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Forensic Neuropsychology
432
CURRENT
PUBLICATION
Many of the findings of previous studies were confirmed, and further interpretation is offered. The perception of female inmates as more emotional, more demanding, more open in expressing their feelings, and less willing to obey orders that have been noted previously were shared by both male and female correctional officers in the present study. The observation that female inmates respond to their incarceration in more personal terms and that they are lacking in group loyalty also were prominent themes in the interviews. Consistent also with the results of previous research, both male and female officers in the present study found female inmates more difficult to supervise, and the difference was more pronounced for female officers. Eighty-three percent of female officers reported greater difficulty with female inmates, compared with fifty-five percent of male officers. In co-correctional facilities, a moderation in the extreme behavior differences between men and women was reported. There was a decrease in the perceived levels of homosexual behavior and assaultiveness on the part of both male and female inmates. Officers also indicated that they were less inclined to supervise the sexes differently when they were housed in the same facility. The results generally confirmed supervisory problems noted in previous research. Although Pollock reiterates that this was an exploratory study, she endeavors to analyze the female inmate subculture in more depth than has been done previously. Her primary suggestion is that female inmates are not lacking in loyalty to others but that their bonds are formed within pairs or smaller groups. Pollock recommends further study of female inmate social interactions based on this preliminary hypothesis and suggests also that institutional factors that might interact with inmate behavior as well as ways in which the sexual stereotypes of correctional officers also might influence that behavior require furthcr study too. The book includes a final chapter describing the methodology, including reliability and validity estimates, and copies of the interview questions and adjective checklists.
ABSTRACTS
Forensic Neuropsychology edited J. Golden and Mary Ann Strider.
by Charles
Plenum Press (233 Spring Street, New York, New York (10013), 1986, 190 pp., hardcover-$39.50. Over the past ten years, neuropsychologists have been called upon more and more frequently to serve as expert witnesses in lawsuits. This has resulted primarily from the growing recognition that damages can include more than obvious physical impairment. However, neuropsychologists have not yet learned how to utilize their expertise in ways that will best serve their clients’ interests. This is largely because they are used to weighing and arguing evidence from a clinical standpoint-trying to reach a diagnosis and recommend treatment rather than to convince a jury. Moreover, they are not accustomed to the relationship to medical specialists in which they find themselves in a courtroom-where their input serves an adversarial purpose rather than an auxiliary one. The aim of the current volume is to describe ways in which neuropsychologists can present clinical evidence in a manner that will be convincing in court. The book is a collection of presentations from the Third Annual Conference on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery held in Omaha in May, 1985. It focuses on that particular instrument, but the findings are relevant to others. The first chapter, by Charles J. Golden, provides an overview of issues that face neuropsychologists testifying in court. The first issue is what kinds of tests they should administer to obtain the required evidence. These may not be the same as those that would be appropriate for clinical purposes. Golden details the criteria to be used in selection, including the need for redundancy. He also offers guidance on writing forensic reports and on styles of testifying at depositions and in court. The bulk of the remainder of this chapter is given to a discussion of theories of how the brain works, focusing on the work of the Soviet neuropsychologist A.R. Luria. This section includes a consideration of the development of the brain in in-
CURRENT
PUBLICATION
fants, children, and adolescents, especially as it pertains to the type and degree of damage that can occur as a result of injury at various developmental stages. The next five chapters examine specific cases that raise important legal issues. The first three discuss three individuals who were injured in the same accident. One article is devoted to each of the three men. All three suffered head injuries that affected them differently. One individual’s case was compounded by premorbid disabilities, and another’s was complicated by chronic alcoholism, so evaluation of these persons for the purpose of seeking damages necessitated distinguishing the effects of the accident from these other difficulties. The issue of
Al3STKACTS
433
role conflict for the neuropsychologist as expert witness vs. mental health professional is discussed in two cases. The next presentation concerns a young woman who was injured during the summer following her graduation from high school and appeared to recover but then experienced difficulties in college that were traceable to the accident. The final presentation concerns injury to a child. In that instance the question of damages encompassing the child’s future development and the impact on the entire family are discussed. The book includes an example of a deposition and extensive information on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery and evaluations of it.
