Meta-analysis of relation between WCST and IQ

https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/brainsci/brainsci-09-00349/article_deploy/brainsci-09-00349.pdf

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Kevin S. McGrew,  PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
www.themindhub.com
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Ethnic adjustment abuses in forensic assessment of intellectual abilities. - PsycNET

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-61762-001

Within the past few years, courts have been more open to accepting evidence of psychological research. For instance, in 2002, the United States Supreme Court, citing an American Psychological Association (APA) Amicus brief, declared that the execution of mentally retarded individuals was unconstitutional because it violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Between 2005 and 2012, the Supreme Court accepted APA briefs describing the limitations in neural development of adolescents and its relevance to sentencing. In 2013, the Court ruled that in assessing an individual's intelligence there must be a consideration of the standard error of measurement. All of this suggested a progressive movement in judicial recognition of psychological research. However, during the same time, many courts were allowing and accepting testimony in capital sentencing cases of so-called ethnic adjustment. Some psychologists were testifying that defendants who were from ethnic minority groups had IQ scores that were suppressed and that therefore their scores had to be "adjusted" upward to compensate for the suppression. However, these adjustments were based purely on clinical judgment and did not reflect any empirical studies. As a result, several of these individuals who had their IQ scores adjusted have been executed. This article will describe the case law surrounding this concept, ethical issues that it raises, and how a practitioner can provide useful consultation to attorneys who represent defendants in such cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Enduring the tests of age and time: Wechsler constructs across versions and revisions - ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289619301850

Atkins Court Decisions: Ford v OH (2019) and Jenkins v AL (2019)

Two more Atkins related court decisions.

Ford v OH (2019)

Jenkins v AL (2019)

After Being Reversed Twice, Texas Appeals Court Takes Intellectually Disabled Prisoner Off Death Row

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/after-being-reversed-twice-texas-appeals-court-takes-intellectually-disabled-prisoner-off-death-row

Atkins Court Decisions: A bunch to update from FL and OK

I have been WAYYYYYYYY behind in posting recent Atkins court decisions and related documents.  Here I post info regarding a number of cases, without comment.  Click on each to access PDF files.

Bowles (2019, FL)

Harris (2019, OK)

Sharpe (2019, OK)

Smith (2019, OK)

Walls (2019, FL; one, two).  More info here.

Atkins Court Decision: TX CCA Commutes Bobby Moore’s Death Sentence in Intellectual Disability Case

After iterating through the courts for years, the Atkins case of Bobby Moore, which had the Texas Briseno factors as a core issue, has been settled.

Click here for news story.  Here is another news story link.

Forensic Clinicians' Understanding of Bias (MacLean et al., 2019)

Article link.

Abstract

Bias, or systematic influences that create errors in judgment, can affect psychological evaluations in ways that lead to erroneous diagnoses and opinions. Although these errors can have especially serious consequences in the criminal justice system, little research has addressed forensic psychologists' awareness of well-known cognitive biases and debiasing strategies. We conducted a national survey with a sample of 120 randomly selected licensed psychologists with forensic interests to examine (a) their familiarity with and understanding of cognitive biases, (b) their self-reported strategies to mitigate bias, and (c) the relation of a and b to psychologists' cognitive reflection abilities. Most psychologists reported familiarity with well-known biases and distinguished these from sham biases and reported using research-identified strategies but not fictional or sham strategies. However, some psychologists reported little familiarity with actual biases, endorsed sham biases as real, failed to recognize effective bias mitigation strategies, and endorsed ineffective bias mitigation strategies. Furthermore, nearly everyone endorsed introspection (a strategy known to be ineffective) as an effective bias mitigation strategy. Cognitive reflection abilities were systematically related to error, such that stronger cognitive reflection was associated with less endorsement of sham biases.

Keywords: bias, forensic evaluation, survey, cognitive reflection

Digit Span Subscale Scores May Be Insufficiently Reliable for Clinical Interpretation: Distinguishing Between Stratified Coefficient Alpha and Omega Hierarchical - Gilles E. Gignac, Matthew R. Reynolds, Kristof Kovacs, 2019

Digit Span Subscale Scores May Be Insufficiently Reliable for Clinical Interpretation: Distinguishing Between Stratified Coefficient Alpha and Omega Hierarchical - Gilles E. Gignac, Matthew R. Reynolds, Kristof Kovacs, 2019
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1073191117748396

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Kevin McGrew, PhD

Educational Psychologist

Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics

IAP

www.themindhub.com

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The Flynn effect for fluid IQ may not generalize to all ages or ability levels: A population-based study of 10,000 US adolescents - ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289619301679

A-79 Flynn Effect Correction: Accuracy Base Rate for IQ/Ability Level | Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology | Oxford Academic

https://academic.oup.com/acn/article-abstract/34/6/939/5555276?redirectedFrom=fulltext

A-79 Flynn Effect Correction: Accuracy Base Rate for IQ/Ability Level | Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology | Oxford Academic

https://academic.oup.com/acn/article-abstract/34/6/939/5555276


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Reasonable Accommodations for Meeting the Unique Needs of Defendants with Intellectual Disability | Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

http://jaapl.org/content/47/3/310


******************************************************
Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
******************************************************

Adjudicative Competence and the Criminalization of Intellectual Disability | Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

http://jaapl.org/content/47/3/321


******************************************************
Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
******************************************************

Atkins Court Decisions--Pizzuto v Idaho (2019) and Johnson v Texas (2019)

Here are two new Atkins court decisions, provided without comment.

