Clinical neuropsychology: 1960-1990

Abstract

Clinical neuropsychology has made significant progress during the past 30 years. Practice and research have expanded remarkably in scope and are more incisive and more highly focused. There has been an explosive development of test methods but clinical neuropsychologists have yet to take full advantage of them. An effort should be made to combine the strengths of the “fixed battery” and “flexible” approaches to assessment. Further advances in neuropsychological assessment will come about only to the degree that they are linked to evolving concepts of brain- behavior relationships. Neuropsychologists now require a deeper understanding of basic neuroscience and cognitive psychology than was true in the past. Steps should be taken to insure that training to achieve that understanding is provided to the upcoming generation of neuropsychologists.