Psychologists’ cognitive preferences and assessment strategies

Many examples of information processing distortion during the process of diagnosis may be found in cognitive literature. Many of preferred psychologists’ cognitive strategies limit reliability of their diagnosis. The research question was ‘what is related to heuristic strategies?’ The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between psychologists’ cognitive preferences (such as: type of mind, need for cognitive closure), clinical experience and strategies used in assessment. Case Study – Simulation was the main instrument used in this investigation. Three strategies were identified during the research process: maximal strategy, heuristic strategy, mixed strategy. The main hypothesis of this research was confirmed – diagnostic strategy is connected to cognitive orientation. The results of this study have practical implications for education in diagnosis, especially clinical diagnosis, in two areas: students of psychology education and further education (professional development) of psychologists.