ABSTRACT
As described earlier, the work of the Unit combined an interest in developing theory with a willingness to tackle a wide range of individual projects, typically resulting from a request for help. The last two chapters have described my own involvement in a number of such questions in the two broad areas of environmental stress and the law. In such situations the psychologist’s task is typically to serve as part of a team, providing scientifically sound evidence on which a response to the question can be made. As will have become clear, obtaining such evidence is far from straightforward, its impact on policy likely to be limited and interpreted in the light of evidence from other sources not only scientific but also practical and political. Any substantial, practical influence is therefore likely to depend on research in the relevant area extending over many years. In my own case, the principal sustained application of theoretical development has been to the neuropsychology of memory through applying the concepts and methods of cognitive psychology to a deeper understanding of clinical deficits. This can then lead not only to the creation of new neuropsychological tests but also to developing ways in which such knowledge can be applied to helping patients cope with their problems.
