Chapter 4 Flashcards
Research Methodology
ways of obtaining information about questions
Basic components of a research study
- hypothesis
- research design
- dependent variable
- independent variable
- internal validity
- external validity
Hypothesis
Educated guess or statement to be tested by research
Research Design
Plan of experiment used to test hypotheses
Dependent Variable
In an experimental research study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced
Independent Variable
Phenomenon that is manipulated by the experimenter in a research
study and expected to influence the dependent variable
Internal Validity
Extent to which the results of a research study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out
External Validity
Extent to which research study findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study
Confound
Any factor occurring in a research study that makes the results uninterpretable because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied
Control Group
Group of individuals in a research study who are similar to the experimental subjects in every way but are not exposed to the treatment received by the experimental group; their presence allows for a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment
Randomization
Method for placing individuals into research groups that assure each one of an equal chance of being assigned to any group, to eliminate any systematic differences
across groups
Analogue Model
Approaches to research that use subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions
Statistical Significance
Probability that obtaining the observed research findings merely by chance is small
Clinical Significance
Degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful
applications to real problems
Effect Size
Statistical measure that shows the amount of difference among the members of a group in a clinical study
Patient Uniformity Myth
Tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than
they are, ignoring their individual differences (comparing groups by their mean scores)
Case Study Method
Research procedure in which a single person or small group is studied in detail. The method does not allow conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships, and
findings can be generalized only with great caution
(ie Freuds psychoanalytical theory)
Problems with the Case Study Method
-not scientific
-internal validity
-confounds
-coincidences
-rely to heavily on clinicians observation
Correlation
Degree to which two variables are associated, in a positive correlation, the two variables increase or decrease together; in a negative correlation, one variable
decreases as the other increases
Positive Correlation
Association between two variables in which one increases as the other
increases/ or they both decrease
Negative Correlation
Association between two variables in which one increases as the
other decreases
Correlation Coefficient
Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any
association between two variables. It can range from +1 to -1, with the strength, and sign reflecting the direction
Epidemiology
Psychopathology research method examining the prevalence, Incidence, distribution, and consequences of disorders in populations
Incidence
The estimated number of new occurrences/cases during a specific time period