Research Methods in Clinical

Question 1

Type I v Type II Error

Answer 1

Type I Error - Rejects a null hypothesis when it is true

Type II Error - Accepting a null hypothesis that is not true

Question 2

Skewed Data

Answer 2

Mean at Bottom, Median in Middle, Mode at Top

Mean Median and Mode are not all in the middle in Skewed distribution (like they would be in normal distribution)

Positive Skew - Most scores bunched around the Left

Negative Skew - Scores bunched around the right

Question 3

Primary Data

Answer 3

Collected by researcher specifically for the current study.

Cons

• Takes more time to collect than secondary
• May be better to adjust the aims and use 2ndary data

Question 4

Secondary Data

Answer 4

Data collected for a previous study

Cons

• May not quite fit the needs of the current study
• May waste time if it is found that the data may not be relevant to the current study’s aims

Question 5

Longitudinal Study

Answer 5

Research that takes place over time so that the effects of time / age can be studied

Pros

• Allows for tests of age to be tested
• Ppt. variables controlled as is repeated measures

Cons

• Cohort effects may occur as the group studied may all be of similar age or experiences, thus not generalisable
• Attrition (dropping out). The issue is that some types of people more likely to drop out than others e.g. those with personal problems. This reduces generalisability

Question 6

Cross-Sectional Research

Answer 6

Compares behaviour of different sections of the population e.g. ages

Pros
- May be a better test of time than longitudinal as takes less time

Cons

• Ppt. variables not controlled
• Cohort effects due to differences of the groups studied

Question 7

Cross-Cultural Research

Answer 7

Compares behaviour in different cultures

Pros

• Can investigate nature v nurture
• Gives contrasting info as a lot of psychological studies are based in America

Cons

• Most are done by western psychologists, which could lead to researcher effects as they have expectations about the differences
• Tests used may not be valid in other cultures e.g. IQ Tests

Question 8

Meta-analysis

Answer 8

Results of several studies

Pros

• Increases sample size
• More generalisable as many different groups can be studied

Cons

• Selection bias, may want to pick studies to use that have more positive results
• May have used different methods, so not appropriate to combine the data