Extra! Extra! Read All about It: Failures in the Association between Law and Social Science

Abstract: This dissertation sheds new light on the tension apparent in the relationship between Law and Social Science. In particular, this work examines the association between State Courts and Social Science academia to reveal failures in their interaction, previously unidentified in the literature. Additionally, it provides a deeper understanding of identified failures in the use of Social Science in court. Analysis utilizes two original datasets: The first dataset includes the complete universe of sources participating in the debate regarding the Parental Alienation Syndrome, in courts, academia, and other related sources (n=684). The second dataset includes a representative sample of State Court litigation pertaining to three legal issues in Family Law: The Best Interest of the Child; Nuptial Agreements; and Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege (n=5,132).