Deck 12: Section 2: Juries and Judges As Decision Makers

Question 1

In custody decisions, the approximation rule states that:

A) the child should be placed in the home of the parent who makes the most money.
B) the child should be placed with the mother if the child is young and with the father if the child is old enough to desire such an arrangement.
C) the child should remain in placement that is true to the caretaking relationship that existed prior to the divorce.
D) the child should remain with the same-sex parent.

Answer 1

the child should remain in placement that is true to the caretaking relationship that existed prior to the divorce.

Question 2

Shared legal custody means that:

A) both parents make everyday decisions and more serious decisions.
B) the parent who is with the child makes everyday decisions and both parents make serious decisions together.
C) the parent with the insurance is the only one that can make medical decisions.
D) only one parent determines the school that the child attends.

Answer 2

the parent who is with the child makes everyday decisions and both parents make serious decisions together.

Question 3

One problem with the BICS is that it can:

A) reduce conflict between the judge and the parents.
B) escalate conflicts between parents.
C) adequately predict the future.
D) promote healthy development in children.

Answer 3

escalate conflicts between parents.

Question 4

Matthew's parents divorced after a tumultuous marriage. It was difficult for him to understand what happened because he had become somewhat accustomed to all of the fighting. In addition, the divorce resulted in a difficult financial situation, and he had to change schools. Despite these circumstances, Matthew made great strides, finished high school with high grades, and completed college in three years. He possesses personality traits that help him overcome difficult situations. This group of personality traits is referred to as:

A) overcompensation.
B) overachieving.
C) resilience.
D) stability.

Question 5

Sole physical custody granted to the father is the _____ custody arrangement(s).

A) most common
B) second most common
C) the least common
D) likely outcome in about half of all

Question 6

Kathryn's parents recently divorced. During the hearing for custody, it was determined that her mother would have legal and physical custody. This type of custody is known as:

A) sole custody.
B) joint legal custody.
C) shared custody.
D) physical custody.

Question 7

The rights and responsibilities of parents in the determination of custody are called:

A) legal custody.
B) physical custody.
C) child custody.
D) parental competence.

Question 8

According to the text, custody arrangements reveal that sole physical custody is granted to the mother approximately _____ of the time.

A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 90%

Question 9

The goal of the approximation rule is to:

A) maintain as much stability for the child as possible.
B) make sure the right parent has custody.
C) keep the preferred custody arrangement set in place by the court previously.
D) uphold judicial rights in determining custody.

Question 10

More often than not, children define family in terms of:

A) emotional ties.
B) physical ties.
C) biological ties.
D) physical proximity.

Question 11

In recent decades, the instances of joint legal custody have been:

A) staying about the same as in the past.
B) decreasing.
C) increasing.
D) almost nonexistent.

Question 12

Child custody issues may require the expertise of a psychologist to assist the court in deciding the fate of a child in the case of a divorce. _____ refers to how much time a child spends with each of the parents.

A) Legal custody
B) Physical custody
C) Child custody
D) Parental competence

Question 13

Considering the child first and foremost in a custody decision has been reinforced by the establishment of the:

A) best interest of the child standard (BICS).
B) tender years doctrine.
C) primary caretaker rule.
D) Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA).

Question 14

The tender years doctrine once prevailed as the standard for deciding child custody. This rule dictated that:

A) young children were to stay with the father.
B) all female children were placed with the father.
C) young children and all male children were placed with the father.
D) young children and all female children were placed with the mother.

Question 15

Research that follows subjects and collects data over a longer period of time is referred to as:

A) cross-sectional.
B) naturalistic.
C) observational.
D) longitudinal.

Question 16

The primary caretaker rule takes into account several factors when determining the appropriate custody arrangement. Which of the following factors is NOT generally considered?

A) Which parent disciplines the child.
B) Which parent stays with the child when the child is ill.
C) Who buys the child's clothes.
D) Who earns the money paid for the child's preschool.

