The MMPI-2 L scale as a tool in police selection

The MMPI has been used extensively in the selection of law enforcement personnel. Because police officer candidates have been preselected, however, individuals with obvious mental disturbance have been screened out of the candidate pool before evaluation. It is necessary to search for more subtle variables to serve as predictors of unsatisfactory future performance. The L scale is a subtle variable which can suggest potential for problematic behavior. The value of the L scale in the selection process is discussed. Authors' Note: William U. Weiss, Ph.D., is professor of psychology. The University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Av., Evansville, IN 47722. Robert Davis, Ph.D., is executive vice-president and director of science, research, and development, for Matrix, Inc., and Cary Rostow, Ph.D., is president of Matrix, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA. Sarah Kinsman was a psychology major at the University of Evansville at the time this research was conducted.     

Ambiguous Measures of Unknown Constructs: The MMPI-2 Fake Bad Scale (aka Symptom Validity Scale, FBS, FBS-r)

The Fake Bad Scale (FBS; Symptom Validity Scale) has fundamental psychometric flaws, interpretive problems, and potentially adverse societal consequences that are not appreciated by Ben-Porath et al. (Psychological Injury and Law 2(1), 62–85, 2009a, b). The FBS was constructed without due consideration to scientifically based guidelines for scale development (Clark and Watson, Psychological Assessment 7, 309–319, 1995; Jackson, Psychological Review 78, 229–248, 1971; Nunnally 1978; Holden and Troister, Canadian Psychology 50, 120–130, 2009). After almost two decades in existence, its face, content, and construct validity have not been established in the empirical literature. Oft-cited discriminant studies that appear to support the FBS are premature because of the scale’s unestablished psychometric foundation. In addition, these studies have significant methodological weaknesses that preclude definitive conclusions about what the scale actually measures. We review these weaknesses and recent legal cases that challenge the scale. We recommend that the FBS’s validity and fairness be addressed in an independent scientific review by the Buros Mental Measurement Test Evaluation System, a non-profit center specializing in the evaluation of commercially available tests.     

The MMPI-2 Symptom Validity Scale (FBS) is an Empirically-Validated Measure of Over-reporting in Personal Injury Litigants and Claimants: reply to William et al. (2009)

We respond briefly to Williams et al.'s (Psychological Injury and the Law 2:182–197, 2009) most recent effort to critique the MMPI-2 Symptom Validity scale, noting that the authors repeat many of the unfounded claims and conclusions of Butcher et al. (Psychological Injury and the Law 1:191–209, 2008) while ignoring and/or reflecting a misunderstanding of many of the points raised in our rebuttal. Rather than repeat our detailed responses to their initial review, we limit this comment to addressing new points Williams et al. (Psychological Injury and the Law 2:182–197, 2009) bring up and offer a succinct summary of the issues raised in this exchange.     

The MMPI-2 Symptom Validity Scale (FBS) Is an Empirically Validated Measure of Overreporting in Personal Injury Litigants and Claimants: Reply to Butcher et al. (2008)

We address issues raised by Butcher et al. (Psychological Injury and the Law 1:191–209, 2008) in their critique of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Symptom Validity Scale (FBS) and show that their analyses and conclusions are based on faulty premises, a misunderstanding of basic concepts in the assessment of overreporting, a selective review of the literature and mischaracterization of the findings they do cite, problematic analyses of a dataset that had already been similarly analyzed, and a flawed analysis of a legal case they discuss. We complement the review of existing research with some new findings that provide further empirical support and clarification of current interpretive recommendations for proper use of the FBS in evaluations of personal injury litigants and claimants.     

