Abstract. The present study investigated whether diagnostic anchors, that is: diagnoses suggested in referral letters, influence judgments made by clinical psychologists with different levels of experience. Moderately experienced clinicians (N = 98) and very experienced clinicians (n = 126) were randomly assigned to reading a referral letter suggesting either depression or anxiety, or no referral letter. They then read a psychiatric report about a depressed patient, and gave a preliminary and final diagnosis. Results showed that the correctness of the diagnoses by very experienced clinicians was unaffected by the referral diagnosis. Moderately experienced clinicians did use the suggested diagnosis as anchor; when they had read a referral letter suggesting depressive complaints they were more inclined to classify the patient with a depressive disorder. In conclusion, the diagnosis in a referral letter influences the diagnostic decision made by moderately experienced clinicians.

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The present study tested the effect of the combined use of alcohol and water on driving-related cognitions and behavior. Seventy-four female students performed a driving simulator task after having consumed alcohol or a placebo. Additionally, half of the participants consumed 0.5 liter of water. It was hypothesized that combining alcohol and water could lead to an underestimated perceived intoxication level resulting in more favorable driving cognitions and increased risk behavior. Our findings showed that the combined use of water and alcohol did not affect cognitions or behavior. Surprisingly, in the placebo condition, water intake increased risky driving cognitions and behavior in women with a history of accident involvement. Lacking a clear counterproductive effect when combined with alcohol, water could be a useful tool in limiting alcohol use among female drinkers.

This study investigates decision making in mental health care. Specifically, it compares the diagnostic decision outcomes (i.e., the quality of diagnoses) and the diagnostic decision process (i.e., pre‐decisional information acquisition patterns) of novice and experienced clinical psychologists. Participants' eye movements were recorded while they completed diagnostic tasks, classifying mental disorders. In line with previous research, our findings indicate that diagnosticians' performance is not related to their clinical experience. Eye‐tracking data provide corroborative evidence for this result from the process perspective: experience does not predict changes in cue inspection patterns. For future research into expertise in this domain, it is advisable to track individual differences between clinicians rather than study differences on the group level. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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