Feedback: Good work  Question 2 Introspection is not a good strategy for clinicians to rely on to minimize their biases. Why not? Selected Answer: All of the above Answers: It is a source of the bias blind spot It doesn’t work It backfires and makes bias worse All of the above Response Feedback: Good work  Question 3 The most frequently occurring mental health question in criminal law is _________________. Selected Answer: competency Answers: insanity competency civil commitment identification as a sexual predator Response Feedback: Good work  Question 4 The Brian David Mitchell case (Elizabeth Smart kidnapper) was a good example of: Selected Answer: All of the above Answers: A defendant found incompetent to stand trial A defendant who malingered incompetency A defendant who was found competent to stand trial and who was tried in court All of the above Response Feedback: Good work  Question 5 You are an attorney appointed to represent a poor client accused of rape who has a history of mental illness. During your first several meetings, the man is completely incoherent. Which of the following issues should you address first? Selected Answer: competency to stand trial Answers: competency to stand trial possibility of mens rea a possible insanity defense possible civil commitment Response Feedback: Good work  Question 6 Although the Supreme Court did not further define “a reasonable period of time” in which a defendant can be held as incompetent to stand trial, the term is often equated with __________. Selected Answer: the amount time that would be served if convicted of the original crime Answers: 6 months only enough time for another evaluation to be completed the discretion of the particular judge assigned to the case the amount time that would be served if convicted of the original crime Response Feedback: Great Work  Question 7 How many mental health expert witnesses were part of the Jeffrey Dahmer trial? Selected Answer: Seven Answers: One Two Seven Fifteen Response Feedback: Good work  Question 8 Which analogy did Brodsky & Gutheil (2016) write a chapter about in the excerpt from The Expert Expert Witness? Selected Answer: Expert Witness as Master Teacher Answers: Expert Witness as Master Performer Expert Witness as Master Teacher Expert Witness as Master Magician Expert Witness as Master Communicator Response Feedback: Good work  Question 9 Oliver has been charged with murder. Oliver, who has a psychiatric history doesn’t seem to understand the charge against him. He hasn’t answered any of the questions that his lawyer has asked him so he hasn’t been assisting with his defense. Although his IQ has been tested and found to be in the low normal range, he doesn’t seem to understand that if he pleads guilty, he is going to go to prison. Which of the following is the crucial issue that will determine whether or not Oliver is judged as incompetent? Selected Answer: both B and C Answers: his psychiatric history his inability to participate knowingly and meaningfully in the proceedings his inability to work with defense counsel both B and C Response Feedback: Good work  Question 10 In the Minds on Trial chapter about the Cameron Hooker case, the judge made a ruling about the expert witness’s testimony that reflected one of the conflicts between law and psychology. What was the ruling about? Selected Answer: Whether he could provide an opinion about the defendant as an individual based on grouplevel data Answers: Whether he could provide data about probabilities in his testimony rather than providing a more certain conclusion Whether he was qualified to testify as an expert witness Whether he was testifying about “junk science” Whether he could provide an opinion about the defendant as an individual based on grouplevel data Response Feedback: Good work  Question 11 Expert testimony is: Selected Answer: Persuasive Answers: Never wrong Persuasive Not important Rarely studied Response Feedback: Good work  Question 12 Dr. Croft is a forensic psychologist who is conducting an evaluation on a 27 year-old man. The man’s employer has referred him because he is having anger control problems that have become a problem at work and the employer is considering firing the man. What is one of the primary ethical concerns Dr. Croft must contend with when conducting the evaluation and communicating the findings of this report? Selected Answer: Determining “who is the client” Answers: Determining “who is the client” Institutional Review Board approval The admissibility of “junk science” testimony Wearing “two hats” and serving in dual roles Response Feedback: Good work  Question 13 The dominant standard for the admissibility of scientific evidence for 70 years until the 1990s cases was _______________. Selected Answer: general acceptance by the scientific community Answers: a