NCJ Number
145990
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 391-405
Date Published
1993
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A test format that protects against feigned cognitive impairment was applied to assessment of criminal responsibility.
Abstract
In the two-alternative forced-choice format, total incognition would result in a score that reflects the chance level of 50 percent; a significantly lower score would indicate intentional wrongness. One hundred five prison inmates and 108 college students were assigned randomly to one of three groups: control, naive faking, and coached faking, and given tests of general knowledge and moral reasoning. No control group subject scored significantly below chance on either test; twice as many among the naive faking as among the coached faking group scored significantly below chance. These results suggest that the likelihood of detecting dishonest performance varies with the sophistication of the faker; also, that criminally responsible nonfakers are not likely to score significantly below chance. 1 endnote and 33 references