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Abnormal Psych > Ch4 :Research methods > Flashcards

Ch4 :Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

science

A

“to know”
systematic pursuit of knowledge through observation

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2
Q

what does science involve?

A

forming a theory then systematically gathering data to test the theory

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3
Q

theory

A

set of propositions developed to explain what is observed

is falsifiable

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4
Q

hypothesis

A

specific predictions about what will occur if theory is correct

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5
Q

three (main) methods of research in psychopathology

A
  • case study
  • correlation
  • experiment
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6
Q

Case study

A

collection of detailed biographical information- about one person at a time

(developmental milestones, family history, medical history, environment, etc)

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7
Q

what are case studies useful for (4)

A
  • excellent source of hypotheses
  • can provide info about novel cases or procedures, , especially for rare disorders
  • rich description
  • can disconfirm a relationship believed to be universal (disprove hypothesis)
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8
Q

what is a case study not useful for (3)

A
  • lack control and objectivity (paradigm may not be useful)
  • can’ t provide causal evidence b/c cannot rule out alternative hypotheses
  • paradigm can influence observations
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9
Q

correlational method

A
  • do variable x and variable y vary together
  • are they related in a systematic way?
  • variables measured but not manipulated- studied as they exist in nature
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10
Q

does correlation = causation?

A

no

in a correlational study, all participants are measured the same way, nothing is manipulated

in causal experiments, participants are randomly assigned to different levels that are manipulated, then reactions are measured.

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11
Q

correlation coefficient

A

“r” -1.0 to 1.0

measures the strength of relationship- both magnitude and direction

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12
Q

strength of r

A

higher the absolute value, stronger the relationship (-1.00 and 1.00 are strongest)

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13
Q

direction of r

A

positive or negative

positive r = higher scores on variable x associated w/ higher scores on variable y

negative r = higher scores on variable x associated w/ lower scores on variable y

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14
Q

statistical significance

A

a statistically significant correlation is large enough that it is unlikely to have occurred by chance

measured by alpha level (p <0.5)

means there is a 5 percent or less chance that the finding obtained by chance alone

in general, as absolute size of correlation coefficient increases, more likely to be statistically significant

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15
Q

what is statistical significance influenced by

A
  • size of the relationship between variables
  • number of participants in a study

if fewer people are studied, the correlation coefficient needs to be larger to reach stat sig.

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16
Q

clinical significance

A

whether a relationship between variables is large enough to matter–

is the association meaningful as well as statistically significant

whether the effect is large enough to be meaningful in predicting/ treating a psychological disorder

Neumonic: doctor looking at giant bump on head saying this is clinically significant

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17
Q

directionality problem

A

Correlation doesn’t imply causation
- can’t say which (if either) variable causes the other

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18
Q

longitudinal design

A

researcher tests whether causes are present before disorder has developed

helps w/ directionality problem b/c shows cause precedes effect

(in contrast to cross-sectional design)

Neumonic: line poking through someone with a disease

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19
Q

cross-sectional design

A

researcher measures causes and effects at same point in time

(in contrast to longitudinal design)

Neumonic: a cross section of somebody with a disease, holding clock

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20
Q

high-risk method

A

method in longitudinal design to only study people who are high-risk for something, to look at variables that precede getting said thing

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21
Q

third-variable problem

A

Correlation doesn’t equal causation-

Correlational research can’t rule out third variables (confounds) that may be responsible for correlation

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22
Q

epidemiology

A

study of the distribution of disorders in a population and possible correlates

designed to be representative of population being studied

Neumonic: demons giving (distributing) epipens to people in a population

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23
Q

three features of a disorder (epidemiology)

A
  • prevalence
  • incidence
  • risk factors (correlates)

RIP

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24
Q

prevalence (features of a disorder)

A

the proportion of people w. disorder either currently or during their lifetime

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25
Q

incidence (features of a disorder)

A

proportion of people who develop new cases of disorder in some period (usually a year)

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26
Q

risk factors/correlates (features of a disorder)

A

Variables that are correlated w. the presence of the disorder

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27
Q

what type of study are epidemiological studies?

A

correlational studies- they examine how variables relate to each other w/out manipulating variables

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28
Q

The National Comorbidity Survey-Replication

A
  • Large-scale national survey
  • used structured interviews to collect info on prevalence of several diagnoses (in epidemiology)

Neumonic: NCIS doing a survey of the epipen demons

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29
Q

behavior genetics

A

estimates genetic predisposition (concordance) for a disorder by looking at relatives disorders

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30
Q

difference btwn behavior genetics and molecular genetics

A

behavior genetics- looks at similarities in relatives psychopathology

molecular genetics- identifying specific genes that contribute to presence of disorder

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31
Q

similarity btwn behavioral genetics and molecular genetics

A

both rely on correlational techniques in the study of psychopathology

32
Q

three common methods used in behavior genetics

A

-family method
-twin method
-adoptees method

33
Q

family method (in behavioral genetics)

A
  • used to study genetic predisposition among family members
  • first-degree relatives (50% genes shared) compared to second-degree relatives (25% shared genes)
34
Q

concordance

A

when relatives match on presence or absence of disorder- said to be concordant

35
Q

index cases/ probands

A

collection of sample of persons w/ diagnosis in question

(in behavioral genetics studies)

Neumonic: index cards with a band on it thumbs up we all have schizophrenia

36
Q

twin method (in behavioral genetics)

A

monozygotic (MZ) or identical twins (100% shared genes)

dizygotic (DZ) or fraternal twins (50% shared genes)

