key studies Flashcards
freeman
Aims and Hypotheses:
Whether neutral, non-threatening avatars could provoke persecutory thoughts in people with no previous clinical diagnosis
Whether this was more common in people with higher levels of paranoia and emotional distress
Methodology
Correlational study
Based on quantitative data gathered via questionnaires
Qualitative data was collected in semi-structured interviews, scored later to provide further quantitative data
Sample
12 male and 12 female
Paid volunteers
Mean age=26
Recruited from University College, London, UK
All mentally well
21 students and 3 administrative staff
Procedure
the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), a 53-item questionnaire to assess mood, anxiety and psychotic symptoms in the last 7 days
two 20-item self-reports which measures ideas of persecution and reference:
The Spielberger State Anxiety Questionnaire (scale on 1 not at all to 4 very much so)
The Paranoia Scale
the 15-item VR-Paranoia Questionnaire, which measured persecutory thoughts, ideas of reference and positive beliefs about the avatars.
Participants were interviewed about their experiences, including any feelings of distress
Later, a clinical psychologist watched the videotaped interviews and rated them out of six for indications of persecutory ideation
Results
The mean paranoia score=31.8
Most people had positive beliefs about the avatars, but some endorsed more negative beliefs
Persecutory thoughts (items 1-5 of the VR-Paranoia questionnaire) positively correlated with ideas of reference (items 6-10)
Persecutory thoughts (items 1-5 of the VR-Paranoia questionnaire) negatively correlated with positive beliefs
Positive correlation between persecutory thoughts in the questionnaire and the interviews
VR persecutory ideation was positively correlated with paranoia, interpersonal sensitivity and anxiety, all measured using the BSI
Conclusions
Emotional processes linked to anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity contribute directly to the development of persecutory ideation
VR holds ‘great promise’ not only as a tool for enhancing theoretical understanding but also as a way of helping individuals to evaluate and reduce persecutory ideation and delusions
OCD
lovell et al
Aims and Hypotheses
To compare two modes of delivery for one-to-one ERP as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: telephone treatment versus face- to-face treatment.
Methodology
This is a randomised control trial with quantitative data collected through self-report questionnaires, including a ten-item checklist to assess compulsive behaviour from the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and a questionnaire designed specifically to measure client satisfaction (out of 32; the higher the score, the higher the satisfaction).
The study could also be referred to as an experiment with independent measures and a longitudinal design.
Sample
Participants were aged 16-65
opportunity sample
72 people with obsessive-compulsive disorder selected from two outpatients departments in Manchester, UK.
All participants scored at least 16 on the Y-BOCS and were already diagnosed with OCD as their main problem.
Some people were excluded, including people who had comorbid substance misuse or suicidality; Anyone who had taken medication for depression or anxiety in the last three months was also excluded.
Procedure
Researchers who were unaware of each participant’s mode of delivery (i.e. blind) assessed the participants twice, four weeks apart, to establish a baseline and again at three follow-up sessions - at one, three and six months later.
Results
77 per cent of the telephone group and 67 per cent of the face-to-face group were treated successfully using exposure and response prevention.
Overall, both OCD and depression symptoms dropped twice as much as would have been necessary to accept the hypothesis that telephone therapy was no less effective than face-to-face therapy, despite the reduced contact time.
Conclusions
Telephone-delivered exposure and response prevention therapy for OCD is as effective as face-to-face therapy despite the majority of sessions being 50 per cent shorter.
This equates to a saving of 40 per cent of the therapists’ time, allowing more people to gain access to therapy
impulse control
grant et al
Aim
To investigate factors that predict the effectiveness of opiate antagonists in the treatment of gambling disorder (or pathological gambling - PG, as it was called at the time of this study)
Methodology
The study combined the results of two randomised control trials
Both RCTs were double-blind, placebo-controlled experiments with independent measures.
Data gathering techniques included structured and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and psychometric tests
Sample
284 american participants
Diagnosed with pathological gambling using DSM-IV and scored five or more on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS)
48% female, none pregnant nor breastfeeding, all used regular contraception.
All had gambled in the past 2 weeks and gambled more than once a week
None had used either of the trial drugs before
Procedure
Comorbid diagnosis were identified using a structured interview
gambling behaviour was investigated using a questionnaire.
Severity of gambling disorder symptoms was assessed before and after treatment using a modified version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.
Daily functioning, anxiety and depression were assessed using questionnaires
a semi-structured interview was used to collect information about family history of psychiatric diagnoses, including alcoholism in first-degree relatives.
Results
Demographics:
Average age of onset was 29
Response to opiate antagonists and placebos:
Younger participants were more likely to respond positively to the placebo, which was 30% less effective for every ten years in participant age.
