Week 6

Question 1

A psychologist who blends the role of a … and a … into one … is practicing in accordance with the ….

Answer 1

A psychologist who blends the role of a clinician and a researcher into one entity is practicing in accordance with the scientist-practitioner model.

Question 2

What are the four sources of knowledge?

Answer 2

Revelation; knowledge that comes from knowing; common sense (don’t give us a way to test the accuracy, more of a guide)

Intuition; draw on knowledge that we already have and links it to what it should be; not testable(don’t give us a way to test the accuracy, more of a guide)

Rationalism; the use of logic and reasoning

Empiricism; testing things out, knowledge

• • we are most likely to make progress with a blend of rationalism and empiricism

Question 3

What are the 3 key roles for a practising psychologist?

Answer 3

3 key roles for a practising psychologist

1. The SP will strive for further understanding through research, either within a traditional academic context or through practice.

2. The SP will be an optimal consumer of research, through which they will improve their practice.

3. The SP will be an effective evaluator of their practices, programs, and interventions

Question 4

What are the assumptions of the SP model?

Answer 4

Assumptions
1. Professionals with knowledge and skills related to research will facilitate effective psychological services and in turn the demand for services will be maintained

2. The nature of science. Psychology should be data driven – research as imperative to the development of a scientific database

3. More direct involvement in clinical practice by researchers would result in studies on important social issues

Question 5

What is pseudoscience?

Answer 5

a prototypical pseudoscientific treatment is one marketed as a “breakthrough” cure for a variety of psychological problems, relies on testimonials, and is based on explanations that may sound scientific but which have little to no research to back them up.

Question 6

What are the five Indicators of Dubious Treatments?

Answer 6

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
   ○ Beware any treatment that purports to be “revolutionary” or “groundbreaking.” Treatments that promise results in one or two sessions are also suspect.Treatments can take a long time to work, and may not work for everyone
2. Pseudoscience usually relies on anecdotal evidence.
   ○ Promoters of pseudoscientific treatments may offer glowing testimonies from people who claim to be cured by the treatment. However, expectations about a treatment can influence outcome in a big way. This is known as the “placebo effect.”
3. Just because a treatment claims to affect the brain doesn’t mean there’s any evidence it does.
   ○ Research using brain scans such as an fMRI require millions of dollars to conduct. Even for scientific research using functional imaging, it’s difficult to establish cause-and-effect.
4. Pseudoscientific therapies may add inactive ingredients to an active treatment and claim it’s something new.
   ○ In addition to the placebo effect, some pseudoscience involves adding some mumbo jumbo to an already validated treatment.
5. Be wary of “one size fits all.”
   ○ With pseudoscientific treatments, claims are often made for the effectiveness of treatment for several very different psychological conditions.

Question 7

What are the core goals of the scientist-practitioner model?

Answer 7

1. The core goal of the SP model is to train psychologists to apply psychological knowledge to their work with patients AND move the field forward through generating fresh knowledge
2. to bridge the gap between scientific foundations and professional practice that is apparent throughout the student’s program.
3. critical thinking should be initiated, modeled, and educated from the beginning of a student’s enrollment and remain a continuous process through close supervision that gives way to independence.

Question 8

What is the SP model?

Answer 8

The scientist-practitioner model is founded on the ideology that trained professional psychologists should be knowledgeable in both research and clinical practice.

it is a model of education and training, and applies at the honours or post-graduate level

Question 9

What is Kolb’s Experiential Learning cycle?

Answer 9

can be applied to improving practice

experience
– something occurs

reflect
– on what happened

Generalise
– what are the implications for the future?

Apply
– apply what you thought

cycle continues