Module 1 Flashcards
Why do we conduct psychological assessments?
To inform intervention and treatment planning by:
- allowing the psychologist to identify and prioritise client needs or problems
- identifying particular client characteristics that could be helpful or detrimental to the outcome of different treatment interventions
- considering treatment and referral options, including service matching and monitoring change in the client
- predicting prognosis and treatment outcomes
Outline the brief history of clinical practice
1896 - Lightner Witmer established the first pscyhology clinic and was credited with the term ‘clinical psychologist’
1947 - David Shakow introduced the scientist-practitioner model
1949 - The scientist-practitioner model of training and practice was formalised
What is some of the strongest evidence that should be utilised by best practice? What is some of the weakest?
The strongest evidence is systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, while the weakest evidence is case reports and expert opinions
What is evidence-based practice?
Evidence-based practice in psychology is the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise, in the context of patient characteristics, culture and preferences.
What are the 3 main reasons why we use the evidence-based approach?
1) Best treatment for client
2) Minimises cost
3) Minimises risk
What % of the outcome is due to skills/techniques, placebo/expectancies, common factors, and extra-therapeutic factors (eg: therapeutic alliance) respectively?
15% to skills/techniques
15% to placebo/expectancies
30% to common factors
40% to extra-therapeutic factors
How do EBT and EBP differ in terms of what they believe is the best evidence?
EBT - RCT is the gold standard
EBP - doesn’t identify one particular research methodology as superior, endorses all types
Does EBT have more internal or external validity?
EBT has more internal than external validity.
EBP focuses more on who is providing the treatment (i.e. clinical expertise)
EBT says that clinical decision-making should be minimised, we should just do what the research says because clinicians don’t have time to review and synthesise literature and come to their own decision.
Define positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction
Positive rft - A consequence is given immediately following a behaviour, increasing the likelihood of that behaviour in the future
Negative rft - An adverse consequence is removed following a behaviour, increasing the likelihood of that behaviour
Punishment - An adverse consequence is given immediately following a behaviour, decreasing its likelihood
Extinction - A behaviour is no longer reinforced.
When giving behaviour therapy, complex behaviours can be partitioned into 3 different modes. What are they?
1) Cognitive-verbal (eg: irrational thoughts)
2) Physiological-affective (emotional responses)
3) Overt-motor (observable behaviours)
What are some important questions we should consider when developing a behaviour intervention?
Is it age-appropriate?
What’s going to happen when you remove the intervention?
If we succeed in diminishing the unwanted behaviour, is there possible alternatives that might replace it (like in cases of self-harm)?
Is it the behaviour or something else causing the problem (eg: alcohol and insomnia)?
Define topography, amount, stimulus control, latency and quality of behaviour
Topography - the specific movements involved in the behaviour
Amount - Frequency and duration
Stimulus control - the degree of correlation between a stimulus and behaviour
Latency - the time between the occurrence of a stimulus and behaviour
Quality - a refinement of the characteristics above
What is continuous recording?
When you record every instance of a behaviour (eg: the number of cigarettes smoked)
What is interval recording? What is the difference between partial and whole interval recording?
Interval recording is when you observe whether a behaviour has occurred during intervals of equal duration (eg: 10 seconds) during the specific observation period (eg: 30 mins) (eg: time spent on Facebook or watching TV)
Partial interval is when the target behaviour is recorded a maximum of once per interval, regardless of how many times it happened in the interval or the duration
Whole interval is when the target behaviour occurred throughout the whole interval, and if it didn’t then it doesn’t count
What is time-sampling recording? What is momentary time-sampling? What is combined interval and time-sampling?
When is scored as occurring or not-occurring during very brief observation intervals that are separated by a much longer period of time (eg: checking chair-swinging for 15 seconds once every hour)
Momentary time-sampling is when the interval a single point in time, if it wasn’t happening at that moment, then it didn’t happen at all.
Combined interval and time-sampling involves small intervals of observation within an observation period. Behaviour is only recorded during a portion of the interval periods (eg: check one kid for 10s, then another kid for 10 secs, and so on)