CURRENT
PUBLICATION
Many of the findings of previous studies were confirmed, and further interpretation is offered. The perception of female inmates as more emotional, more demanding, more open in expressing their feelings, and less willing to obey orders that have been noted previously were shared by both male and female correctional officers in the present study. The observation that female inmates respond to their incarceration in more personal terms and that they are lacking in group loyalty also were prominent themes in the interviews. Consistent also with the results of previous research, both male and female officers in the present study found female inmates more difficult to supervise, and the difference was more pronounced for female officers. Eighty-three percent of female officers reported greater difficulty with female inmates, compared with fifty-five percent of male officers. In co-correctional facilities, a moderation in the extreme behavior differences between men and women was reported. There was a decrease in the perceived levels of homosexual behavior and assaultiveness on the part of both male and female inmates. Officers also indicated that they were less inclined to supervise the sexes differently when they were housed in the same facility. The results generally confirmed supervisory problems noted in previous research. Although Pollock reiterates that this was an exploratory study, she endeavors to analyze the female inmate subculture in more depth than has been done previously. Her primary suggestion is that female inmates are not lacking in loyalty to others but that their bonds are formed within pairs or smaller groups. Pollock recommends further study of female inmate social interactions based on this preliminary hypothesis and suggests also that institutional factors that might interact with inmate behavior as well as ways in which the sexual stereotypes of correctional officers also might influence that behavior require furthcr study too. The book includes a final chapter describing the methodology, including reliability and validity estimates, and copies of the interview questions and adjective checklists.
ABSTRACTS
Forensic Neuropsychology edited J. Golden and Mary Ann Strider.
by Charles
Plenum Press (233 Spring Street, New York, New York (10013), 1986, 190 pp., hardcover-$39.50. Over the past ten years, neuropsychologists have been called upon more and more frequently to serve as expert witnesses in lawsuits. This has resulted primarily from the growing recognition that damages can include more than obvious physical impairment. However, neuropsychologists have not yet learned how to utilize their expertise in ways that will best serve their clients’ interests. This is largely because they are used to weighing and arguing evidence from a clinical standpoint-trying to reach a diagnosis and recommend treatment rather than to convince a jury. Moreover, they are not accustomed to the relationship to medical specialists in which they find themselves in a courtroom-where their input serves an adversarial purpose rather than an auxiliary one. The aim of the current volume is to describe ways in which neuropsychologists can present clinical evidence in a manner that will be convincing in court. The book is a collection of presentations from the Third Annual Conference on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery held in Omaha in May, 1985. It focuses on that particular instrument, but the findings are relevant to others. The first chapter, by Charles J. Golden, provides an overview of issues that face neuropsychologists testifying in court. The first issue is what kinds of tests they should administer to obtain the required evidence. These may not be the same as those that would be appropriate for clinical purposes. Golden details the criteria to be used in selection, including the need for redundancy. He also offers guidance on writing forensic reports and on styles of testifying at depositions and in court. The bulk of the remainder of this chapter is given to a discussion of theories of how the brain works, focusing on the work of the Soviet neuropsychologist A.R. Luria. This section includes a consideration of the development of the brain in in-
CURRENT
PUBLICATION
fants, children, and adolescents, especially as it pertains to the type and degree of damage that can occur as a result of injury at various developmental stages. The next five chapters examine specific cases that raise important legal issues. The first three discuss three individuals who were injured in the same accident. One article is devoted to each of the three men. All three suffered head injuries that affected them differently. One individual’s case was compounded by premorbid disabilities, and another’s was complicated by chronic alcoholism, so evaluation of these persons for the purpose of seeking damages necessitated distinguishing the effects of the accident from these other difficulties. The issue of
Al3STKACTS
433
role conflict for the neuropsychologist as expert witness vs. mental health professional is discussed in two cases. The next presentation concerns a young woman who was injured during the summer following her graduation from high school and appeared to recover but then experienced difficulties in college that were traceable to the accident. The final presentation concerns injury to a child. In that instance the question of damages encompassing the child’s future development and the impact on the entire family are discussed. The book includes an example of a deposition and extensive information on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery and evaluations of it.