Psychoeducational decision making as a function of the amount of information reviewed

Psychoeducational assessment is commonplace in America's public school systems. Important decisions for and about school children are made on the basis of assessment results; test scores and information derived from the administration of tests clearly contribute to these decisions. Current “best practice” is guided by the concept of multidisciplinary team decision making; parents, teachers, psychologists, and other professionals review assessment data when participating as team members. In this research, decision makers were allowed to review information from a variety of sources prior to making decisions about a case study child. Individuals who reviewed large amounts of information made decisions similar to those of individuals who reviewed little information. Approximately 49% of the participants made accurate decisions when judged against an a priori criterion. The results are discussed with regard to psychoeducational assessment practice.