Chapter 4 - Definitions

Question 1

Hypothesis

Answer 1

Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.

Question 2

Independent Variable

Answer 2

The manipulation or intervention that may
change or influence the dependent variable(s).

Question 3

Dependent Variable

Answer 3

A variable that will be measured and that is expected to be changed or influenced by the independent variable.

Question 4

Internal Validity

Answer 4

Extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to a specific intervention or experimental manipulation (i.e. the independent variable) after alternative explanations have been ruled out.

Question 5

Confound

Answer 5

Any factor occurring in a study that makes the results uninterpretable because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied.

Question 6

Confounding Variable

Answer 6

A variable that is not part of an intended study but that may contribute to changes in the variables that the intervention or manipulation tries to influence (i.e., the dependent variable).

Question 7

Control Group

Answer 7

Group of individuals in a 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.

Question 8

Randomisation

Answer 8

Method for placing individuals into research groups that assures each an equal chance of being assigned to any group, thus eliminating any systematic differences across groups.

Question 9

External Validity

Answer 9

Extent to which the results of a study may be generalised over time, settings or persons to other contexts.

Question 10

Generalisability

Answer 10

Extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study.

Question 11

Statistical Significance

Answer 11

Probability that obtaining the observed research findings merely by chance is small.

Question 12

Clinical Significance

Answer 12

Degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful applications to real problems.

Question 13

Patient Uniformity Myth

Answer 13

Tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than they are, ignoring their individual differences.

Question 14

Case Study Method

Answer 14

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 generalised only with great caution (contrast with single-case experimental design).

Question 15

Correlation

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Positive Correlation

Answer 16

Association between two variables in which one increases as the other increases.

Question 17

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 17

Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any association between two variables. It can range from –1.00 through 0.00 (indicating no association) to +1.00, with the absolute value indicating the strength and the sign reflecting the direction.

Question 18

Negative Correlation

Answer 18

Association between two variables in which one increases as the other decreases.

Question 19

Directionality

Answer 19

Possibility that when two variables, A and B, are correlated, variable A causes variable B or variable B causes variable A.

Question 20

Epidemiology

Answer 20

Psychopathology (and general medical) research method examining the prevalence, distribution and consequences of disorders in populations.

Question 21

Experiment

Answer 21

Research method in which the researcher manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result.

Question 22

Placebo Effect

Answer 22

Behaviour change resulting from the person’s expectation of change rather than from the experimental manipulation itself.

Question 23

Placebo Control Group

Answer 23

In an outcome experiment, a control group that does not receive the experimental manipulation but is given a similar procedure with an identical expectation of change, allowing the researcher to assess any placebo effect.

Question 24

Double-Blind Control

Answer 24

Procedure in outcome studies that prevents bias by ensuring that neither the subjects nor the providers of the experimental treatment know who is receiving treatment and who is receiving placebo.

Question 25

Comparative Treatment Research

Answer 25

Outcome research that contrasts two or more treatment methods to determine which is most effective.

Question 26

Outcome Research

Answer 26

Studies examining the effectiveness and results, positive or negative, of treatment procedures.

Question 27

Single-Case Experimental Design

Answer 27

Research tactic in which an independent variable is manipulated for a single individual, allow- ing cause-and-effect conclusions but with limited generalisability (contrast with case study method).

Question 28

Repeated Measurement

Answer 28

When responses are measured on more than two occasions (not just before and after intervention) to assess trends.

Question 29

Variability

Answer 29

Degree of change in a phenomenon over time.

Question 30

Trend

Answer 30

Direction of change of a behaviour or behaviours (for example, increasing or decreasing).

Question 31

Level

Answer 31

Degree of behaviour change with different interventions (for example, high or low).

Question 32

Withdrawal Design

Answer 32

Removing a treatment to note whether it has been effective. In single-case experimental designs, a behaviour is measured (baseline), an independent variable is introduced (intervention), and then the intervention is withdrawn. Because the behaviour continues to be measured throughout (repeated measurement), any effects of the intervention can be noted. Also called reversal design.

Question 33

Baseline

Answer 33

Measured rate of a behaviour before the introduction of an intervention that allows comparison and assessment of the effects of the intervention.

Question 34

Multiple Baseline

Answer 34

Single-case experimental design in which measures are taken on two or more behaviours or on a single behaviour in two or more situations. A particular intervention is introduced for each at different times. If behaviour change is coincident with each introduction, this is strong evidence the intervention caused the change.

Question 35

Phenotype

Answer 35

Observable characteristics or behaviours of an individual.

Question 36

Genotype

Answer 36

Specific genetic make-up of an individual.

Question 37

Human Genome Project

Answer 37

Ongoing scientific attempt to develop a comprehensive map of all human genes.

Question 38

Endophenotypes

Answer 38

Genetic mechanisms that contribute to the underlying problems that cause the symptoms and difficulties experienced by people with psychological disorders.

Question 39

Family Studies

Answer 39

Genetic studies that examine patterns of traits and behaviours among relatives.

Question 40

Proband

Answer 40

In genetics research, the individual displaying the trait or characteristic being studied.

Question 41

Adoption Studies

Answer 41

In genetics research, the study of first-degree relatives reared in different families and environments. If they share common characteristics, such as a disorder, this finding suggests that those characteristics have a genetic component.

Question 42

Twin Studies

Answer 42

In genetics research, the comparison of twins with unrelated or less closely related individuals. If twins, particularly monozygotic twins who share identical genotypes, share common characteristics such as a disorder, even if they were reared in different environments, this is strong evidence of genetic involvement in those characteristics.

Question 43

Genetic Linkage Analysis

Answer 43

Study that seeks to match the inheritance pattern of a disorder to that of a genetic marker. This helps researchers establish the location of the gene responsible for the disorder.

Question 44

Genetic Marker

Answer 44

Inherited characteristic for which the chromosomal location of the responsible gene is known.

Question 45

Association Studies

Answer 45

Research strategies for comparing genetic markers in groups of people with and without a particular disorder.

Question 46

Cross-Sectional Design

Answer 46

Methodology to examine a characteristic by comparing individuals of different ages (contrast with longitudinal design).

Question 47

Cohort

Answer 47

Participants in each age group of a study with a cross-sectional design.

Question 48

Cohort Effect

Answer 48

Observation that people of different age groups differ in their values and experiences.

Question 49

Retrospective Information

Answer 49

Literally ‘the view back’; data collected by examining records or recollections of the past. It is limited by the accuracy, validity and thoroughness of the sources.

Question 50

Cross-Generational Effect

Answer 50

Limit on the generalisability of longitudinal research because the group under study may differ from others in culture and experience.

Question 51

Sequential Design

Answer 51

Combination of the cross-sectional and longitudinal designs involving repeated study of different cohorts over time.

Question 52

Longitudinal Design

Answer 52

Systematic study of changes in the same individual or group examined over time (contrast with cross-sectional design).

Question 53

Informed Consent

Answer 53

Ethical requirement whereby research subjects agree to participate in a study only after they receive full disclosure about the nature of the study and their own role in it.