Transcript Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology

Pseudoscience in Clinical
Psychology
By Elise Simonds
Clinical Psychology:
• Concerned with the nature, diagnosis,
classification, treatment, and prevention of
mental disorder and disabilities
Psychology is a Science
(or should be one)
• Just like any other science, they employ
the scientific method when testing a
hypothesis or a theory
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Falsifiable
Replicable
Testable
Lacking in bias
• But there are a lot of other
psychologists who give us a bad name
Deeper look at:
• Facilitated Communication (FC) for autistic
children
• Questionable Psychological Assessment
Techniques
• St. John’s Wort and Other Herbal
Treatments for Psychological Disorders
Facilitated Communication (FC):
• Used for individuals with
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Autism and other
disorders that severely
effect their ability to
communicate with others.
Autism:
– a disease which causes
verbal, communicative, and
relational problems
– Onset is 2 years old
– Usually, communication is
completely absent
Facilitated Communication (FC):
• To help autistics communicate
• Involves initial hand-over-hand and/or
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arm support, pulling the hand back
after each selection, slowing down the
movements, assistance in isolating the
index finger, verbal reassurances, and
encouragement
How do we know the facilitators are
only supporting rather than influencing
what the patient is typing?
Could be conscious or unconscious
Regardless of empirical support,
it became very popular in the 90’s and
has not subsided
– Last week’s People Magazine ran an
article supporting its use
Facilitated Communication (FC):
Research
• Studies on FC present pictures, movies, objects, or verbal
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questions to see if patients can type in correct answers
Most studies attempt to prevent the facilitator by influencing
responses by keeping him uninformed of the stimulus or
task’s goal:
– Ask patient questions, but not the facilitator  incorrect answers
– Present questions or information in the absence of the facilitator 
no correct responses
– Use a table divider to compare trials when the facilitator cannot see
stimulus to trials when he can see stimulus  incorrect responses
– Compare trials where facilitator provides no help, hand-over-hand
assistance without prevention of errors, and hand-over-hand
assistance with prevention of errors  correct only when facilitator
was aware of the stimulus and full support was provided
• Some cases have even described children who get correct
answers without attending to the keyboard or the stimulus!
Facilitated Communication (FC):
Obviously no paying attention to what he’s doing, so how
can he possibly independently produce correct answers?
Facilitated Communication (FC):
The Supporters’ Side of the Story
• These studies were done in a lab where performance was
compromised due to the unfamiliar environment
– Studies done at two children’s schools disproved this argument
• The Facilitated Communication Institute at Syracuse University claims
“There is empirical research to support the validity of FC:”
– “Controlled studies (e.g. Intellectual Disabilities Review Panel, 1989;
Calculator & Singer, 1992; Vazquez, 1994; Weiss, Wagner & Bauman, in
press), observational studies (Biklen, 1990 and 1993; Attwood &
Remington Gurney, 1992; Biklen, Saha & Kliewer, 1995) and
autobiographical accounts (e.g. Eastham, 1992; Oppenheim, 1974; Nolan,
1987; and Crossley & McDonald, 1980) provide evidence that the method
works.”
• “The method may be useful for any individuals who cannot speak or
whose speech is highly echoed or in other ways limited and who
cannot point independently *and* reliably. But we have not selected a
random group of people classified as autistic or developmentally
disabled and tried the method with them, so we cannot say with what
percentage it might work.” (Biklen, 2005)
– They can’t even state with confidence that it works!!
– They’re openly admitting to a serious lack of empirical data on their part!!
Conclusion:
Does FC Work?
NO!
