Psyc 435 Midterm Updated Actual Exam
Question and Answer (2026/2027) | A+
Verified
(1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
describe McFall's cardinal principle and corollaries for advancing clinical
psychology as an applied science -✓✓ -the cardinal principle is that scientific
clinical psychology is the only legitimate and acceptable form of clinical
psychology
-the first corollary says that one should not perform psychological services unless
they have satisfied they have (1) described the exact nature of the service clearly,
(2) stated the claimed benefits of the service explicitly, (3) have scientifically
validated these claims, and (4) have weighed out the possible side effects with any
benefits
-the second corollary says that doctoral training program's main objective should
be to produce the most competent clinical scientists possible
(1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
describe the dichotomy between scientific clinical psychology ("scientists") and
clinical practice ("practitioners"), and some of the ways in which this dichotomy
arises within psychology -✓✓ -people think that "scientist" and "practitioner" are
two separate things that one can be, which is not true since one needs to first be a
scientist in order to become a clinician
-most people think of labs and experiments when hearing the word "scientist",
when in reality a scientific clinical psychologist uses the scientific knowledge they
acquired through education to be a better equipped clinical psychologist
-this dichotomy arises often when grad students are deciding on which graduate
program they want to apply to
• (1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
identify the four minimal criteria that must be met before psychological services
can be offered to the public -✓✓ 1. The psychologist must have described the exact
nature of the service clearly
2. The psychologist must have stated the claimed benefits of the service explicitly
3. The psychologist must have scientifically validated these claims
4. The psychologist must have weighed out the possible side effects with any
benefits
,• (1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
identify strengths and limitations of McFall's manifesto -✓✓ Strengths:
-sets out ideas (corollary's) on how to push clinical psychology toward a more
science based approach - these defend psychology against pseudoscience/unethical
practice
-article is pushing for more ethical and effective treatment of patients
-warns people to be aware of their own biases/shortcomings
Limitations:
-heavily biased for a scientifically dominated clinical psychology (can only be a
clinical psychologist if you are first a scientist)-assumes all clinical psychologists
should want/already want to be scientists
-a lot of recommendations set out would be very difficult to enforce/achieve and
seem idealistic
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
explain the Dodo bird verdict and reasons for questioning it -✓✓ -the dodo bird
verdict implies that all psychological treatments work equally well
-this verdict is questioned because, if it is true, than it implies that pseudoscientific
or unsubstantiated treatments will work just as effectively as well-established and
proven psychological treatments
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe what is meant by health self-doubt -✓✓ -healthy self doubt refers to one's
ability to engage in thoughtful self-reflection on one's own biases and limitations,
and how these may affect how someone looks at a patient or situation
-practitioners with healthy self-doubt are confident but not overconfident, and are
more aware of how systematic error can occur, as well as being less likely to fall
for pseudoscience
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe different signs of psychotherapy hype that reflect "promotion and
marketing red flags" -✓✓ Promotion and marketing red flags:
1. Advocates of the therapeutic approach routinely advance greatly exaggerated
and often unsubstantiated claims
, 2. Advocates inform patients that "if this treatment does not help you, then nothing
else will"
3. Advocated advance claims that one can - or needs to - learn the technique from a
"master"
4. Advocated rely heavily on the endorsement of presumed leaders in the field,
often without offering references to support such endorsements
5. Advocated establish a coterie of trainers and perhaps an international
organization to promote the treatment
6. Advocated provide a certificate or diploma indicating that one has taken the
training and can call oneself an X therapist
7. Followers of the treatment are insular (ignorant or uninterested in other things)
8. Advocates make frequent use of "psychobabble", psychological verbiage that
sounds scientific but in fact contains little or no content, to market their treatment
approach
9. Advocates liberally use "neurobabble" and naive biological reductionism to
promoter their treatment approach
10. Advocates are defensive and thin-skinned about their approach
11. Advocates rely extensively on anecdotal evidence at the expense of controlled
outcome data
12. The treatment claims are marked by an absence of clear boundary conditions
13. Advocates maintain that their intervention is "evidence based", "empirically
supported", or "empirically validated", but they define "evidence" broadly and
subjectively
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe different signs of psychotherapy hype that reflect "research and evidence
flags": -✓✓ 14. Advocated maintain that their treatment approach is "evidence
based" because it has met a low criterion for evidence
15. Advocates do not present a critical account of the scientific validity, or
theoretical basis, for the effectiveness of of the proposed treatment
16. Advocated routinely resort to multiple implausible "ad hoc hypotheses" (after
the fact excuses or loopholes) to explain away negative findings
17. Advocates compare their favored approach with "weak" comparison groups,
that is, "intent to fail" conditions, which are virtually guaranteed to yield null or
weak effects
18. Advocates do not report on or acknowledge potential allegiance effects, that is,
positive outcomes that depend on whether the primary investigator was favorably
disposed to the intervention, or on who conducted outcome studies
