Die Wahrheit ist noch immer irgendwo da draußen: Sinnvolle Referenzstichproben und der Einfluss des Testortes bei familiengerichtlichen Begutachtungen

Abstract

First data from the project to generate useful samples in the context of family law is presented (Bodansky & Krüger, 2020). Children who were tested because of a psychological assessment for a family court differ from kids constituting the reference sample of customary psychological tests partly with a medium effect size. Alternative reference samples are provided free of charge to expert witnesses via homepage (sinnvolle-stich.psy.uni-hamburg.de). The gathered data was also used to test, if there is an effect of the test place. Medium to large effect sizes were shown. The meaning of a test place effect is discussed theoretically and hands-on implications, which result from the existence of such an effect, are presented. The authors conclude that assessments of children should be conducted within each of their relevant living environments to discover or counter biases.