Michael E. Keesler’s research while affiliated with Drexel University and other places

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Publications (17)


The Telephone Effect: Overcoming Initiation Deficits in Two Settings
  • Literature Review
  • Publisher preview available

April 2018

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30 Reads

Rehabilitation Psychology

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Michael E. Keesler

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Kelli S. Williams

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[...]

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Roy H. Hamilton

Purpose: Disorders of motivation substantially impair an individual's ability to communicate with their families, therapists, and doctors. One method of overcoming initiation deficits is by utilizing the telephone effect, which is the ability for individuals with severe motivation deficits to communicate more readily when speaking on a telephone. However, little is available in the extant literature on how this effect works or how best to integrate this into patient care. This article aims to provide the first report of a proposed mechanism underlying the telephone effect and the first published procedures for eliciting this effect. Design: This is largely a review article that also contains descriptions of clinical procedures for eliciting the telephone effect with 2 patient populations: acute inpatients following brain injury and dementia residents. A case vignette is also provided. Results: We propose that the telephone effect is the result of an interaction between the patient and environment, and occurs because of Gibson's (1979) law of affordances. The use of this theory provides an explanation of the behaviors often observed when attempting to elicit this effect (i.e., disruption of the effect when using a cellular phone). Moreover, we argue that this can, and does, apply to social interactions as well. Conclusions/implications: The telephone effect is an understudied phenomenon that provides a means of improving care for individuals with disorders of motivation. Future directions include systematic research into the telephone effect and further investigation of the mechanism underlying this effect. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Red flags in the clinical interview may forecast invalid neuropsychological testing

November 2016

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177 Reads

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4 Citations

Objective: Evaluating assessment validity is expected in neuropsychological evaluation, particularly in cases with identified secondary gain, where malingering or somatization may be present. Assessed with standalone measures and embedded indices, all within the testing portion of the examination, research on validity of self-report in the clinical interview is limited. Based on experience with litigation-involved examinees recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), it was hypothesized that inconsistently reported date of injury (DOI) and/or loss of consciousness (LOC) might predict invalid performance on neurocognitive testing. Method: This archival study examined cases of litigation-involved mTBI patients seen at an outpatient neuropsychological practice in Philadelphia, PA. Coded data included demographic variables, performance validity measures, and consistency between self-report and medicolegal records. Results: A significant relationship was found between the consistency of examinees' self-report with records and their scores on performance validity testing, X(2) (1, N = 84) = 24.18, p < .01, Φ = .49. Post hoc testing revealed significant between-group differences in three of four comparisons, with medium to large effect sizes. A final post hoc analysis found significance between the number of performance validity tests (PVTs) failed and the extent to which an examinee incorrectly reported DOI r(83) = .49, p < .01. Using inconsistently reported LOC and/or DOI to predict an examinee's performance as invalid had a 75% sensitivity and a 75% specificity. Conclusion: Examinees whose reported DOI or LOC differs from records may be more likely to fail one or more PVTs, suggesting possible symptom exaggeration and/or under performance on cognitive testing.s.



Addiction Severity Index Scores and Urine Drug Screens at Baseline as Predictors of Graduation From Drug Court

November 2015

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187 Reads

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20 Citations

Crime & Delinquency

Graduation rates from drug courts are impressive and are often attributed to the delivered treatments. However, it is unclear whether graduation rates are bolstered by low severity of drug use problems upon entry into drug court. To address this question, this study examined the relationship between baseline substance use severity and graduation rates among 251 drug court clients. Results revealed that participants with subthreshold drug composite scores on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) were significantly more likely to graduate than those scoring in the mild-to-moderate or severe range. Furthermore, results revealed that participants who provided a drug-negative baseline urine were significantly more likely to graduate than those who provided a drug-positive baseline urine. A binary logistic regression analysis revealed that ASI drug composite score, urine screen, race, and years educated were statistically significant predictors of drug court graduation.





Forensic Mental Health Assessments in Death Penalty Cases

March 2011

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1,068 Reads

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16 Citations

The continuing development of forensic psychology and psychiatry, combined with several recent decisions from the United States Supreme Court addressing various aspects of the death penalty, has increased the number of forensic mental health assessments conducted in death penalty cases. Forensic mental health professionals are now conducting assessments at every stage of death penalty proceedings, ranging from pre-trial evaluations to determine eligibility for the death penalty to evaluations conducted post-sentencing closer to the date of the execution. Yet there are surprisingly few comprehensive resources for clinicians who conduct those assessments, students interested in learning about these assessments, and attorneys who work with forensic mental health professionals. This book provides relevant background on death penalty litigation and influential court cases, a discussion of key ethical considerations for clinicians who conduct assessments in death penalty cases, guidance on conducting various types of forensic mental health assessments in death penalty proceedings, and sample forensic reports illustrating best practices.



Citations (5)


... Social support for CP has changed over the last few decades, and questions have been raised as to whether this punishment is viewed as a deterrent. DeMatteo et al. (2015) determined that in 2012, 63% of Americans supported CP. In choosing a sentence of life without parole over of CP, 47% of Americans tended to support the former while 46% remained in support of CP (DeMatteo et al., 2015). ...

Reference:

In Their Own Words: A Qualitative Exploration of Last Statements of Capital Punishment Inmates in the State of Missouri, 1995–2011
Capital case considerations.
  • Citing Chapter
  • January 2015

... The media has tended to idealise the psychopath (Keesler & DeMatteo, 2017) while reluctant at times to identify females as psychopathic. Consider the case Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse in the United Kingdom who was found guilty of taking the life of seven infants and attempting to kill a further seven (CPS, 2014). ...

How Media Exposure Relates to Laypersons' Understanding of Psychopathy
  • Citing Article
  • June 2017

Journal of Forensic Sciences

... Overall, passing or failing validity testing has been found to be associated with varying accuracy of symptom reporting in adults (e.g. Cutler et al., 2022;Keesler et al., 2017) and children (Kirkwood et al., 2014). Symptom reports by collaterals may also be inaccurate; informants report worse functioning in patients who fail PVTs when compared to patients who pass validity indicators (Webber et al., 2022). ...

Red flags in the clinical interview may forecast invalid neuropsychological testing
  • Citing Article
  • November 2016

... Mental health professionals have long been involved in capital cases, and the importance of this involvement substantially grew with the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia (1972), holding that juries must engage in "individualized sentencing" in capital cases (see DeMatteo et al., 2011). Specifically, juries are required to consider aggravating and mitigating factors when deciding upon an appropriate sentence. ...

Forensic Mental Health Assessments in Death Penalty Cases
  • Citing Book
  • March 2011

... A recent national survey of treatment courts also found racial and ethnic disparities in 2019 graduation rates, with African Americans and Hispanics completing programs less often than white participants (DeVall et al., 2023). Previous research has consistently found racial and ethnic disparities in graduation rates (Marlowe, 2013;Shah et al., 2015;Shannon et al., 2016) and, unfortunately, the trend dates back over 20 years (Brewster, 2001). Additionally, this disparity is not limited to African Americans and Hispanics, as evidenced by American Indians and those who identify as biracial also graduating treatment courts at lower rates than their white counterparts (Gallagher et al., 2023). ...

Addiction Severity Index Scores and Urine Drug Screens at Baseline as Predictors of Graduation From Drug Court
  • Citing Article
  • November 2015

Crime & Delinquency