Case Study

Explain how the positions of Faculty Member A and Faculty Member B reflect the broader ongoing debate within the clinical psychology community regarding scientific research. What are the underlying assumptions each faculty member makes about the current state of clinical practice?

Case context: A university's clinical psychology department is hosting a debate on curriculum design. Faculty Member A proposes a total overhaul of the curriculum to focus exclusively on training students in empirically supported treatments, arguing that current practitioners ignore scientific evidence. Faculty Member B responds that the curriculum does not need changes, arguing that the department's training is already effective and that claims about clinicians ignoring science are overblown.

Question: Explain how the positions of Faculty Member A and Faculty Member B reflect the broader ongoing debate within the clinical psychology community regarding scientific research. What are the underlying assumptions each faculty member makes about the current state of clinical practice?

Sample answer: Faculty Member A's position reflects the critics' perspective, assuming that clinical practice is currently deficient because it ignores scientific evidence and fails to use empirically supported treatments. They comprehend reform as necessary to correct this. Faculty Member B's position aligns with the opponents of reform, assuming that the criticisms are exaggerated, and comprehending the current integration of science and training as sufficient, making major curriculum changes unnecessary.

Key points:

  • Faculty Member A represents the critics' view that clinical practice ignores scientific evidence.
  • Faculty Member A assumes curriculum reform is necessary to address the failure to use empirically supported treatments.
  • Faculty Member B represents the opposing view that claims of ignoring science are exaggerated.
  • Faculty Member B assumes the current state of training is sufficient and widespread changes are unnecessary.

Rubric: The student's response should demonstrate comprehension by explaining that Faculty Member A aligns with the critics' view that clinical practice ignores evidence and needs training reforms, while Faculty Member B aligns with the view that criticisms are exaggerated and reforms are unnecessary. The response must link these viewpoints to their assumptions about the current state of clinical practice.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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