falsifiable theory known or potential error rate a reasonable degree of certainty general acceptance by the scientific community Response Feedback: Good work  Question 14 The dominant standard in the United States for competency is based on _________________. Selected Answer: Dusky v. United States Answers: Wieter v. Settle State v. Guatney Dusky v. United States Jenkins v. United States Response Feedback: Good work  Question 15 Read carefully –which one of the following would NOT be considered the practice of “forensic psychology,” according to the definition of forensic psychology that we are using to define the course? Selected Answer: The application of any subdiscipline of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, developmental, social, cognitive) to criminal offenders for the purposes of rehabilitation/treatment/case management. Answers: The application of any subdiscipline of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, developmental, social, cognitive) to criminal offenders for the purposes of rehabilitation/treatment/case management. A neuropsychologist who has performed a competency evaluation for the court to help determine whether an offender suffers from brain damage A cognitive psychologist testifying about the inaccuracy of eyewitness memory to inform a case in which the defense alleged an eyewitness made a mistaken identification A clinical psychologist director of a sex offender treatment program testifying about a particular individual’s risk of future sexual offenses Response Feedback: Good work  Question 16 Which of the following is often thought of as a trial’s purpose? Selected Answer: Both of the above Answers: Conflict-resolving ritual Search for the truth Both of the above Neither of the above Response Feedback: Good work  Question 17 Which Judge is most important in the history of forensic psychology in the U.S.? Selected Answer: Judge David Bazelon Answers: Judge Judy Sheindlin Judge Antonin Scalia Judge Thurgood Marshall Judge David Bazelon Response Feedback: Good work  Question 18 We watched a video of Colin Ferguson’s (the Long Island Railroad Massacre shooter) trial. What case had been decided shortly before his trial that allowed the trial to proceed as we saw in the video, and what case later changed that precedent so that a case like Mr. Ferguson’s would not happen again? Selected Answer: Godinez v. Moran; Indiana v. Edwards Answers: Indiana v. Edwards; Godinez v. Moran Dusky v. U.S.; U.S. v. Brawner Frye v. U.S.; Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Godinez v. Moran; Indiana v. Edwards Response Feedback: Good work  Question 19 William Marston, a significant figure in the history of forensic psychology, is famous for: Selected Answer: All of the above. Answers: Helping invent the polygraph, also known as the lie detector test Creating the character Wonder Woman Having a role in the historic Frye vs. U.S. case All of the above. Response Feedback: Good work  Question 20 Which challenge to expert testimony appears to be the most effective? Selected Answer: Cross-examination Answers: Cross-examination Judicial instructions Employing an opposing expert Identifying the qualifications of the expert Response Feedback: Good work  Question 21 The word forensic is derived from the Latin word describing _______________ in Ancient Rome. Selected Answer: the place where individuals resolved disputes Answers: criminal profiling a form of art the place where individuals resolved disputes the attempt by physicians to identify causes of death Response Feedback: Good work  Question 22 Criminal law is concerned with ________________________. Selected Answer: acts in which there has been physical harm. Answers: acts that are generally considered to be against an individual acts involving financial compensation acts that are generally considered to be against society acts in which there has been physical harm. Response Feedback: That's not correct  Question 23 The purpose of a forensic psychologist acting as an expert witness is to _____________. Selected Answer: assist the court’s decision-making Answers: emotionally support the client make a legal decision for the court assist the court’s decision-making add credibility to the legal proceedings Response Feedback: Good work  Question 24 The focus of a competency evaluation is _____________________. Selected Answer: the defendant’s present mental status Answers: the ability of the defendant to plead guilty the defendant’s past mental status the defendant’s present mental status the defendant’s potential for future violence Response Feedback: Good work  Question 25 A forensic psychologist was asked to perform an evaluation on Mr. Simpson’s competency to stand trial. This is an example of a ______________. Selected Answer: criminal case Answers: criminal case civil case