Conclusions
Family histories of alcoholism and, to a lesser extent, strengths of urges to gamble are associated with a positive response to opiate antagonists as a treatment for gambling disorder.
Mood
Oruc
Aim:
To determine whether specific polymorphisms of two genes associated with serotonin transmission (5-HT2c and the 5-HTT gene) were more common in people with bipolar disorder
Methodology:
This correlation study, using blood samples from people with and without a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (type 1),
assessed via diagnostic interview and hospital case notes.
Sample
All participants were Croatian and recruited via opportunity sampling.
25 females and 17 males
Aged 31-70
With bipolar disorder (type 1)
From psychiatric hospitals in Zagreb, Croatia
The average age of onset was 32
Medical records showed that 16 of participants had at least one first-degree relative (a parent or sibling) with a mood disorder
An age and sex-matched control group of 25 females and 15 males were also recruited via opportunity sampling of hospital staff, friends and family
None had first-degree relatives with a psychiatric diagnosis
Procedure
Blood samples were analysed to see which alleles participants were carrying for two specific genes: the serotonin receptor 2c gene (5-HTR2c), which codes for a specific type of serotonin receptor, and the serotonin transporter gene (5-Htt), which codes for the serotonin transporters.
Each gene had two possible alleles; the alleles of the 5-HTR2c gene are called Cys (C) and Ser (S), while the 5- HTT alleles are referred to as 1 and 2
Conclusions
This study focused on two specific polymorphisms of genes associated with serotonergic function but neither appears to play a major role in increasing vulnerability to bipolar disorder
This said, the study suggests that females may be more vulnerable to genetic alterations to serotonergic transmission
anxiety and fear related
chapman and delapp
Context
The diphasic response, vasovagal, The role of disgust
Aim
to provide insight into ‘active mechanisms of change’ throughout a 9-week course of applied tension and manualised cognitive-behavioural therapy for an adult male patient with BII phobia.
Methodology
The case study method was used to collect quantitative data from self-reported questionnaires and qualitative data from a diagnostic interview.
Case history
Assessment
A variety of self-report questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data about T’s symptoms.
A diagnostic interview confirmed his BIl phobia diagnosis.
Treatment and assessment of progress
T completed 9 sessions of CBT, including applied tension as
T and the therapist worked collaboratively to set weekly goals.
He also completed the Phobic Encounter Record (PER) between sessions, where he rated his anxiety from 0 to 100 and listed his thoughts, feelings and behaviours when exposed to blood and/or medical-related stimuli.
Following his ninth session, T took his own blood pressure at a drug store (pharmacy).
He had his blood pressure taken by a nurse and was examined by a doctor.
He did not need to use AT and described his SUDS as ‘rather low’.
He said he had never felt better in my life’ and did not need any more treatment sessions.
Follow-up
Four months later, T thanked the therapist and had several doctor’s appointments booked. Ten months later, he was still doing well
Conclusions
Psychoeducation, objective recording, cognitive restructuring and graduated exposure were highly effective when combined with applied tension in the treatment of a man with a severe BII phobia.
This was, in part, related to increases in self-efficacy achieved through a highly individualised treatment plan of a sufficient duration to meet his needs.
motivation
laundry et al
Aims and Hypotheses
Using concepts from self-determination theory, this study aimed to explain whether monetary rewards can have a beneficial effect (or not) on employees’ motivation and performance.
Hypothesis 1: Presenting rewards in an autonomy-supportive way to convey an informational meaning leads to greater performance than …
Hypothesis 2: The effect of informational rewards on performance is mediated by greater psychological need satisfaction, leading to higher intrinsic motivation, whereas the effect of controlling …
Methodology
This was a laboratory experiment. Quantitative data was also produced through the use of self-reports (questionnaires).
Sample
123 student volunteers (mean age = 23 years) were recruited through an ‘Introduction to Organisational Behaviour’ course at a Canadian university..
Procedure
This task has been used in many previous research studies and is considered a valid measure of performance. After completion, a performance score was obtained using a standardised procedure.
Self-report measures
All participants were also asked to rate on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) the extent to which they felt their psychological needs had been satisfied or frustrated using the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale and the Psychological Needs Thwarting Scale.
Participants reported their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation using a seven-point Situational Motivation Scale by responding to the stem, ‘Why are you currently engaged in this activity?
a three-point scale how valuable the reward was to them.
participants completed a scale to measure positive and negative affect (emotions/feelings) to control for individual differences in affect arising from reading instruction paragraphs.
Conclusions
Presenting rewards in an autonomy-supportive way (informational) leads to an increased performance on tasks compared to rewards presented in a controlling way.
