Clinical Approach VS.

Actuarial Approach

Clinical Approach
It is a way of studying or discovering new information through the gathered
information by the means of observation, interviews and this approach aims to prove their
hypothesis through this.

Actuarial Approach
It is the way of studying and discovering information through statistical method,
such method which uses inventories, computation and mathematical equation in proving
their hypothesis.

Different Comparison Studies about Clinical vs. Actuarial Approach

Sarbins Studies (1943)

Contrasted the prediction of academic success for college freshmen between a clerk and
several counsellors

Result?

Shows that the Clerk who uses the statistical approach shows high accuracy of prediction
in terms of the academic success of college freshmen that those predicted by the
Counsellors.

Meehl Studies (1954)

Surveyed number of studies available concerning clinical versus statistical prediction.

Result?

Shows that predictions made by Actuarially were either approximately equal or superior
to clinical.

Sawyers Studies (1966)

Regarded data collected by interview or observation as Clinical Data, and inventories,

biographical or clerically obtained data as Statistical or Mechanical Method.
 Goldbergs Studies (1965)

13 PhD level staff members and 16 pre-doctoral trainees were asked to make clinical
prediction on the diagnostic status of 800+ patients based only on MMPI Scores and
particularly specifying whether they fall unto Psychotic or Neurotic.

Result?

Clinical versus statistical prediction have uniformly demonstrated the superiority of

Statistical Procedure in terms of Clinical Prediction.

Grove et al. studies (2000)

After a comprehensive review of studies pitting clinical vs statistical prediction, it

shows that Statistical Prediction was superior in roughly 50% of the studies, whereas
approximately 6% shows the superiority of Clinical prediction.

5 Different Areas of Accuracy of Clinical Prediction

Description of personality and psychopathology

Diagnosis
Case formulation
Behavioural prediction
Decision making

Objection to findings about Clinical Approach vs. Statistical Approach

Dawes Studies

Several of the studies reviewed contained designed flaws that may have affect the
findings, The expertise of the judges or clinicians are questioned, and lastly the predictive
tasks were not representative of prediction situations facing clinicians.

Bias in Clinical Judgements

Gender Bias
Ethnicity/Race Bias
Social Bias

Ways to overcome such bias in making clinical predictions

Be aware of and sensitive with the bias reported

Attend to diagnostic criteria in diagnostic manuals
Use statistical prediction whenever possible.

Experience and Trainings in terms of Clinical Judgement or Predictions

 Recent large scale meta analysis of clinical judgement studies shows that Clinical
experience may slightly improve clinical judgement, in addition to such findings
identifies that greater clinical experience or trainings improved judgement accuracy by
13%.

Clinical Approach is especially valuable when:

Information are needed without the use of any test.

Rare, unusual events of a highly individualized nature are to be predicted
Involve instances for which no statistical equations are used

Statistical Approach is especially valuable when:

Results are objective and specific

Outcomes for large, samples are involved, and interests in the individual case are
minimal
Concerning about human judgmental error or bias.