Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences
First Supervisor
Greg Dear
Abstract
The number of divorce cases that come before judges and registrars within the Family Court system is steadily increasing, and so is the use of psychologists as expert witnesses. However, little is known about what the judges and registrars think of the psychologist's use of psychometric test results when writing their forensic report, this study attempts to answer that. This thesis is presented in two sections. The first is a literature review of guidelines that are available to psychologists when writing a forensic report. These guidelines include (1) broad guidelines provided by professional associations, such as the American Psychological Association; (2) more specific practice guidelines published in books and journals; and (3) policy documents on expert evidence set forth by jurisdictions. The second section is a qualitative study on the views of judges and registrars within the Family Court of Western Australia to determine if their views coincide with the available guidelines.
Recommended Citation
Pratsides, K. (2004). Child custody disputes: Bridging the gap between psychologists and family court. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/378