Question and Answer (2026/2027) | A+
Verified
(1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
describe McFall's cardinal principle and corollaries for advancing clinical
psychology as an applied science -✓✓ -the cardinal principle is that scientific
clinical psychology is the only legitimate and acceptable form of clinical
psychology
-the first corollary says that one should not perform psychological services unless
they have satisfied they have (1) described the exact nature of the service clearly,
(2) stated the claimed benefits of the service explicitly, (3) have scientifically
validated these claims, and (4) have weighed out the possible side effects with any
benefits
-the second corollary says that doctoral training program's main objective should
be to produce the most competent clinical scientists possible
(1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
describe the dichotomy between scientific clinical psychology ("scientists") and
clinical practice ("practitioners"), and some of the ways in which this dichotomy
arises within psychology -✓✓ -people think that "scientist" and "practitioner" are
two separate things that one can be, which is not true since one needs to first be a
scientist in order to become a clinician
-most people think of labs and experiments when hearing the word "scientist",
when in reality a scientific clinical psychologist uses the scientific knowledge they
acquired through education to be a better equipped clinical psychologist
-this dichotomy arises often when grad students are deciding on which graduate
program they want to apply to
• (1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
identify the four minimal criteria that must be met before psychological services
can be offered to the public -✓✓ 1. The psychologist must have described the exact
nature of the service clearly
2. The psychologist must have stated the claimed benefits of the service explicitly
3. The psychologist must have scientifically validated these claims
4. The psychologist must have weighed out the possible side effects with any
benefits
,• (1) manifesto for a science of clinical psychology - RICHARD MCFALL:
identify strengths and limitations of McFall's manifesto -✓✓ Strengths:
-sets out ideas (corollary's) on how to push clinical psychology toward a more
science based approach - these defend psychology against pseudoscience/unethical
practice
-article is pushing for more ethical and effective treatment of patients
-warns people to be aware of their own biases/shortcomings
Limitations:
-heavily biased for a scientifically dominated clinical psychology (can only be a
clinical psychologist if you are first a scientist)-assumes all clinical psychologists
should want/already want to be scientists
-a lot of recommendations set out would be very difficult to enforce/achieve and
seem idealistic
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
explain the Dodo bird verdict and reasons for questioning it -✓✓ -the dodo bird
verdict implies that all psychological treatments work equally well
-this verdict is questioned because, if it is true, than it implies that pseudoscientific
or unsubstantiated treatments will work just as effectively as well-established and
proven psychological treatments
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe what is meant by health self-doubt -✓✓ -healthy self doubt refers to one's
ability to engage in thoughtful self-reflection on one's own biases and limitations,
and how these may affect how someone looks at a patient or situation
-practitioners with healthy self-doubt are confident but not overconfident, and are
more aware of how systematic error can occur, as well as being less likely to fall
for pseudoscience
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe different signs of psychotherapy hype that reflect "promotion and
marketing red flags" -✓✓ Promotion and marketing red flags:
1. Advocates of the therapeutic approach routinely advance greatly exaggerated
and often unsubstantiated claims
, 2. Advocates inform patients that "if this treatment does not help you, then nothing
else will"
3. Advocated advance claims that one can - or needs to - learn the technique from a
"master"
4. Advocated rely heavily on the endorsement of presumed leaders in the field,
often without offering references to support such endorsements
5. Advocated establish a coterie of trainers and perhaps an international
organization to promote the treatment
6. Advocated provide a certificate or diploma indicating that one has taken the
training and can call oneself an X therapist
7. Followers of the treatment are insular (ignorant or uninterested in other things)
8. Advocates make frequent use of "psychobabble", psychological verbiage that
sounds scientific but in fact contains little or no content, to market their treatment
approach
9. Advocates liberally use "neurobabble" and naive biological reductionism to
promoter their treatment approach
10. Advocates are defensive and thin-skinned about their approach
11. Advocates rely extensively on anecdotal evidence at the expense of controlled
outcome data
12. The treatment claims are marked by an absence of clear boundary conditions
13. Advocates maintain that their intervention is "evidence based", "empirically
supported", or "empirically validated", but they define "evidence" broadly and
subjectively
• (2) how to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy - MEICHENBAUM AND
LILENFELD:
describe different signs of psychotherapy hype that reflect "research and evidence
flags": -✓✓ 14. Advocated maintain that their treatment approach is "evidence
based" because it has met a low criterion for evidence
15. Advocates do not present a critical account of the scientific validity, or
theoretical basis, for the effectiveness of of the proposed treatment
16. Advocated routinely resort to multiple implausible "ad hoc hypotheses" (after
the fact excuses or loopholes) to explain away negative findings
17. Advocates compare their favored approach with "weak" comparison groups,
that is, "intent to fail" conditions, which are virtually guaranteed to yield null or
weak effects
18. Advocates do not report on or acknowledge potential allegiance effects, that is,
positive outcomes that depend on whether the primary investigator was favorably
disposed to the intervention, or on who conducted outcome studies