Scale 8 Elevations on the MMPI-2 among Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Evaluating Posttraumatic Stress, Depression, and Dissociation as Predictors

This paper investigated elevations on Scale 8 of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) in women survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in order to assess whether symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or dissociation account for such elevations. Participants were 73 women seeking outpatient treatment for CSA after-effects at a university-based community mental health center. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted, including measures of commonly reported symptoms in CSA survivors: depression, posttraumatic stress, and dissociation. Regression analyses revealed that the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) accounted for the most variance in Scale 8 scores (59%), with the BDI as the best predictor. The Impact of Event Scale (IES) did not predict Scale 8 scores significantly above that achieved by the model above. Cross-validation results indicated good generalizability. Results suggest that depression and dissociation contribute most to scores on Scale 8. Implications of these findings for the clinical and empirical use of the MMPI-2 with CSA survivors are discussed.     

Taking the Measure of Law: The Case of the Doing Business Project

This article analyzes a number of yearly reports from the World Bank's Doing Business project, an ambitious international effort to measure various aspects of law and development, analyze their interrelationship, develop benchmarks for assessment of legal systems, and suggest legal reforms. After describing the methodology used, we analyze the strengths and limitations of the project, both as a scholarly enterprise and as a set of proposals for legal reform. Our analysis highlights the challenges associated with measuring legal variables in the face of legal complexity and uncertainty, measuring development when the concept of development is contested, tracing causal connections between law and development, and using scholarly research as a basis for legal reform.     

某商贸大厦地基基础工程质量司法鉴定的案例介绍

通过对某大厦地基基础工程质量的司法鉴定,发现其中存在严重的质量安全隐患,为法院提供了具有高度公信力的证据,为诉讼多年的疑案划上句号做出了应有的贡献,揭露了被告偷工减料、野蛮施工的丑恶行为,保障了受害者的合法权益,有力地维护司法公正,促进社会和谐稳定。建筑工程质量司法鉴定涉及着控辩双方较大的利害关系,鉴定资料和鉴定文书的庭审质证过程必然充满着对抗情绪,司法鉴定人更加需要在本职工作中坚持科学、严谨、客观、公正的基本原则。     

刑法体系解释层次论——兼以“赵春华案”为实践检验样本

刑法体系解释是一种重要的刑法解释方法,当下多数论者将其界定为:将刑法规范置于刑法典这一体系当中,联系刑法相关法条进行解释。但是,这种界定只是刻画了刑法体系解释之"体系"的一个层次,存在逻辑论证不完整、层次不清晰、难以有效指导实践等问题。刑法体系解释之"体系"作为一个逻辑严密的系统整体,应当划分为条文体系、章节体系、刑法典体系、法秩序统一体体系、社会共同体价值体系等五个层次:第一,应当确保同一条文内部的逻辑自洽,对刑法用语和某一款项的解释不能违背其所在条文这一最基础的体系;第二,要将条文体系的解释结论置于所在章节之体系进行检验,使其与所在章节相协调;第三,将解释结论放在整个刑法典体系当中进行审视,避免与其他条文相矛盾,尤其是不能与刑法基本原则等一般规范以及刑法的基本目的相抵触;第四,将解释结论放在整个法律体系之中进行考量,不能做出与民法、行政法等法律相冲突或违背刑民界分、刑行界分基本理念的结论;第五,刑法解释的结论除了要与上述的规范逻辑体系相协调,还必须同时与社会共同体价值体系相融洽。在运用刑法体系解释方法时,应当遵循依次递进的五个层次,使罪刑法定等基本原则得到坚守,令刑法规范与社会情理价值得以深度融合。以"赵春华案"为检验素材,可以看到刑法体系解释五层次论符合科学的逻辑认知路径,能够较为圆满地指导司法实践。     

Regulation as the Mother of Innovation: The Case of SO2 Control*

This paper explores the relationship between government actions and innovation in an environmental control technology—sulfur dioxide (SO₂) control technologies for power plants—through the use of complementary research methods. Its findings include the importance of regulation and the anticipation of regulation in stimulating invention; the greater role of regulation, as opposed to public R&D expenditures, in inducing invention; the importance of regulatory stringency in determining technical pathways and stimulating collaboration; and the importance of regulatory‐driven technological diffusion in contributing to operating experience and post‐adoption innovation in cost and performance. A number of policy implications are drawn from this work.     

