We know that methodology and the expert have to be, and analyze their methodology and who they are and what they know have to be analyzed together. The expert has to be reliable as well as their methodology. Validity of the experts qualifications and the reliability of their proposed testimony has to be looked at. There has to be a valid connection to the pertinent facts. These are the tenants of science as it applies in legal determinations. The scientist, the expert, must use the same intellectual rigor in their analysis for the court that they use in their work that they would try to submit to a journal like Dr. Saubers. If it doesnt meet scientific rigor, if the reviewing panel says, Oh, you know I just dont think so, its going to get sent back. Thanks but no thanks. Same with the court now.
So, lets talk a little bit more about misconceptions about science. The most common misconception about science is that it only refers to carefully designed, laboratory studies where the impact of different variables on some outcome of interest is quantitatively measured and statistically analyzed. Well, theres two methodologies basically, if we just want to be very basic about science. Theres the quantitative methodology and a qualitative methodology. Quantitative research involves, well its a dominant paradigm, and it involves essentially operational definitions, setting up contrasting circumstances, testing the manner in which one variable impacts on the ones in interest, and then analyzing what happened. Well, can we do that with Parental Alienation Syndrome? No. Ok, you 200 divorcing families that are at each others throats over here, you 200 divorcing families that are at each others throats over there, ok, all you, all of you, you know, half of you dads youre going to say moms a slut every day, half of you moms, youre going to say dads a bastard and hes been going out on you forever, you guys, well teach you how to be reasonable. Ok, lets watch what happens over here, ok Bill? Well, we cant do that. Now certainly we can look at cohort studies, but thats a little beyond my presentation for today.
Qualitative research is a methodology and an approach that focuses on narrative accounts, description, interpretation, context, meaning, and the goal is to describe, interpret, understand, the phenomena of interest. Hmmm. Now according to Professor Kazdin of Yale, qualitative research is an approach to the subject matter of human experience and it focuses on narrative accounts, description, and interpretation, context, meaning. The goal is to describe, interpret, and understand the phenomena of interest. Thats where I got that quote. Well, lets see. How does qualitative science work? Well, anthropology, Wait, lets go back in a time machine and put this Inca village against that Inca village and well vary one variable and well see if it Cant do that. Sociology, Hey, lets go to the football game and, you know, well, all the people over on this side of the stadium, and all Cant do that. Social psychiatry, psychology, education, community development, city planning, field biology, Ok. All you gorillas on this side of the valley, over there, were going to paint all of the other ones blue, were going to measure Cant do that. So. Is PAS scientific?
Gardners process over the years has been qualitative research, whereby he systematically and cumulatively described a type of divorce specific familial interaction which he properly labeled a syndrome. Gardner was a qualitative researcher. He looked at many, many cases and tried to describe what he saw and tried to describe what was going on. So are qualitative methods scientific? Yes. Do qualitative methods and PAS meet the Daubert criteria? You know, whats considered to be science? Well what are they? Testability, falsifiability, error rates, peer review, general acceptance, validity, reliability.
Well, whats testability? Its proof by disproof. Can we test ideas about parental alienation? Yeah, sure we can. PAS is certainly testable. Gardner described eight factors, we can test whether they exist or not. In fact Bricklin and Elliot are trying to develop inventories that have some inter-rater reliability and some test-retest reliability that can be used in family conflict circumstances. They can certainly test whether those are accurate or not. They can test whether or not they speak to a phenomenon of interest accurately or not. They can test whether or not inter-raters or test-retests find them to be reliable or not.