7 - Positives and Pitfalls: 25 Suggestions for Enhancing Forensic Work in Neuropsychology

Considerable strides have been made in forensic neuropsychology in such areas as effort assessment, clarification of normal versus abnormal test characteristics, and expected onset, course, and outcome of mild head injury. Given such improvements, unlike decades ago in which entering the psychology-law interface often left practitioners with major gaps in scientific knowledge, now the issue is far more often selecting better methods over weaker or deficient ones. Hence, selection and execution of methods has never mattered more or made such a substantial difference in the quality and accuracy of courtroom work. This workshop is directed towards identifying practices and specific choices that promote high quality work. Attention will also be directed towards choices and procedures that are relatively common but often create methodological problems and courtroom vulnerabilities (e.g., certain approaches for selecting and interpreting combinations of measures for appraising effort, methods for assessing diverse individuals, procedures for assessing prior functioning). A central aim is to interweave careful scientific appraisal with practical considerations across a broad array of courtroom work. Hence, the presentation will provide tips and guidelines in such areas as the identification and analysis of background information that is often overlooked, varying strategies for test interpretation and data integration, use of visuals in mediations and trials, translation of technical findings into easily grasped concepts and persuasive explanations for laypersons, and strategies for depositions and courtroom testimony. The presentation is not intended to favor a defense or plaintiff orientation, but solely to promote our best efforts to get to the right result and use it as the guiding foundation for the case at hand.