MMPI-2 and MCMI-III in Forensic Evaluations: A Survey of Psychologists

• NCJ Number: 230029
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: January - February 2010 Pages: 37-52
• Author(s): James N. Bow, Ph.D., ABPP; James R. Flens, Psy.D., ABPP; Jonathan W. Gould, Ph.D., ABPP
• Date Published: January 2010
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the use of MMPI-2 and MCMI-III in forensic cases.

Abstract

This study explored psychologists' procedures for administering, scoring, and interpreting the MMPI-2 and MCMI-III in forensic cases. A national sample of 137 forensic psychologists responded to an online survey that focused on their use of the MMPI-2 and MCMI-III. The survey results reaffirmed some troubling practices found in a past study with child custody evaluator, such as lack of verification of data entry, inadequate knowledge of significance cutoffs, and over-reliance on computer-generated interpretive reports. Each of these may significantly impact the accuracy of scoring and/or interpretation. Implications for forensic practice are discussed. Tables and references (Published Abstract)