Ecological validity and risk assessment: the importance of assessing context for intellectually disabled sexual offenders

Douglas Boer

doi:10.1108/14636646200900010

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The British Journal of Forensic Practice

ISSN: 1463-6646
Currently published as: Journal of Forensic Practice

Online from: 1999

Subject Area: Health and Social Care

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Ecological validity and risk assessment: the importance of assessing context for intellectually disabled sexual offenders

Document Information:
Title:	Ecological validity and risk assessment: the importance of assessing context for intellectually disabled sexual offenders
Author(s):	Douglas Boer, (Department of Psychology, University of Waikato, New Zealand)
Citation:	Douglas Boer, (2009) "Ecological validity and risk assessment: the importance of assessing context for intellectually disabled sexual offenders", The British Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 11 Iss: 2, pp.4 - 9
Keywords:	ARMIDILO, Ecological validity, Risk, Sex offenders
Article type:	General review
DOI:	10.1108/14636646200900010 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Abstract:	In psychological testing, the term ‘ecological validity’ (EV) refers to the degree to which a test assesses (or estimates) via a proxy task a person's ability to do a ‘real-life’ task. While EV has been a critical evaluative component of some areas of psychological testing, it has not featured to date as important in the area of risk assessment. If the goal of risk assessment is to enhance risk management, then this is a critical oversight. It would appear that all forms of risk assessment measures are lacking EV. EV is important because risk management occurs in the community. The ARMIDILO is mentioned as an instrument that has attempted to include environmental variables to enhance EV and thus facilitate the risk manageability of ID sex offenders. It is proposed that the EV of other risk measures could be enhanced by the inclusion of similar environmental variables.