CHAPTER TWO
QUESTIONS
1. “The application of scientific and professional aspects of psychology to questions and issues
relating to the law and the legal system” is a definition of
a. forensic science
b. clinical forensic science
c. forensic psychology
d. experimental forensic psychology
2. Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology were first introduced in 1991 by
a. the American Psychological Association
b. the American Psychiatric Association
c. the Society of Police and Criminal Psychology
d. the American Psychology-Law Society
3. Forensic psychology involves an overlapping relationship between
a. forensic science, experimental psychology, and the judiciary
b. clinical practice, forensic science, and the legal system
c. clinical psychology, experimental psychology, and counseling psychology
d. clinical practice, experimental research, and the law
4. The clinical aspects of forensic psychology include all of the following except
a. competency to stand trial
b. sanity
c. fitness-for-duty evaluations
d. jury decision-making processes
5. The research aspects of forensic psychology include all of the following except
a. pre-employment psychological screening
b. the effects of pretrial publicity on juries
c. the effects of expert testimony on juries
d. the effects of suspect presentation methods on witness’ recall
6. The primary organization representing psychology is the
a. American Psychology-Law Society
b. American Psychological Association
c. American Psychological Society
d. American Psychological Foundation
7. The legal aspects of forensic psychology include all of the following except
a. alternate dispute resolution
b. psychological autopsies
c. psychological damages in civil cases
d. trial procedure
8. “Psychologists in public service” are represented by which division of the American
Psychological Association?
a. 18
b. 12
c. 14
d. 8
9. How many graduate training programs in the United States offer a “pure” degree in
forensic psychology?
a. 4
b. 5
c. 3
d. 8
10. The “doctor of psychology” degree is abbreviated as
a. Dr.Psy.
b. Psych.D
c. Ph.D.
d. Psy.D.
11. Which of the following is a law degree?
a. Ph.D.
b. JD
c. LLB
d. b & c
12. The oldest and most respected body granting board certification in psychology is
a. The American Board of Psychiatry
b. The American Board of Professional Psychology
c. The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
d. The American Psychological Society
13. Which of the following is an example of “real” evidence?
a. the murder weapon used in a crime
b. an autopsy report
c. the testimony of a police detective
d. all the above
14. Which of the following is an example of “demonstrative” evidence?
a. a contract
b. fingerprints
c. an anatomical model
d. all the above
15. Which of the following is an example of “documentary” evidence?
a. a telephone transcript
b. copies of public records
c. newspapers
d. all the above
16. Which of the following “testimonial” evidence?
a. an eyewitness
b. a telephone intercept
c. a diagram
d. a map
17. Which of the following statements would not be allowed from a lay witness?
a. “He was going very, very fast”
b. “He was comatose”
c. “He seemed nervous”
d. “He acted crazy”
18. Which of the following statements would be allowed from an expert witness?
a. “He was dead”
b. “His arm was broken”
c. “He was unconscious”
d. all the above
19. An expert witness has special knowledge or skill gained by
a. education
b. training
c. experience
d. any of the above
20. Evidence is admitted into testimony via rules of evidence established by the ___________
in which a court sits.
a. county
b. jurisdiction
c. city
d. federal district
21. This case held that expert scientific opinion was admissible only if the principles on which
the opinions were based had gained general acceptance in the relevant scientific community.
a. Frye v. United States
b. Miranda v. Arizona
c. Daubert v. Merrell Dow
d. Jaffe v. Redmond
22. This case held that expert testimony can be admitted into evidence if, in the judge’s opinion,
the testimony would be relevant in assisting a jury in better understanding the case.
a. Frye v. United States
b. Miranda v. Arizona
c. Daubert v. Merrell Dow
d. Jaffe v. Redmond
23. The Federal Rules of Evidence is also known as
a. the Frye test
b. the expert witness test
c. the scientific community test
d. 28 U.S.C.A. §702
24. A new scientific technique which has not yet been tested by the relevant scientific community,
would be more likely to be accepted into evidence under which evidentiary rule?
a. Frye
b. Daubert
c. Frye-Daubert
d. Miranda
25. Where a testifying psychologist serves as a treatment professional,
a. the patient-treatment provider privilege applies
b. the attorney-client privilege applies
c. no privilege applied
d. both a and b apply
26. A psychologist-patient privilege
a. exists in all fifty states and the District of Columbia
b. exists in 48 states
c. depends on the jurisdiction of the psychologist
d. depends on the jurisdiction of the patient
27. Information a lawyer obtains from a client in the course of representation concerning the
client’s mental health is not subject to discovery
a. unless the lawyer waives the privilege
b. unless the client waives the privilege
c. unless either lawyer or client waive the privilege
d. unless both lawyer and client waive the privilege
28. Psychologists who testify as experts are usually exempt from civil liability. Such an
exemption is to liability is referred to as
a. work-product opinion
b. confidentiality
c. psychotherapist-client privilege
d. immunity
29. Elements of the APA Ethics Code which are most relevant to forensic psychologists
require that psychologists
a. limit their services to the boundaries of their competence, education, and supervised
experience
b. base their opinions on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their
findings
c. obtain informed consent prior to providing assessment or therapy
d. all the above
30. Elements of the APA Ethics Code which are most relevant to forensic psychologists
require that psychologists
a. consider individual ethic and cultural differences of individuals that might affect the
results of psychological testing and evaluations
b. clarify their role expectations and extent of confidentiality to their clients, especially
when court proceedings are involved
c. be unbiased and forthright when expressing their assessments and opinions, and not be
obligated to deliver favorable testimony due to contractual relationships with either side
of a case
d. all the above
31. A legal or moral responsibility or obligation, recognized by the law, requiring one to
conform to certain standards of conduct for the protection of others against unreasonable
ricks, is called a(n)
a. requirement
b. duty
c. expert opinion
d. oath
32. A “constructive breach” is where
a. one party to a contract fails to perform any promise which forms the whole or part of
a contract without legal excuse
b. a prisoner departs from legal custody using force
c. one party bound to perform a contract or obligation disables himself from performance
by some act, or declares, before the time comes, that he will not perform
d. none of the above
33. The seminal American case on “duty to warn” is
a. Jenkins v. United States
b. Underwood v. United States
c. Palsgraf v. Long Island R. R. Co.
d. State v. Boles
34. A person who seeks a ________________ that is, a ruling by a higher court that it hear
a case, is known as a(n) ________________.
a. writ of certiorari, petitioner
b. writ of certiorari, respondent
c. judgment, plaintiff
d. judgment, defendant
35. A mental health provider’s generalized duty to protect third parties, is best known as the
a. foreseeability duty
b. Palsgraf duty
c. third party duty
d. Tarasoff duty
36. In this 1983 case, the U.S. Supreme Court explicitly stated that a mental health professional
could address the future dangerousness of a capital murder defendant at the time of
sentencing.
a. Weitz v Lovelace Health
b. Barefoot v. Estelle
c. Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
d. Naidu v. Laird
37. Assessments based on human judgment that considers clinical variables which are dynamic
and subject to change, are best referred to as
a. clinical judgments
b. predictive judgments
c. variable judgments
d. subjective judgments
38. Statistically-based assessments based on validated relationships between measurable
predictor and outcome variables and ultimately determined by fixed, or mechanical, and
explicit rules, are best referred to as
a. meta-analytical assessments
b. organized assessments
c. actuarial assessments
d. validated assessments
Chapter 2 ANSWERS