scope of practice issue tort Response Feedback: Good work  Question 26 Which one of the following would be considered the practice of “forensic psychology,” according to the definition of forensic psychology we are using to define the course? Selected Answer: A clinical psychologist directing a domestic violence treatment program Answers: A social psychologist doing research on how graphic evidence induces negative emotions in jurors and causes biased legal decision making A counseling psychologist providing substance abuse treatment to an individual who has been convicted of DUI A developmental psychologist testifying about adolescent brain development in a hearing to determine whether a juvenile should be transferred to adult court for trial A clinical psychologist directing a domestic violence treatment program Response Feedback: That's not correct  Question 27 Psychologists may not be able to reasonably avoid a multiple relationship if they _____________. Selected Answer: are the only psychologist in that geographic area Answers: are routinely retained by either side are the only psychologist in that geographic area are already providing therapy to a client who becomes involved in a custody dispute are asked by an attorney to conduct an evaluation on a person and treat them simultaneously Response Feedback: Good work  Question 28 The prohibition against in abstentia developed into which of the following legal issues? Selected Answer: Competency Answers: Insanity Competency Civil commitment Identification as a sexual predator Response Feedback: Good work  Question 29 Competency is a __________ concept, one that _______ determine. Selected Answer: Legal; judges Answers: Medical; doctors Psychological; psychologists Legal; judges Newly developed; has yet to be (determined) Response Feedback: Good work  Question 30 This question is a freebie. If you pick c, you get this one correct. If you pick anything else, you get this question wrong. Selected Answer: If this one is picked, the question is graded as correct. Answers: The answer is not supposed to be this one. This is not the correct answer. If this one is picked, the question is graded as correct. All of the above. Response Feedback: Good work  Question 31 Which of the following empirically supported factors of expert witness credibility carries the most “weight” (i.e., accounts for most of credibility perceptions)? Selected Answer: Knowledge Answers: Trustworthiness Knowledge Confidence Likeability Response Feedback: That's not correct  Question 32 An incarcerated individual who is receiving psychological services aimed at rehabilitation is likely working with a ___________. Selected Answer: correctional psychologist Answers: physician correctional officer forensic psychologist correctional psychologist Response Feedback: Good work  Question 33 The ruling that competence to stand trial is a “sufficient present ability to consult with [one’s] attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, and…a rational, as well as factual understanding of the proceedings” stems out of which Supreme Court case? (p. 197) Selected Answer: Dusky v. United States (1960) Answers: Dusky v. United States (1960) Johnson v. Zerbst (1938) Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Ford v. Wainwright (1986) Response Feedback: Good work  Question 34 The decision in __________________ encourages competency restoration treatment. Selected Answer: Jackson v. Indiana Answers: Jackson v. Indiana Indiana v. Edwards Godinez v. Moran Frendak v. United States Response Feedback: Good work  Question 35 The Dusky v. U.S. (1960) Supreme Court written opinion that we read was how long? Selected Answer: One page Answers: One page Ten pages Twenty pages I have no idea – I didn’t read it. Response Feedback: Good work  Question 36 The purpose of a forensic psychologist acting as an expert witness is to _____________. Selected Answer: assist the court’s decision-making Answers: assist the individual being evaluated answer legal questions that courts are unable to answer assist the court’s decision-making advocate for the defense or prosecution (whomever is the hiring party) Response Feedback: Good work  Question 37 ____________ ruled that appellate courts should not second-guess a trial judge’s decision to exclude expert testimony. Selected Answer: General Electric Company v. Joiner Answers: Daubert v. Merrell Dow General Electric Company v. Joiner Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael Jenkins v. United States Response Feedback: Good work  Question 38 Dr. Jones is a prospective expert witness. She has traveled to the courthouse and now she is being questioned to determine if she is appropriately qualified to be admitted to testify as an expert. What is the process that Dr. Jones is currently undergoing? Selected Answer: