Question 1

Upon hearing the accuracy of future dangerousness predictions, the Supreme Court _____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  deemed it inadmissible in court 
B)  became more critical of experts testifying on the issue 
C)  continued to encourage this type of expert testimony 
D)  was enthused and requested that more assessments be created

Question 2

How is the term base rate defined in risk assessment?

Accepted Answer

A)  the frequency of violence 
B)  the type of violence perpetrated 
C)  the method of communicating violence 
D)  by the nature of the instrument used to asses violence

Question 3

Which form of risk assessment was compared to flipping a coin?

Accepted Answer

A)  Clinical 
B)  Actuarial 
C)  Structured 
D)  All of the above

Question 4

Nomothetic refers to the __________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  study of individual responses 
B)  examination of data from groups of people 
C)  use of multiple actuarial instruments to assess risk 
D)  clear failure of clinical approaches to account for individual differences

Question 5

Why is it important to understand that violence is a choice?

Accepted Answer

A)  Violence tends to be rare. 
B)  The presence of free will is something total foreign to psychology. 
C)  The legal system does not routinely punish people for accidental acts. 
D)  Truly violent behavior is not related to mental illness or a lack of control.

Question 6

Risk management differs from risk assessment in what manner?

Accepted Answer

A)  Risk assessment is never dynamic. 
B)  Risk assessment is more scientific and empirically validated. 
C)  Risk management is more likely to focus on less severe violence. 
D)  Risk management entails multiple administrations of violence prediction.

Question 7

In Barefoot v. Estelle, the American Psychiatric Association filed an amicus curiae regarding the validity and reliability of predictions of future dangerousness, stating an accuracy rate of about ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  30% 
B)  45% 
C)  60% 
D)  80%

Question 8

A clinical diagnosis of a major mental disorder is an example of a _________ factor in risk assessments.

Accepted Answer

A)  static 
B)  dynamic 
C)  psychological 
D)  nomothetic

Question 9

When are forensic psychologists good at predicting violence?

Accepted Answer

A)  When base rates for violence are low 
B)  When they are making long-term predictions 
C)  When they have knowledge of the person's past violence 
D)  When an offender is being released into a stressful environment

Question 10

Which of the following is true of protective factors?

Accepted Answer

A)  They interact with risk factors to reduce violence. 
B)  Protective factors are characterized by the absence of risk factors. 
C)  They are completely unnecessary in determining or assessing risk. 
D)  Protective factors guarantee an individual will not commit violence.

Question 11

Which of the following is a reason that violence cannot be predicted accurately?

Accepted Answer

A)  Violence is common. 
B)  Psychologists are uniquely qualified to assess risk. 
C) C linical predictions of violence are inherently biased . 
D)  We have failed to identify any of the factors that lead to violence.

Question 12

(Scurich and John 2012) conclude that the form of risk communication should depend on the __________ .

Accepted Answer

A)  judge 
B)  context 
C)  type of violence 
D)  experience of the psychologist

Question 13

Which was not one of the four shortcomings of the first generation of research that Monahan 1988) identified?

Accepted Answer

A)  Samples were too broad 
B)  Studies were poorly organized 
C)  Used poor predictors of violence 
D)  Poorly measured and define violence outcomes

Question 14

What is a major difference between first and third generations of studies in risk assessment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The first generation utilizes a complicated mathematical approach. 
B)  There is a greater focus on general offender populations in the third generation. 
C)  The third generation includes denial of the importance of historical predictors. 
D)  The third generation includes identifying risk and contextual factors for actuarial or structured approaches in the third generation.

Exam 5: Violence Risk Assessment