37
Q

adoptees method/ adoption studies vs cross-fostering (in behavioral genetics)

A

adoptees method- study of adoptees who have BIOLOGICAL parents with psychopathology

cross fostering- study of adoptees who have ADOPTIVE parents w/ psychopathology

Neumonic : kid going to a sad foster family

38
Q

two types of molecular genetic studies

A
  • association studies
  • genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
39
Q

association studies (in molecular genetics)

A

examine the relationship btwn specific allele and a trait or behavior in the population

40
Q

genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
(in molecular genetics)

A

examines the entire genome of a large group of people to identify variations btwn people

41
Q

the experiment

A
  • provides info about causal relationships
  • can evaluate treatment effectiveness
42
Q

what do experiments involve

A

involves
- random assignment
- independent variable (manipulated)
- dependent variable (measured)

43
Q

experimental effect

A

differences btwn conditions on the dependent variable

44
Q

internal validity

A

refers to extent which experimental effect can be attributed to the independent variable

need a control group to have internal validity
also need random assignment

45
Q

control group

A

level of the independent variable that doesn’t receive the experimental treatment

is needed to claim that the effects of an experiment are due to the independent variable (internal validity)

46
Q

random assignment

A

Helps ensure that groups are similar on variables other than the independent variable

done by randomly assigning participants to different levels of the independent variable

47
Q

external validity

A

extent to which results generalize beyond study

not needed (as much) if internal validity is prioritized

48
Q

analogue experiment

A
  • experiments not always possible in psychopathology (due to ethical or practical constraints
  • analogue experiments are when we examine related or similar behavior (usually less severe) in lab
    • induce temporary symptoms
    • recruit participants w similarities to diagnosable disorders
    • animal research
49
Q

single-case experimental research

A

examines how individual participants respond to changes in ind. variable

50
Q

single-case experimental research vs case studies

A

single-case experimental research can have high internal validity

51
Q

reversal (ABAB) design

A

type of single-case experimental research

baseline (A)
treatment introduced (B)
reinstate baseline (A)
reintroduction (B)

reversal technique not always possible

52
Q

biggest drawback of single-case design

A

lack of external validity- if it works for one person, doesn’t mean it’ll work for others

can combat this by using it to test if research w larger groups is warranted, or replicating in a series of single-case experiments on participants who differ-
- if so can provide strong test of hypothesis

53
Q

treatment outcome research

A

research designed to answer the q: Does treatment work?

54
Q

treatment study should include:

A
  • clear definition of sample being studied (diagnosis description)
  • clear description of treatment (as in treatment manual)
  • experimental design involving random assignment of clients to treatment or comparison conditions
  • reliable and valid outcome measures
  • large enough sample size
55
Q

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)

A

studies in which clients are randomly assigned to receive active treatment or comparison

  • ind variable is treatment, dep. variable is clients outcome
56
Q

Empirically supported treatments

A

treatments that follow certain standards, have been studied and considered to be supported by evidence

57
Q

empirically supported treatments include

A
  • treatment manuals
  • research that used:
    • control groups
      • placebo
      • double-blind procedure
    • sample composition
    • efficacy and effectiveness
    • need for dissemination
58
Q

treatment manuals

A

books that provide details on how to conduct a particular psychological treatment

includes specific procedures for therapist to follow at each stage of treatment

59
Q

placebo

A

in a study- someone thinks they’re getting the treatment but they’re not

60
Q

double-blind

A

the patient and the researcher don’t know who is getting the real treatment

61
Q

sample composition (in empirically supported treatments)

A

recruit people who mirror the characteristics of real-world people seeking help

specific and well-defined populations

exclusion of diverse populations

62
Q

efficacy (in RCTS)

A

whether a treatment works under the purest conditions

63
Q

effectiveness (In RCTs)

A

how well the treatment works in the real world

64
Q

dissemination

A

process of facilitating adoption of efficacious treatments in the community

typically by developing guidelines about best available treatments along with training for clinicians

65
Q

cultural competence

A

a therapist that has an appreciation for and understanding of cultural differences and similarities, appreciates sociopolitical events that may be salient for some cultural groups, and has awareness of their own culturally based assumptions and biases

66
Q

replication

A

repeating a research study to see if you get the same results- findings considered “reproducible”

67
Q

publication bias

A

tendency of journals to only publish positive results,

may keep us from seeing replication failures

68
Q

reasons studies fail to replicate

A
  • small samples (more likely to yield unusual patterns of results)
  • unreliable measures used
  • methods of orginal study not described well
  • differences in methods
69
Q

p-hacking

A

tweaking analyses or combing through data until arriving at a significant result

70
Q

ways to address issues in replication

A
  • registering hypotheses, measures, analysis (before study)
  • making data publicly available (after study)
  • paying more attention to quality of study than findings (reviewers in journals)
  • large sample sizes
  • consider whether findings have been replicated
71
Q

meta-analysis

A

way to look at findings from multiple related studies together

first identify relevant studies, then compute effect size

72
Q

effect size

A

transforms results from different studies to one scale

73
Q

steps of meta-analysis

A

-identify relevant studies

  • calculate effect size of each study
  • evidence of publication bias considered
  • average effect size calculated
74
Q

smith et al. (1980)

A

first meta-analysis

meta-analyzed 475 outcome studies (25,000 subjects)

results: psychotherapy is effective

critisms: gave equal weight to both poor and well-controlled studies

75
Q

meta-analysis criticisms and how to combat them

A

researchers sometimes include studies of poor quality

a good meta-analysis will be clear about criteria for including or excluding studies

Abnormal Psych (16 decks)

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