voir dire Answers: venire cross-examination deposition voir dire Response Feedback: Good work  Question 39 A psychologist that testifies in court about the mental state of a defendant at the time of an alleged offense is acting as a/an ______ Selected Answer: Expert witness Answers: Trial consultant Expert witness Basic scientist None of the above Response Feedback: Good work  Question 40 Which of the following is true? Selected Answer: Forensic psychologists often help solve cases through profiling. Answers: You need a degree in forensic psychology to work as a forensic psychologist. You need to be a clinical psychologist to be a forensic psychologist. Forensic psychologists often help solve cases through profiling. None of the above. Response Feedback: That's not correct  Question 41 In Jackson v. Indiana (1972), the Supreme Court ruled _________________. Selected Answer: a defendant can only be held for a reasonable period of time Answers: a trial may be delayed until a defendant is found competent a defendant can only be held for a reasonable period of time charges may be dismissed if a defendant is found incompetent a defendant who is found incompetent is automatically civilly committed Response Feedback: Good work  Question 42 Which diagnosis is the most frequent among individuals who are found incompetent to stand trial? Selected Answer: Schizophrenia (psychotic disorder) Answers: Depression (mood disorder) Schizophrenia (psychotic disorder) Substance abuse Personality disorder Response Feedback: Good work  Question 43 Competency differs from insanity in that, __________________________________. Selected Answer: Competency focuses on present mental state, while insanity is retrospective Answers: Competency focuses on the defendant’s future mental state Competency focuses on both the defendant’s past and present mental state Competency focuses on present mental state, while insanity is retrospective Insanity focuses on the defendant’s present mental state, while competence is retrospective Response Feedback: Good work  Question 44 The real danger in all the different potential sources of bias is that ___________. Selected Answer: experts fail to recognize the sources of bias Answers: there are no legal sanctions experts fail to recognize the sources of bias there are different ethics for psychologists and attorneys training programs teach experts to control biases Response Feedback: Good work  Question 45 The Jared Loughner case (the man who opened fire at rally in Tucson, AZ) was a good example of: Selected Answer: A defendant who was found incompetent but later restored to competency and tried in court Answers: A defendant who was found incompetent but later restored to competency and tried in court A defendant who was found permanently incompetent and released due to Jackson v. Indiana rules A defendant who was found to have malingered incompetency All of the above Response Feedback: Good work  Question 46 One difference between the law and science is that the law relies on _________ whereas science relies upon ______________. Selected Answer: Precedents; scientific methods Answers: Precedents; facts Precedents; scientific methods Public opinion; facts Probabilities; scientific methods Response Feedback: Good work  Question 47 Under the Daubert standard, what are the criteria that must be evaluated by the judge? Selected Answer: General acceptance, error rate, peer review, testable theory or technique Answers: Reliability, testable theory or technique, legal sufficiency, lack of bias Validity, legal sufficiency, relevance, general acceptance Reliability, validity, general acceptance in the scientific community, known error rate General acceptance, error rate, peer review, testable theory or technique Response Feedback: Good work  Question 48 Many scholars suggested that concern over ____________________ was part of the reason for the Daubert decision. Selected Answer: the admission of junk science Answers: the admission of junk science the reduction in the power of judges the complete ban of psychological evidence the lack of expert witnesses in complicated cases Response Feedback: Good work  Question 49 All of the following are differences between a therapeutic assessment and a forensic assessment, except Selected Answer: financial incentives Answers: consequences goals and objectives financial incentives relationship of the parties Response Feedback: Good work  Question 50 A defendant _________________________. Selected Answer: is presumed to be competent unless otherwise proven Answers: is presumed to be competent unless otherwise proven has the burden of proving they are competent to stand trial must raise the issue of competency if there is any question is the only person that can raise the issue of competency to plea Response Feedback: Good work