The Ethics of Scientific Thinking Kathy McNamara, Ph.D., Professor & Associate Dean College of Sciences & Health Professions Cleveland State University Ethical principles and standards guide school psychologists (and other educators) involved in intervention-related decision making, but of equal importance is the ability to think scientifically and ethically. Scientific thinking helps us to proceed carefully and deliberately as we make decisions about student needs and interventions. However, even the most thoughtful planner needs to be aware of the cognitive errors and misperceptions that characterize all decision making, especially by school-based teams. This presentation describes common errors, including errors of knowledge, perception, association, and social influence, and offers advice about ways to minimize these errors when making assessment and intervention decisions.
The Ethics of Scientific Thinking Kathy McNamara, Ph.D., Professor & Associate Dean College of Sciences & Health Professions Cleveland State University Ethical principles and standards guide school psychologists (and other educators) involved in intervention-related decision making, but of equal importance is the ability to think scientifically and ethically. Scientific thinking helps us to proceed carefully and deliberately as we make decisions about student needs and interventions. However, even the most thoughtful planner needs to be aware of the cognitive errors and misperceptions that characterize all decision making, especially by school-based teams. This presentation describes common errors, including errors of knowledge, perception, association, and social influence, and offers advice about ways to minimize these errors when making assessment and intervention decisions.