What is the term for gathering information from multiple sources in psychological practice?

The term for gathering information from multiple sources in psychological practice is triangulation in assessment. Triangulation refers to the use of multiple methods, perspectives, or sources to collect data or validate findings. In clinical psychology, this approach enhances the reliability and validity of assessment results by providing a more comprehensive view of a client's issues.

For example, a clinician might gather information from clinical interviews, standardized tests, and reports from family members or other professionals. By comparing and integrating data from these different sources, the clinician can achieve a more nuanced understanding of the client's situation, leading to better-informed decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment.

Assessment validation, multimodal analysis, and data synthesis are related concepts but do not specifically convey the idea of utilizing multiple sources. Assessment validation tends to focus on ensuring that the tools and methods used for assessment properly measure what they intend to measure. Multimodal analysis might imply analyzing data from various modes or modalities, rather than focusing specifically on the diverse sources of information. Data synthesis generally refers to the process of combining data from different studies or assessments but may not emphasize the methodical gathering of data from various avenues within a single assessment context.