Fatal Fat Embolism After Penis Enlargement by Autologous Fat Transfer: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Fat embolism is an incidental finding in cases of long bone fractures or other trauma, but it is also associated with liposuction and autologous fat transfer, a procedure where fat from liposuction is injected back into the same patient's face, breast, buttocks or penis. We here present a case of sudden death by fat embolism in a healthy young male, caused by a simple penis enlargement procedure, in which fat was injected into the penis shaft. We suggest that the risk of fat embolization might be higher when pretraumatized tissue is subjected to fat injection, like in this case, where a penis elongation was performed before the fat injection.     

The Detection of Feigned Psychiatric Disorders Using the MMPI-2-RF Overreporting Validity Scales: An Analog Investigation

Individuals who are motivated to feign psychological problems to achieve a desired outcome (e.g., insanity defense) may overreport symptoms of psychopathology, with type of pathology being dependent on the setting. In the current investigation, we examined the utility of the overreporting validity scales (infrequent responses [F-r], infrequent psychopathology responses [F_P-r], infrequent somatic responses [Fs], and symptom validity [FBS-r]) on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (Ben-Porath and Tellegen 2008) to detect research participants instructed to simulate one of three mental disorders: major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia (SCH), or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The restructured clinical (RC) and overreporting validity scale scores of bona fide psychiatric patients with a primary diagnosis of either MDD, SCH, or PTSD were compared to two groups of simulators—naïve (i.e., undergraduate students with no training in mental disorders) and sophisticated (i.e., individuals with advanced training in psychopathology or personal experience with the disorder asked to overreport symptoms). Examination of the RC Scale profiles revealed that the sophisticated simulators produced symptom profiles more similar to the profiles of the psychiatric patients than did the naïve simulators. For the overreporting validity scales, the sophisticated simulators were less likely to be detected as feigning compared to the naïve simulators; overall, the validity scales were able to distinguish patients from simulators and accurately classify most of the simulators regardless of their level of “symptom” sophistication. Examination and comparison of the validity scales revealed that across disorders and level of research participant symptom sophistication, the F_P-r scale best differentiated simulators from patients.     

Case Report of a Migrating Bullet: An Unusual Cause of Postmortem Confusion

Migrating bullets are rare sequelae of penetrating gunshot wounds. Such cases have been described in the neurosurgical literature because they can produce complications in the management of patients such as decline in neurologic status, delays in rehabilitation, and difficulties in bullet removal. In contrast, few postmortem reports have described this phenomenon. We report a case of a gunshot wound in which the projectile entered the left side of the head and traversed to the right frontal area as documented by CT scan on hospital admission. At autopsy, the bullet was noted to have migrated back to the left side of the head from where it was recovered. Medical examiners need to be aware of this unusual phenomenon of retained intracranial projectiles.     

The Role of Fantasy in a Serial Sexual Offender: A Brief Review of the Literature and a Case Report

Abstract: Extensive research has attempted to elucidate the role of fantasy in sexual offending. In this paper, the authors summarize the main results of the literature, especially the contents, themes, dynamics, etiopathogenesis, and potential functions of fantasy in sexual offending. Further, the authors analyze the case of a serial sexual offender who assaulted 39 women. The forensic‐psychiatric assessment revealed that his fantasies of forced sex, sexual coercion, and dominance, which were linked to narcissistic personality organization and functioning, were the primary drive mechanism in his crimes, because he imagined himself in the role of the aggressor, identified with the power associated with the role of perpetrator, and was sexually aroused by such images of omnipotent control of the victim. In conclusions, the authors suggest that fantasies of sexual aggression, coercion, and dominance of women may stimulate grandiosity and omnipotence and, in a minority of cases, may lead to sexual offending.     

Attempted Serial Neonaticides: Case Report and a Brief Review of the Literature

Neonaticide is an infant murder occurring on the day of birth. The case reports found in the literature are often focused on the mother as the agent in the context of pregnancy denial, dissociative symptoms, or psychosis. However, this report describes a rare case of attempted serial neonaticides, in which the acts were committed by a nurse at the nursery of a referral hospital in Brazil. The authors describe a forensic psychiatric evaluation for criminal responsibility and correlate the information from this particular case with relevant forensic themes, namely neonaticide, Munchausen by proxy syndrome, and serial healthcare killers.     