Psychological Assessment Tests:
• Used by psychologists to measure
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personality and psychological functioning
Two kinds:
– Projective Tests – present an ambiguous stimulus and asked a
series of open-ended questions
– Self-Report Inventories – a statement is made and you must
indicate if you agree it is true for you
• To gain acceptance as scientifically sound assessments,
they must meet the following criteria:
– Standardization – of test so results can be replicated by any other
assessor
– Reliability – internal consistence, inter-rater reliability, and retest
reliability
– Validity – measures what it claims to measure
– Norms – cutoff scores to determine the meaning of the test results
Psychological Assessment Tests:
The Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Projective test
• Shown ten cards and asked what you see
• Assessors focus on:
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The nature of what is seen
What aspects of the card are used in the responses
The sequence of responses given during testing
The examinee's nonverbal reactions to the inkblot
Psychological Assessment Tests:
The Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Does it measure up?
– Standardization – Yes & No; Exner developed a system
(The Comprehensive System) to ensure standardization,
but many do not use it
– Reliability – No; inconclusive results
– Validity – No; some scales may be valid, but overall there
is no correlation between it and other more supported
tests of personality and psychological functioning
– Norms – No; good norms set for the different age
groups, but not for minorities who tend to score
differently
• Conclusion: insufficient scientific evidence to justify
the continued use of the test in clinical settings
Psychological Assessment Tests:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• Self-report inventory
• 126 M.C. questions
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based on Jungian
personality theory
Classifies people into
16 types which are
used to identify
personalities and
make predictions for
ideal job placement
Psychological Assessment Tests:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• Does it measure up?
– Standardization – Yes; good when administered
properly, but there are questions regarding the type
cutoffs
– Reliability – No; mixed results, more research is
needed
– Validity – No; no proof it makes accurate predictions
– Norms – Yes; good norms set for both sexes, all ages,
all occupations, and across minority groups and
cultures
• Conclusion: The MBTI lacks strong empirical
support for its use and should not be heavily
relied on for its predictive capabilities
Psychological Assessment Tests:
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
• Projective test
• 31 picture cards used to reveal dominant drives,
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emotions, and conflicts of the personality
Conclusion: There may be a promising future for the
TAT, but there is no support for it as it is currently
employed
Psychological Assessment Tests:
Projective Drawings
• Projective test
• Draw a person, a house, a tree and
a person, or a family engaged in
some joint activity
• Among the ten most commonly
used assessment strategies by
clinicians
• Measures psychological functioning,
emotional intelligence, and
intellectual functioning
• Conclusion: Should not be heavily
relied on due to their vulnerability
to many weaknesses and errors in
administration, scoring, and
interpretation
Psychological Assessment Tests:
Anatomically Detailed Dolls (ADDs)
• A.K.A. anatomically correct
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dolls or anatomically
explicit dolls
Projective test
Primarily used for young
children with restricted
cognitive and verbal skills
to determine existence of
sexual abuse
Conclusion: lack of support
for the use of these dolls
to screen for sexual abuse
Herbal Treatments for Psychological
Disorders:
• Becoming increasingly popular with the current trend
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towards natural, holistic, and ecological approaches to
life
Used by about 12 to 42% of Americans
Not regulated by the FDA
Puts people at risk because the use of these treatments
may stop seriously ill individuals from seeking medical
attention
People assume that everything natural must be good
and harmless, but this is not necessarily accurate
Herbal Treatments for Psychological
Disorders:
• St. John’s Wort (hypericum):
– Used to treat depression
– Conclusion: Lacks strong empirical support and should not be
used to replace traditional medicines
• Ginkgo Biloba:
– Claims to slow down aging process and to diminish the
cognitive deficits of old age
– Conclusion: a look at the research renders mixed results,
leading one author to conclude that although Ginkgo may
slightly improve your memory, so will a candy bar
• Kava Kava:
– Used in rituals in the islands of the Pacific and as a relaxant
– Conclusion: Inadequate research designs with questionable
results has led to close scrutiny of its usefulness. Additionally,
long term use has been reported to lead to severe liver damage
and liver failures
Conclusion:
• Just because a professional psychologist or the
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media supports an idea does not mean they are
necessarily correct
Unsupported theories and practices are
frequently advertised as the newest answer to
your biggest problems
If something sounds questionable or too good to
be true, do your own research; pop-psychology
is all around us