Decision Making in School Psychology: Implications for Training

Although scholars have suggested that cognitive errors may plague school psychologists' decisions, there is little research documenting these effects or the extent to which school psychologists are trained to spot these biases. I conducted a study using experimental vignette methodology (EVM) in conjunction with a survey of knowledge, attitudes, and training in clinical judgment heuristics and biases. Different versions of a vignette formed a 2 (referral concern) x 2 (assessment scores) between subjects design, and participants were randomly assigned to one of the cells of the design. Participants were recruited from NASP-approved, APA-accredited, and/or locally accredited school psychology programs. Although 310 participants provided informed consent for the survey, 175 were included for analysis in the final sample, as only they indicated they were enrolled in a school psychology program. The first goal of the study was to determine school psychology trainees' knowledge, attitudes, and training related to topics in clinical judgment. The second goal of the study was to assess whether trainees exhibit judgmental biases when identifying Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). I hypothesized that trainees would have received minimal formal training in limitations of clinical judgment, and they would demonstrate bias in classifying SLD based on the framing of the referral concern (i.e., whether or not the referral mentioned SLD). Results indicated that most participants reported having training in at least one area of clinical judgment and demonstrated some knowledge of clinical judgment. Overall attitudes toward understanding clinical judgment limitations within school psychology were positive (M;= 1.78, SD = 0.40). There was a significant main effect of assessment score discrepancy on SLD classification, F (1, 171) = 4.43, p = 0.037, meaning that participants based their classification decision, at least in part, on the assessment scores. Partial eta squared = 0.025. There was a non-significant main effect of referral concern on SLD classification, F (1, 171) = 0.009, p > 0.05, meaning that participants were not biased by the framing of the referral concern. The interaction effect was also non-significant, F (1,171) = 0.271, p > 0.05. Limitations and implications for future training of school psychologists are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]