Pinpointing the Powerful: Covoting Network Centrality as a Measure of Political Influence

This article introduces centrality in covoting networks as a measure of influence. Based on a simple cueing dynamic, it conceptualizes those lawmakers as most central—and thus as having the greatest signaling influence—who impact the greatest number of colleagues' voting decisions. A formal proof and an agent‐based simulation show that cue‐providers are always more central than followers; hence, we can use real‐world voting data to identify the most influential legislators. To confirm the measure's construct validity, we predict covoting centrality in the European Parliament and find those factors that are expected to impact legislators' influence to predict their centrality.     

The Supply-Side of International Corruption: a New Measure and a Critique

I consider the supply-side of corruption in the context of international bribery, which I define as firms bribing public officials abroad. I present the Bribe Payers Corruption Index (BPCI), a non-perception-based measure of cross-border corruption coherent with a simple analytical framework based on an important distinction: that between the propensities to corrupt and observed levels of corruption. The BPCI is compared with a widely known indicator of the supply-side of corruption, Transparency International’s Bribe Payers Index (TI-BPI), which I demonstrate to be flawed. Whereas according to the TI-BPI firms from corrupt countries are more likely to bribe abroad, the opposite emerges when the BPCI is considered. I explain and discuss such results, the implications of which are framed within the global discourse on the supply-side of international corruption.     

The Jailing of a Journalist: Prosecuting the Press for Receiving Stolen Documents

In 1973, the FBI arrested investigative reporter Les Whitten and charged him with possession of stolen government documents. This jailing of a journalist during the Nixon administration was largely overshadowed by more famous cases involving the media during the Watergate era. But United States v. Whitten turned out to be an important victory for press freedom at a time when First Amendment rights were under siege by the government. The case would eventually inform two other important media law cases, help shape a third, and reinforce new government rules protecting journalistic privilege. Although more recent court decisions appear to be moving toward journalistic liability for receiving stolen documents, the impact of the historic Whitten case is arguably still being felt today.     

Fatal Aspiration of Barium Sulfate in a Case of Myasthenia Gravis: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Barium contrast radiography is a usual procedure performed for detecting lesions of the digestive tract using barium sulfate on X-ray irradiation. The aspiration of barium contrast is an uncommon but well-documented complication occurring accidentally during examinations of the upper gastrointestinal system using contrast media. Certain conditions that affect the anatomical and functional integrity of the oropharynx and esophagus can be predisposing factors. Barium is an inert material that can cause symptoms varying from an asymptomatic mechanical obstruction to severe respiratory distress that can result in death when aspirated. Sudden death due to aspiration of barium is rarely reported in the literature. We report a case of a 50-year-old female who suddenly developed difficulty in breathing, followed by loss of consciousness during barium swallow procedure due to aspiration of barium contrast. She could not be revived and died within a few minutes of the episode. The predisposing factor was the weakness of the muscles of deglutition due to myasthenia gravis. We also reviewed the literature available on cases resulting from the aspiration of barium sulfate during the barium study procedures. We considered the factors like the age, indications, the distribution of barium in the lungs, clinical presentation, the period of survival, and cause of death. We came across only four cases of death within 24 h following the aspiration of barium. This case report and review of literature emphasize the importance of consideration of predisposing factors before conducting barium contrast radiography and also the possibility of sudden death.     

Gender Equality: Before and After the Enlargement of EU: The Case of the Czech Republic

Abstract:  This article focuses on the case of the Czech Republic as an example of historical determination of the post-communist society in central Europe. It looks at the Czech Republic as an example of a society harmonising its legislation with EU law, focusing on the impact on changes in 'gender issue'. The article discuses the strugle for equality between men and women as a strugle for freedom and for real democracy.