Candidates for APA President
Q1: What do you see as the most critical issues facing psychology with respect to education and training at all levels (including internships) and how would you focus on these concerns?
Education in both undergraduate and graduate psychology must integrate research, science and practice. Graduate training curriculums should include courses in the philosophy of science, critical thinking and the limits of clinical prediction. Students need to be able to assess malingering, evaluate treatment efficacy, and distinguish between science and pseudoscience. The creation of new graduate training programs in emerging areas such as police psychology and psychopharmacology should be vigorously pursued, and combination programs such as psychology and law should be encouraged to grow. Finally, training programs should be proactive in attracting men to the profession.
Q2: What do you see as the role of science in psychology?
Evidenced-based therapeutic measures and clinically relevant research utilizing the scientific method should be integrated into psychology when applied to health care. Unsupported psychological syndromes should be seriously questioned, without being burdened by fears of political incorrectness. This is especially true when these syndromes emerge pursuant to a legal defense or as part of the industry of pseudoscience and quick fixes. Science in clinical practice should allow psychologists to explain the basis for their opinions and the limits of their capabilities. Finally, psychologists' biases and personal or political agendas should never be presented in the guise of science.
