Legal Contours of Expert Testimony

Forensic psychologists often provide expert testimony at trials, hearings, and administrative proceedings. Good practice entails sufficient knowledge of the method by which the legal system regulates expert testimony embodied within the various rules of evidence. These rules provide the structure by which expert testimony may be admitted or barred, who is deemed qualified to proffer the testimony, and the basis for expert testimony. Customary skill, proficiency, and care by the expert require familiarly with the developments and doctrine of the rules of evidence. This chapter reviews the growth and development of psychological experts, the legal doctrine that regulates their testimony, and typical areas of pitfalls to be avoided by the ethical expert.

Doctrine · Embodied cognition · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Expert witness · Legal doctrine · Political science · Rules of evidence · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Engineering · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending