NCJ Number
137555
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 257- 272
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Despite its widespread use, there has been considerable controversy and debate over the appropriate role of psychological testing in forensic assessment.
Abstract
Forensic decisionmaking should consider functional abilities, context, causal inference, interaction, judgment, and disposition. The primary legal criterion for the admissibility of psychological evidence is relevance to the legal issue at hand or to some underlying psychological construct. The emphasis placed on accuracy by psychologists performing such assessments has given rise to criticisms from various commentators. The author proposes a set of guidelines to assist mental health professionals in determining whether a specific psychological test should be used in a forensic assessment. The guidelines focus on test selection, administration, and interpretation. 11 notes and 73 references