The assessment of mental capacity to assist legal determinations of competency is potentially a growth area for neuropsychology, although to date neuropsychologists have published relatively little in this area. In this paper a systematic review of methods used to assess capacity is presented, including coverage of specialized tests and interviews used for this purpose. A neuropsychological model for conducting capacity assessments is proposed. This model involves comprehensive assessment of a wide range of cognitive abilities as well as assessment of specific skills and knowledge related to the type of capacity being assessed. The purpose of proposing this model is to stimulate further discussion and debate about the contribution neuropsychologists might make in this area.

中文翻译：

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精神能力的神经心理学评估。

尽管迄今为止，神经心理学家在这一领域的发表还很少，但是评估心理能力以辅助法律确定能力的能力可能是神经心理学的一个增长领域。本文介绍了用于评估能力的方法的系统综述，包括专门测试的覆盖范围和用于此目的的访谈。提出了进行容量评估的神经心理学模型。该模型涉及对广泛认知能力的全面评估，以及与所评估能力类型相关的特定技能和知识的评估。提出该模型的目的是激发关于神经心理学家在该领域可能做出的贡献的进一步讨论和辩论。