Chapter 4: Research Methods

Question 1

dependent variable

Answer 1

In an experimental study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced (compare with independent variable).

Question 2

external validity

Answer 2

Extent to which research findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study.

Question 3

hypothesis

Answer 3

Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.

Question 4

independent variable

Answer 4

Phenomenon manipulated by the experimenter in a study and expected to influence the dependent variable.

Question 5

internal validity

Answer 5

Extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out.

Question 6

research design

Answer 6

Plan of experimentation used to test a hypothesis.

Question 7

testability

Answer 7

Ability of a hypothesis, for example, to be subjected to scientific scrutiny and to be accepted or rejected, a necessary condition for the hypothesis to be useful.

Question 8

analogue model

Answer 8

Approach to research that employs subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.

Question 9

confound

Answer 9

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 10

confounding variable

Answer 10

Variable in a research study that was not part of the intended design and that may contribute to changes in the dependent variable.

Question 11

control group

Answer 11

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 12

generalizability

Answer 12

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

Question 13

randomization

Answer 13

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

Question 15

clinical significance

Answer 15

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

Question 16

effect size

Answer 16

Statistical measure that shows the amount of difference among the members of a group in a clinical study.

Question 17

patient uniformity myth

Answer 17

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

Question 18

statistical significance

Answer 18

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

Question 19

correlation

Answer 19

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 20

correlation coefficient

Answer 20

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 21

positive correlation

Answer 21

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

Question 22

directionality

Answer 22

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

Question 23

epidemiology

Answer 23

Psychopathology research method examining the prevalence, distribution, and consequences of disorders in
populations.

Question 24

negative correlation

Answer 24

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

Question 25

experiment

Answer 25

Research method that can establish causation by manipulating the variables in question and controlling for alternative explanations of any observed effects.

Question 26

placebo control group

Answer 26

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 27

placebo effect

Answer 27

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

Question 28

comparative treatment research

Answer 28

Outcome research that contrasts two or more treatment

methods to determine which is most effective.

Question 29

double-blind control

Answer 29

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 30

repeated measurement

Answer 30

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

Question 31

single-case experimental design

Answer 31

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

Question 32

baseline

Answer 32

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

Question 33

level

Answer 33

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

Question 34

trend

Answer 34

Direction of change of a behavior or behaviors (for example, increasing or decreasing).

Question 35

variability

Answer 35

Degree of change in a phenomenon over time.

Question 36

withdrawal design

Answer 36

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

Question 37

genotype

Answer 37

Specific genetic makeup of an individual.

Question 38

multiple baseline

Answer 38

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

Question 39

phenotype

Answer 39

Observable characteristics or behaviors of an individual.

Question 40

endophenotypes

Answer 40

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

Question 41

human genome project

Answer 41

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

Question 42

adoption studies

Answer 42

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 43

family studies

Answer 43

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

Question 44

genetic linkage analysis

Answer 44

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 45

proband

Answer 45

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

Question 46

twin studies

Answer 46

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 47

association studies

Answer 47

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

Question 48

genetic marker

Answer 48

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

Question 49

cohort

Answer 49

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

Question 50

cohort effect

Answer 50

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

Question 51

cross-sectional design

Answer 51

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

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

retrospective information

Answer 53

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 54

cross-generational effect

Answer 54

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

Question 55

sequential design

Answer 55

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

Question 56

informed consent

Answer 56

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.