Psychology Policy and Law - Assignment Example

If a claim is made, one should ask, “What scientific research supports such claims?” (Pope, 1998). If none can be provided, then this claim can be dismissed as mere hearsay, or looking at it as a challenge, is a statement which can fuel a research study to be conducted to determine whether it is true or not. If a research study is provided as support though, then it is but proper and fitting to scrutinize the instruments and methods utilized in gathering and analyzing data. For example, if s survey questionnaire was given out by a psychologist to the respondents, validity of the tool should first be established to ensure that the questions will not bring about bias to the study or it should undergo face and content validation by experts in the field first to ensure that the questions are not leading towards specific results.

This should be done since the anomalies may be rooted foremost in the methodology, which also paved the way for erroneous conclusions.        Now, the aforementioned approach can be likened to the scrutiny of the branches of a plant. Another way to determine the accuracy of information is to examine closely vague and ambiguous terms. Repressed memories of sexual abuse during childhood have been studied by many, but the definition of repressed memories has been haphazardly used by in media, literature and legal proceedings.

A gray area has clouded the vivid demarcation of whether repressed memories are figments of the unconscious defense mechanisms or whether it is a scheme of forgetting (Pope, 1998). Defining terms and allotting which definition is described in which study can provide a much clearer way of assimilating information, and a way to determine whether the findings presented in the study is really factual. In clarifying definitions, it is not just the branch, but the root, which serves as the basis and foundation of the study, that receives analysis.

It is also equally important that the main thought, the assumptions, its implications, and the conclusion will be thoroughly read and studied. It is in this way that contradictions and discrepancies can be seen, thus rendering the work inconclusive (Elder, L. & Paul, R., 2003).       Following this train of thought, errors in reporting research should also be discussed so that they can also be prevented. One such mistake is the haphazard use of deductive reasoning, such that it produces deductive fallacies (Pope, 1998).

Care and thorough examination should be done before drawing from the general and inference to the particular. One should first establish the validity of the general idea because it may be a flawed one in the first place. Another mistake is the infiltration of beliefs in analyzing and presenting the information. There is that inclination in people to ask about data that is aligned with their very own hypothesis and theories (Evans as cited in Pope, 1998). It is important, therefore, to have these questions reviewed and edited objectively by others so that subjectivity, which has no place in a scientific investigation, can be eliminated.

  Also, argumentum ad hominem, evaluating and presenting the person and not the content of his statements is another common mistake (Pope, 1998). This can be avoided by ensuring that the anonymity of the respondents is maintained in the study.  As people have the tendency to believe the first knowledge they hear or see (Douglas, 2000), it is therefore proper to practice critical thinking by asking the appropriate questions in the process of uncovering the truth. As a psychologist, one could not make conclusions just based on one study.

Psychology is such a dynamic science that constant upgrading of information is required. This should be done only after the accuracy of the information extracted is established. A professional psychologist does not, therefore, rely on pop psychology but in data that has been scientifically proven and constantly affirmed by other studies. Moreover, one should be able to filter information he allows himself to learn since whatever he takes in will also be the ones that will be used in his practice in the counseling room or in sharing information with the general public.

A mistake learned will also be a mistake taught to others. Since a psychologist is, more often than not, also a mentor, it is very important that he becomes vigilant in whatever he reads and believes in and continues to be a reliable source of evidence-based information. As for a mental health counselor who is active in his practice, a critical review of research findings is very important in solidifying his counseling strategies. A wealth of information can be found in various studies about the effectiveness of various techniques in counseling that the same can be used to distinguish which ones should be used more often when confronted with a particular case.

The same research findings can also help the counselor update himself in the current trends and new counseling strategies that he can incorporate in his counseling sessions after making himself very adept with it. For instance, in the management of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the use of computer technology in assessment and therapy can prove to be a beneficial discovery that the mental health counselor can adapt.