The interview process was studied to uncover the relationship of expertise in psychotherapy to the likelihood of accurate diagnosis. Experience and training affect the number of diagnostic questions clinicians ask as compared to personal, family, social, occupational, and history questions; and this in turn affects the accuracy of the diagnoses offered. Psychologists and psychology graduate students (N=138) interacted with an artificial-intelligence program that simulated a date-rape client's responses to the questions they asked. Participants were asked to conduct a "clinical interview" by typing in their questions. At the end of their interview, the participants provided a brief diagnosis for the client. A path analysis revealed that clinical experience is a strong predictor of the ability to form an accurate diagnosis, but an individual's level of training affects diagnostic accuracy indirectly. Training and experience do not appear to help psychologists accurately diagnose a client's condition when they are provided limited information about the client; however, participants with higher levels of training asked more diagnostic questions, which in turn helped them to derive accurate diagnoses. (Author/EMK)