HYPOTHESIS-TESTING IN AUSTRALIAN NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

Within neuropsychology, there are a variety of approaches to clinical hypothesis-testing. Originally, clinical hypothesis-testing was defined in terms more akin to what is now know as single-case experimentation. However, in Australia, the term hypothesis-testing has come to be associated with a clinical style which places strong emphasis on expeditious assessment of the clinical management problem or referral question, and strong emphasis on experience as the basis for diagnostic decision making. Unfortunately, in practice, this approach has strayed from the original and laudable goals of the hypothesis-testing approach. In the light of current trends, I suggest that we should adopt a more rigorous form of hypothesis-testing, and I highlight some examples of such methods.