Pizzuto v Idaho (2019).  Prior decisions related to this case can be found here.

Johnson v Texas (2019). 

AAIDD Opposes a Proposed Revision to the DSM-5’s Entry for Intellectual Disability

http://aaidd.org/news-policy/news/releases/2019/07/29/aaidd-opposes-a-proposed-revision-to-the-dsm-5-s-entry-for-intellectual-disability

Declines in vocabulary among American adults within levels of educational attainment, 1974–2016 - ScienceDirect

File under Flynn effect related research

Abstract

We examined trends over time in vocabulary, a key component of verbal intelligence, in the nationally representative General Social Survey of U.S. adults (n = 29,912). Participants answered multiple-choice questions about the definitions of 10 specific words. When controlled for educational attainment, the vocabulary of the average U.S. adult declined between the mid-1970s and the 2010s. Vocabulary declined across all levels of educational attainment (less than high school, high school or 2-year college graduate, bachelor's or graduate degree), with the largest declines among those with a bachelor's or graduate degree. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses separating the effects of age, time period, and cohort suggest that the decline is primarily a time period effect. Increasing educational attainment has apparently not improved verbal ability among Americans. Instead, as educational attainment has increased, those at each educational level are less verbally skilled even though the vocabulary skills of the whole population are unchanged.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289618302198

Webster v IN (2019) decision reported in Washington Times

Webster v IN (2019), which can be found here, was recently covered in the Washington Times.

The Flynn Effect in Families: Studies of Register Data on Norwegian Military Conscripts and Their Families

The Flynn Effect in Families: Studies of Register Data on Norwegian Military Conscripts and Their Families
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/2/3/106/htm

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2 Recent law reveiw articles: Lamparello (2019), Johnson et al. (2019)

Click link to access PDF.

• Johnson, S. L., Blume, J. H. & Hritz, A. C. (2019).  Convictions of innocent people with intellectual disability.

• Lamparello, A. (2019).  IQ, culpability, and the criminal law's "gray area:"  Why the rationale for reducing culpability of juveniles and intellectually disabled adults should apply to low-IQ adults.

Three recent Atkins decisions: Altamirano (2019; Az), Raulerson (2019, Ga), Webster (2019, IN)

Here are three recent Atkins decisions. Click to access PDF.

• Altamirano (2019; Az)
• Raulerson (2019, Ga)
• Webster (2019, IN)

Judge Finds Federal Death-Row Prisoner Bruce Webster Intellectually Disabled, Vacates Death Sentence

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/judge-finds-federal-death-row-prisoner-bruce-webster-intellectually-disabled-vacates-death-sentence

APA 2019 workshop on "New Developments in the Death Penalty and People with Intellectual Disability:

Click on image to enlarge

Communication and cross-examination in court for children and adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review - Joanne Morrison, Rachel Forrester-Jones, Jill Bradshaw, Glynis Murphy, 2019

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1365712719851134

Abstract

Courts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have identified children and adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) as vulnerable witnesses. The call from the English Court of Appeal is for advocates to adjust questioning during cross-examination according to individual needs. This review systematically examined previous empirical studies with the aim of delineating the particular communication needs of children and adults with ID during cross-examination. Studies utilising experimental methodology similar to examination/cross-examination processes, or which assessed the communication of actual cross-examinations in court were included. A range of communication challenges were highlighted, including: suggestibility to leading questions and negative feedback; acquiescence; accuracy; memory and understanding of court language. In addition, a number of influencing factors were identified, including: age; IQ level; question styles used. This review highlights the need for further research using cross-examination methodology and live practice, that take into consideration the impact on communication of the unique environment and situation of the cross-examination process.

Keywords Communication, cross-examination, court, intellectual disability, learning difficulties, learning disability, vulnerable defendant, vulnerable witness

Atkins court decisions: Busby v Davis (TX) and Smith v Alabama

FYI--two recent Atkins related decisions

Busby v Davis (TX: 2019)

Smith v Alabama (2019)

Texas ID death penalty update: Death Penalty Reform Bill Gets Watered Down to ‘Nothing’ Before Passing Senate After passing the House.

Death Penalty Reform Bill Gets Watered Down to ‘Nothing’ Before Passing Senate

After passing the House, HB 1139, meant to reform how Texas decides whether a defendant is too intellectually disabled to execute, was significantly softened in Senate committee.  Story at this link. 

The mysterious disappearance of blogmaster of IQs Corner

My regular readers have noticed that I have not posted anything to my three blogs since last thanksgiving.  Why?

Well..I came down with a serious illness and spent 82 days in the hospital, 72 of which were at the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN.  I have since returned home and am doing OT and PT rehab....that is now my full time job.  

I want to thank all who learned of my experience and sent kind words of support.  I shall return.

If you want more details you can check out the Caring Bridge log my lovely wife maintained.

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinmcgrewiq

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***********************************************
Kevin S. McGrew,  PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
www.themindhub.com
************************************************

Happy Turkey day from the blogmaster

Shriver op-ed on Moore v Texas continuing saga with SCOTUS

The LA Times published an excellent op-ed that explains, in simple understandable language, the issues and reasoning behind the recent legal saga of Moore v Texas.  A pdf copy is available here.

Here is link to the latest blog post that can lead you through the past and recent decisions in this case.

The use of the Woodcock-Johnson Fourth Edition (WJ IV) GIA Cognitive IQ score in intellectual disability (ID) determination

The WJ IV Cognitive GIA in iintellectual disability (ID) assessment from Kevin McGrew