Compiled by Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, BCBA, LBA
Association for Science In Autism Treatment
Dr. Scott Lilienfeld, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University, devoted much of his life to highlighting the dangers of pseudoscience in psychology. Lilienfeld also contributed to correcting misconceptions in autism research, such as false information about the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine link to autism and ineffective treatments such as facilitated communication, making his work especially relevant to those of us who work with individuals on the autism spectrum. Throughout his career, Lilienfeld published more than 350 journal articles and 17 books. He was the recipient of many honors, including the James McKeen Cattell Award for Lifetime Contributions to Applied Psychological Science from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and the David Shakow Award for Early Distinguished Contributions to Clinical Psychology, from the American Psychological Association. For those interested in learning more about Scott Lilienfeld’s work related to evidence-based treatment in psychology and interventions for autism, we have compiled a list of relevant articles. Please be aware that Dr. Lilienfeld published in numerous other areas as well, beyond the scope of the list below.
Articles related to autism treatment:
Anestis, M. D., Anestis, J. C., Zawilinski, L. L., Hopkins, T. A., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014). Equine-related treatments for mental disorders lack empirical support: A systematic review of empirical investigations. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(12), 1115-1132. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.22113.
Heinzen, T. E., Lilienfeld, S. O., & Nolan, S. A. (2015). The horse that won’t go away: Clever Hans, facilitated communication, and the need for clear thinking. Worth Publishers.
Lilienfeld, S. O., & Herbert, J. D. (2011). What are evidence-based treatments? In S. Bölte & J. Hallmayer (Eds.), Autism spectrum conditions: FAQs on autism, Asperger syndrome, and atypical autism answered by international experts. (pp. 153-155). Hogrefe Publishing.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Marshall, J., Todd, J. T., & Shane, H. C. (2014). The persistence of fad interventions in the face of negative scientific evidence: Facilitated Communication for autism as a case example. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 8, 62-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/17489539.2014.976332
Marino, L., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2007). Dolphin-assisted therapy: More flawed data and more flawed conclusions. Anthrozoös, 20(3), 239-249. http://doi.org/10.2752/089279307X224782
Marino, L., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2021). Third time’s the charm or three strikes you’re out? An updated review of the efficacy of dolphin‐assisted therapy for autism and developmental disabilities. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(6), 1265-1279. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23110
Articles related to evidence-based practice:
Blease, C. R., Lilienfeld, S. O., & Kelley, J. M. (2016). Evidence-based practice and psychological treatments: The imperatives of informed consent. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 1170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01170.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Ritschel, L. A., Lynn, S. J., Cautin, R. L., & Latzman, R. D. (2013). Why many clinical psychologists are resistant to evidence-based practice: Root causes and constructive remedies. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(7), 883-900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.09.008.
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014). The Dodo Bird verdict: Status in 2014. Behavior Therapist, 37(4), 91-95.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Ritschel, L. A., Lynn, S. J., Cautin, R. L., & Latzman, R. D. (2014). Why ineffective psychotherapies appear to work: A taxonomy of causes of spurious therapeutic effectiveness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 9(4), 355-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614535216
Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., & Bowden, S. (2018). Why evidence-based practice isn’t enough: A call for science-based practice. The Behavior Therapist, 41(1), 42-47.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Ritschel, L. A., Lynn, S. J., & Latzman, R. D. (2019). The insufficiently appreciated raison d’être of evidence-based practice. In S. Dimidjian (Ed.), Evidence-based practice in action: Bridging clinical science and intervention. (pp. 43-63). The Guilford Press.
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2019). What is “evidence” in psychotherapies? World Psychiatry, 18(3), 245-246. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.20654
McLean, C. P., Miller, N. A., Lilienfeld, S. O., Lohr, J. M., McNally, R. J., & Stickle, T. R. (2007). Teaching students to think like scientists. The Behavior Therapist, 30(4), 84-87.
Meichenbaum, D., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2018). How to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy: A 19-item checklist. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 49(1), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000172
O’Donohue, W. T., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2012). Professional issues and evidence-based practice: The quality problem in behavioral health care. In P. Sturmey & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of evidence-based practice in clinical psychology, Vol 1: Child and adolescent disorders. (pp. 51-72). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stuart, R. B., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2007). The evidence missing from evidence-based practice. American Psychologist, 62(6), 615- 616. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X62.6.615
Teachman, B. A., White, B. A., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2021). Identifying harmful therapies: Setting the research agenda. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 28(1), 101-106. https://doi/org/10.1037/cps0000002
Articles related to pseudoscience:
Bensley, D. A., Lilienfeld, S. O., Rowan, K. A., Masciocchi, C. M., & Grain, F. (2020). The generality of belief in unsubstantiated claims. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 34(1), 16-28. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.3581
Lilienfeld, S. O. (1998). Pseudoscience in contemporary clinical psychology: What it is and what we can do about it. The Clinical Psychologist, 51(4), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.09.006
Lilienfeld, S. O., Lohr, J. M., & Morier, D. (2001). The teaching of courses in the science and pseudoscience of psychology: Useful resources. Teaching of Psychology, 28(3), 182-191. https://doi.org/10.1207%2FS15328023TOP2803_03
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2011). Distinguishing scientific from pseudoscientific psychotherapies: Evaluating the role of theoretical plausibility, with a little help from Reverend Bayes. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 18(2), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2011.01241.x
Lilienfeld, S. O., Ammirati, R., & David, M. (2012). Distinguishing science from pseudoscience in school psychology: Science and scientific thinking as safeguards against human error. Journal of School Psychology, 50(1), 7-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.09.006
Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., & Lohr, J. M. (Eds.). (2014). Science and pseudoscience in clinical psychology. Guilford Press.
Lilienfeld, S. O., & Gaudiano, B. A. (2018). Pseudoscience in behavior therapy: Concurrences, confusions, and clarifications – Response to Strosahl. The Behavior Therapist, 41(6), 273-280.
Schmaltz, R., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014). Hauntings, homeopathy, and the Hopkinsville Goblins: Using pseudoscience to teach scientific thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 336. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00336
Other Related Articles:
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2007). Psychological treatments that cause harm. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2(1), 53-70. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00029.x
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2010). Can psychology become a science? Personality and Individual Differences, 49(4), 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.01.024
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2012). Public skepticism of psychology: Why many people perceive the study of human behavior as unscientific. American Psychologist, 67(2), 111-129. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023963
Lilienfeld, S. O., Sauvigné, K. C., Lynn, S. J., Cautin, R. L., Latzman, R. D., & Waldman, I. D. (2015). Fifty psychological and psychiatric terms to avoid: A list of inaccurate, misleading, misused, ambiguous, and logically confused words and phrases. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Article 1100. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01100h
Citation for this article:
McKenna, K. (2021). A non-exhaustive list of select publications by Dr. Scott Lilienfeld. Science in Autism Treatment, 18(9).