Question 17

In the case of divorce under English common law, children were considered to be:

A) seen but not heard.
B) the future of the county.
C) property of the father.
D) best taken care of by the mother.

Question 18

Shared legal custody is also known as:

A) physical custody.
B) child custody.
C) joint legal custody.
D) parental competence.

Question 19

Research has demonstrated that sexism or gender bias is more likely to influence decision making in custody cases when the guidelines for custody are:

A) vague.
B) short.
C) disparate.
D) strict.

Question 20

Several longitudinal studies have revealed that the majority of youngsters that have been through a divorce:

A) develop more slowly.
B) develop psychological disorders.
C) adapt and develop into healthy adults.
D) are more prone to mental illness.

Question 21

A neutral third party that is used in courts to approach the parents together in a non-adversarial manner is also called a:

A) mediator.
B) mentor.
C) counselor.
D) social worker.

Question 22

One criticism of the majority of currently used projective tests is that they:

A) have high reliability.
B) have low validity.
C) have high validity.
D) are not criterion referenced.

Question 23

New assessment tools have been developed to better evaluate a child's relationship with his or her parents. Which of the following tests is NOT one of these new instruments?

A) Perception-of-Relationships Test (PORT).
B) Bricklin Perceptual Scales (BPS).
C) Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT).
D) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2).

Question 24

Jennifer's parents are contemplating divorce and have not been able to agree on custody issues. The fight for custody has already impacted Jennifer, as her dropping grades demonstrate. Unfortunately, the state where the family lives does not have:

A) good legal counseling.
B) psychologists to rely on for opinions.
C) mandatory counseling.
D) mandatory mediation laws.

Question 25

Which of the following statements reflects the current state of knowledge about Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)?

A) It has not been confirmed scientifically because there is not enough research data to support its existence.
B) It leads to extreme psychological damage to the child's relationships with both parents.
C) It was identified on the basis of the bitter divorce battle between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.
D) It is a promising psychological breakthrough, and a large number of researchers are working on corroborating it.

Question 26

The purpose of mandatory mediation laws is to:

A) free up time for the opposing lawyers.
B) relieve an overburdened court system.
C) reduce emotional trauma for the family.
D) provide for a therapeutic outcome.

Question 27

When there is a history of spousal abuse, the abuser may use the mediation process to have access to the victim. In this case, mediation:

A) may not be the best approach.
B) would help both people to work out their issues.
C) is not offered as an alternative.
D) is the most recommended approach.

Question 28

One criticism of projective tests, particularly the Rorschach Inkblot Test, is that:

A) no one understands them.
B) the responses are often interpreted differently from clinician to clinician.
C) the responses correlate well for personality traits, but not for specific mental disorders.
D) the responses correlate well for specific mental illnesses, but not as well for personality traits.

Question 29

Children may also be screened by psychologists in custody cases. Generally, three categories of tests are administered:

A) personality, intelligence, and aptitude evaluations.
B) intelligence, personality, and achievement evaluations.
C) projective, personality, and aptitude evaluations.
D) intelligence, personality, and projective evaluations.

Question 30

A projective test measures an individual's response to:

A) well-defined stimuli.
B) objective material.
C) ambiguous stimuli.
D) an interview.

Question 31

The syndrome coined by Richard Gardner that describes one parent attempting to induce fear of the other parent in their children is called:

A) resilience sapping syndrome.
B) parental alienation syndrome.
C) parental anxiety syndrome.
D) relief hypothesis syndrome.

Question 32

Psychologists become involved in cases that include child custody arrangements because psychological evaluation of one or both of the parents is either required or recommended. In contrast to forensic evaluations, in which individuals may feign psychological disturbance, known as _____, in parental evaluations, individuals are more likely to hide psychological problems, which is known as _____.

A) malingering; faking good
B) faking good; malingering
C) augmenting; underrating
D) underrating; augmenting