45 Ph.D. clinicians, with at least 4 yr. post-doctoral clinical experience, made a diagnostic judgment from the C-V-S Intelligence Scale protocols of 10 Ss in normal, retardate, organic, process, and reactive schizophrenic categories (n = 50), with judges grouped on the basis of number of subtests (1, 2, or all 3) and type of subtest information (various combinations of C, V, and S) used. Correct diagnoses (validity) using 1, 2, or 3 subtests significantly exceeded chance. Contrary to the hypothesized relationship, diagnostic accuracy did not increase when the number of subtests to be judged was increased. Inter-judge agreement (reliability) increased significantly as a function of increasing information. Methodological factors in studies assessing validity and reliability of clinical judgment were cited.
References
1.
EdwardsA. L.Experimental design in psychological research. New York: Rinehart, 1950.
2.
EdwardsA. L.Experimental design in psychological research. New York: Rinehart, 1960.
3.
HoltR. R.Clinical and statistical prediction: A reformulation and some new data. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1958, 56, 1–12.
HuntW. A.JonesN. F.The experimental investigation of clinical judgment. In BachrachA. J. (Ed.), Experimental foundations of clinical psychology. New York: Basic Books, 1962. Pp. 26–51.
6.
HuntW. A.SchwartzM. L.WalkerR. E.Judgmental bias in the differentiation of process and reactive schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1965, 21, 172.
7.
HuntW. A.WalkerR. E.A comparison of global and specific clinical judgments across several diagnostic categories. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1962, 18, 188–194.
8.
HuntW. A.WalkerR. E.Factors influencing clinical judgment. Final report on ONR Research Contract Nonr-1228 (18) with Northwestern Univer., 1965.
9.
HuntW. A.WalkerR. E.Validity of diagnostic judgment as a function of amount of test information. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1966, 22, 154–155.
10.
JonesN. F.The validity of clinical judgments of schizophrenic pathology based on verbal responses to intelligence test items. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1959, 15, 396–400.
11.
KostlanA.A method for the empirical study of psychodiagnosis. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1954, 18, 83–88.
12.
MatthewsJ.BendigA. W.The index of agreement: A possible criterion for measuring the outcome of group discussion. Speech Monographs, 1955, 22, 1–4.
13.
MillerH.BieriJ.An informational analysis of clinical judgment. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1963, 67, 317–325.
14.
PhillipsL.Case history data and prognosis in schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 1953, 117, 515–525.
15.
SchwartzM. L.Validity, reliability, and error prediction in clinical judgments of C-V-S protocols as a function of amount of material and diagnostic category. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Northwestern Univer., 1965.
16.
SchwartzM. L.Diagnostic judgmental confusion and process-reactive schizophrenia. Paper presented at Eastern Psychological Association meetings, New York, 1966.
17.
SchwartzM. L.HuntW. A.WalkerR. E.Clinical judgment of vocabulary responses in process and reactive schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1963, 19, 488–494.
18.
SiegelS.Nonparametric methods for the behavioral sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956.
19.
SinesL. K.The relative contribution of four kinds of data to accuracy in personality assessment. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1959, 23, 483–492.
20.
SoskinW. F.Influence of four types of data on diagnostic conceptualization in psychological testing. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1959, 58, 69–78.
21.
SperberZ.Context as a source of information in rating depth of interpretation. Journal of General Psychology, 1960, 63, 133–143.
22.
TrankellA.The psychologist as an instrument of prediction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1959, 43, 170–175.
23.
WechslerD.The measurement and appraisal of adult intelligence. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1958.
24.
WeissJ. H.Effect of professional training and amount and accuracy of information on behavioral prediction. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1963, 27, 257–262.
