Cognitive Impact of Sleep Problems

Poor sleep is pervasive in Americans. Sleep problems are commonly encountered in psychotherapy patients. A recent meta-analysis examined the cognitive impact of sleep apnea, a common problem in adult men and women. Most people do not sleep enough, many patients practice poor sleep hygiene, with adverse effects in their daily functioning, mood, and morale. Sleep […]

Shoddy Reliability of Forensic Evidence II: Systematic bias and judgment errors in forensic mental health evaluations

A new study hot off the press addresses “typical judgment errors” in forensic mental health reports (Iudici, Salvini, Faccio, & Castelnuovo (2015).The Clinical Assessment in the Legal Field: An Empirical Study of Bias and Limitations in Forensic Expertise, Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1831. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01831). Content analyses of forensic mental health evaluations revealed distortions in […]

Shoddy Reliability of Forensic Evidence I: Bite-mark forensics

Today’s NY Times (“Lives in Balance, Texas Leads Scrutiny of Bite-Mark forensics”; 12/13/2015) reports on the recent exoneration of a man imprisoned for 28 years, based on shoddy forensic bite-mark evidence. The ongoing crisis in forensic evidence and expert testimony–reflected in admissions that crime labs (including the FBI) use sloppy methods and unreliable science continues […]