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Towards a Heuristic Neuropsychological Model of Adjudicative Competency
Olivia Aveson1, Paul G Nestor2, Kristy Klein2
1Ms. Aveson is a Doctoral Candidate in the Clinical Psychology Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA. Dr. Nestor is Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA and Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Dr. Klein is Program Manager, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Services, VA Central California Health Care System. olivia.aveson001@umb.edu.
Defendants found competent to stand trial (CST) demonstrate higher social intelligence and episodic memory, particularly verbal memory, compared to those deemed incompetent. These cognitive factors are crucial for understanding CST.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Competency to stand trial (CST) is a critical psycho-legal construct.
- Understanding the underlying cognitive and social intelligence deficits in CST is essential for legal and clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the specific neuropsychological processes associated with competency to stand trial (CST).
- To examine the relationship between neuropsychological test performance and clinical judgments of CST.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of defendants in a maximum-security psychiatric facility.
- Comparison of neuropsychological measures (cognitive, social intelligence, declarative memory) between competent and incompetent groups.
Main Results:
- Both competent and incompetent groups exhibited borderline intellectual functioning (low cognitive intelligence).
- Competent defendants significantly outperformed incompetent defendants on measures of social intelligence and episodic memory.
- Verbal memory, especially for aurally presented narrative material, showed the most significant difference.
Conclusions:
- Social intelligence and episodic memory are critical components of a neuropsychological model of CST.
- These findings have implications for the assessment, restoration, and understanding of competency to stand trial.
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