Showing papers by "Paul De Boeck published in 1989"

Implicit Taxonomy in Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Case Study

Abstract: A procedure of data gathering and data analysis is proposed in order to retrieve the implicit taxonomy of an individual psychiatric diagnostician. This implicit taxonomy may contain both simple and combined syndromes. In line with psychopathological prototype research, membership in a class of the taxonomy may be a matter of degree. The procedure provides a picture of the syndrome overlap and of the most succinct co-occurrence and if-then relationships between symptoms. In order to illustrate the approach, a case study is made of an individual psychiatrist. The resulting implicit taxonomy can be interpreted rather easily, and it proves to be closely related to results of the diagnostic process such as DSM-III diagnoses made by the diagnostician under study, as well as to important decisions to be taken by him. It is concluded that the procedure may be useful for individual feedback as well as for more general investigations into the cognitive mechanisms behind psychiatric diagnosis.