Chapter 4: Research methods in Clinical Psychology Flashcards
Quantitive research designs focus on
testing hypotheses generated b the researcher
qualitative research designs tend to be
exploratory
a scientist-practitioner is well-trained to…
develop testable clinical hypotheses, gather the data necessary to test those hypotheses, weigh the evidence, and reach sound conditions
Common errors in thinking
faulty reasoning false dilemas golden mean fallacy the straw person argument affirming the consequent appeal to ignorance
deductive process
the researcher uses a formal theory to generate research ideas
inductive process
deriving an idea from repeated observation
not theory guided
correlation
variables are associated with each other
cause
one variable influences directly ir indirect, the level of the second variable
moderation
one variable influences the direction or size of the relation b/w 2 other variables
mediation
the influence of one variable on a second variable is due, in whole or in part, to the influence of the third variable
prevention
an attempt to decrease the likelihood that an undesirable outcome occurs
intervention
an attempt to decrease or eliminate an undesirable outcome that has already occurred
i.e. treatment
Donald Campbell
encouraged researchers to pay more attention to potential design problems that can undermine a study’s validity
internal validity
the extent to which the interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be justified and alternative interpretations can be reasonably ruled out
external validity
the extent to which the interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be generalized beyond the narrow boundaries of a specific study
statistical conclusion validity
the extent to which the results of a study are accurate and valid based on the type of statistical procedures used in research
threats to internal validity of a study
History Maturation Testing Instrumentation Statistical regression selection biases attrition
Threats to external validity of a study
sample characteristics stimulus characteristics and settings reactivity to research arrangements reactivity of assessment timing of measurement
researchers must balance…
external and internal validity
typically, researchers give priority to concerns about _____ validity over ______ validity
internal, external
Case studies
detailed presentation of an individual
source of hypotheses
heuristic value
do not allow for rigorous testing of hypotheses
singe case designs
addresses limitations of the limitations of case studies
- threats like maturation and regression to the mean can be handled by the simple strategy of extending the period of time that a person is assessed and the frequency with which the assessments occur
- AB single case designs
- ABA
correlational designs
most commonly used in clinical psych
examines the association among variables
hallmarks of the scientific study of causality in human functioning?
the use of experimental manipulation and random assignment to conditions
factor analysis
a statistical procedure used to determine the conceptual dimensions or factors that underlie a set of variables, test items, or tests
- exploratory: when the researcher has no prior hypotheses about the structure of the data
- confirmatory: used to test a specific hypothesis regarding the nature of the factor structure
moderator
a variable that influences the strength of the relation b/w a predictor variable and a criterion variable
mediator
a variable that explains the mechanism by which a predictor variable influences a criterion variable
structural equation modelling
a comprehensive statistical procedure that involves testing all components of a theoretical model
the ability of the whole model to predict treatment outcome is assessed
can determine only the extent to which a hypothesized causal model fits the study’s data
requires a large sample
Quasi experimental designs
involve some type of manipulation by the researcher
do not involve random assignment to experimental conditions
confounding variables
cost effective
only one wave of data collection is required
experimental designs
random assignment and manipulation
provide the best protection against threats to internal validity
the strongest design is one where both pre and post _______ data are collected
intervention
common quasi and experimental
randomized controlled trial
an experiment in which research participants are randomly assigned to 1 of 2 or more treatment conditions
meta analysis
a set of statistical procedures for quantitively summarizing the results of a research domain
effect size
a standardized metric, typically expressed in standard deviation units or correlations, that allows the results of research studies to be combined and analyzed
two forms of sampling?
probability: focuses on the use of numerous strategies to ensure that the research sample is representative of a pop
- surveys, census
non-probability: more common, website ads, newspaper ads = the researcher is not specifically recruiting i order to ensure the representativeness of the sample
- not as generalizable as probability sampling
Jacob Cohen
developed tools to assist researchers in determining the optimal number of participants to recruit for a study based on the phenomenon under investigation, the research design, and the type of planned data analysis
Measurement options
Self Report Informant report rater evaluations performance measures projective measures observational behaviour psychophysiological measures archival data (i.e. police records)
psychometric properties of measures
reliability
validity
internal consistency
reliability
the degree to which elements of the measure (like items on a test) are homogeneous
test-retest reliability
the stability over time of scores on a measure
inter-rater reliability
the consistency of scores on a measure across diff raters or observers
content validity
the extent to which the measure fully and accurately represents all elements of the domain of the construct being assessed
face validity
the extent to which the measure overtly appears to be measuring the construct of interest
criterion validity
the association of a measure with some criterion of central relevance to the construct, such as differentiating b/w groups of research participants
Concurrent validity
the association of a measure with other relevant data measured at the same point in time
predictive validity
the association of a measure with other relevant data measured at some future point in time
convergent validity
the association b/w a measure and other measures of either the same construct or conceptually related constructs
discriminant validity
the association between measures that, conceptually, should not be related
incremental validity
the extent to which a measure adds to the prediction of criterion beyond what can be predicted with other measurement data
Clinical significance
in addition to the results of a study attaining statistical significance, the results are of a magnitude that there are changes in some aspects of participant’s daily functioning
Neil Jacobson
developed the reliable change index which determines whether a participant’s pre-or-post- treatment change on a scale is statistically greater than would be expected due to measurement error