Rewards presented in an autonomy-supportive way led to increased needs satisfaction which leads to healthier forms of motivation such as intrinsic motivation
leadership
cuadrado
Sample:
136 second-year social psychology students from the National Open University of Spain, received credit for their participation
53% were women
47% were men (mean age of 29 years).
Each participant was randomly assigned to each experimental condition (34 in each group).
AIM: To verify experimentally one of the assumptions of the role congruity theory of prejudice towards female leaders: that women who occupy leadership roles are evaluated less favourably than men when they adopt stereotypically masculine styles.
Hypotheses:
Female leaders will receive less favourable evaluations than male leaders when they adopt stereotypically masculine leadership styles (autocratic and task-oriented).
Male leaders will not receive less favourable evaluations than female leaders when they adopt stereotypically feminine leadership behaviours (democratic, relationship-oriented, individualised).
Female leaders will receive worse evaluations from male evaluators than from female evaluators.
Male leaders will receive similar evaluations from male and from female evaluators.
The questionnaire included a number of different measures (all 0 to 7):
A list of fourteen adjectives
The supervisor’s leadership capacity
The leadership effectiveness of the supervisor
A pilot study using 40 participants had been carried out prior to the main study to test all aspects of the investigation
work conditions: swat
aim: to develop an organisationally useful method of recording risk events in organisations which could help find causes of accidents and consequently prevent them.
case study, longitudinal design, secondary data
sample:4 industrial plants from different industrial branches (foundry, machinery, meat processing and furniture) in Lodr, Poland were chosen.
All of the plants chosen were rather old and had equipment which was a number of years old.
A total of 2964 workers were employed in the plants in 1993.
Three types of information were used about accidents:
1. collective accident reports from safety supervisors
2. the researchers’ own investigations of accident protocols
3. interviews with the safety supervisors and line managers.
accident types :
Falls and slips
Accidents connected with manual work
Accidents connected with working parts of machinery
Accidents connected with sources of energy
Others
four essential causes of accidents:
Insufficient supervision
Poor workplace organisation
Technical factors
Individual error of the worker
Highest number of accidents (89%): Insufficient supervision
The least (11%): technical problems
CONCLUSIONs
Accidents should be recorded according to the circumstances in which they occurred and their type.
The comparison of frequency indicators for accident types nationally and within the different sections of the plants, may supply information on the extent of safety management faults.
Lesser (less important) incidents should be noted, especially those needing first aid. That would supply more data for these types of incidents which would help safety management more than just knowing about the few serious incidents.
Poor housekeeping should be noted as a cause.
satisfaction Giacalone and Rosenfeld (1987)
Reasons for employee sabotage in the workplace
Self-presentation theory is applied, suggesting that employees may use accounts or reasons to justify sabotage events, minimising the seriousness of the act and making it feel less socially undesirable or justified.
AIM
To explore if those who accepted more reasons for acts of sabotage would be more likely to justify sabotage and see it as more acceptable.
To explore if there are differences in the types of sabotage that would be seen as justifiable.
Sample:
a volunteer sample of 38 labourers worked at an electrical factory in northeast USA.
All of the participants belonged to the union
MEASURES
structured questionnaires seven-point rating scale
The responses on the sabotage reasons and methods questionnaires were summarised for each sabotage reason a median score was reached from the results.
low reason acceptors and high reason acceptors
sabotage categories:
work slowdowns
destruction of machinery premises or products
dishonesty
causing chaos
justufications:
self-defence (highest)
revenge
protection from the boss
protect your own job (highest)
the company/foreman deserved it
the company/foreman hurt me previously
release of frustrations
just for fun (lowest)
CONCLUSION
Importance in future research needs to be placed on the recognition of sabotage rather than concentrating on the root cause of the problem.
Focusing on recognition and deterrence may help reduce potential for accidents and risk exposure as well as financial losses.
The more accounts (reasons) an individual will accept for sabotage, the higher the level of justification for all different types of sabotage except for dishonesty.
group behaviour
claypoole and szalma
Aim
To determine whether typical social facilitation effects such as improved performance could be observed when using an electronic presence on a sustained attention (vigilance) task.
Sample
106 participants (65 females, 41 males)
(mean age 20.57, range 18-37)
recruited via a psychology experiment website
from a university in the south of USA.
All participants were undergraduates
all were volunteers, although they did receive credit for completion of the study.
Methodology
laboratory experiment
two conditions - control and electronic presence.
a demographics questionnaire prior to the task
Conclusions
Social facilitation, including EPM, can be used to improve performance on sustained attention tasks that are cognitively demanding but boring.
Video based monitoring is effective as a method of electronic monitoring and is less intrusive than other forms of EPM.
