researching mental health (pack 5) Flashcards
what methods are involved in researching?
- longitudinal
- cross-sectional methods
- cross-cultural
- Meta- analysis
- primary and secondary data
How long does longitudinal research take?
over an extended period, they may last for weeks, months or even years
what do longitudinal studies allow us to see?
change and development over time in the sample being studied
what is the procedure of a longitudinal study?
a measurement of cohort at beginning of cohort (baseline data)
measured at various points throughout study
at the end there is a final measurement
regarding clinical psychology, what may a longitudinal study allow us to see?
how effective a treatment is
(POTS study)
what is a study that used longitudinal study method?
Vallentine
usefulness of group work and CBT for patients in a high security hospital
What are two strengths of longitudinal studies?
- Same people are used, participant variables are controlled for
- reliable way to measure the effect of time
What are two weaknesses of longitudinal studies?
ppts may drop out reducing sample size, so outcome is less valid
longitudinal studies take time and are expensive
What are cross-sectional methods?
when researchers take a quick snapshot of behaviour in a given population in a set period of time
what sort of sample will be used in cross-sectional research
a large sample
what is an example of a cross-sectional study?
Crawford et al
aimed to examine the quality and assessment and treatment of physical health problems in people with schizophrenia
Two strengths of the cross-sectional method?
data gathered quickly, so conclusion can be acted on more quickly
the results more likely to be valid as they will be reported at the same time when they have most application
two weaknesses of the cross-sectional method?
may be a cohort effect, looks at different people at the same time. E.G- not all age groups have been exposed to the same environments
not good for finding out the cause of something like a mental disorder
what is the cross-cultural method?
carried out when you want to compare some behaviour or attitude in different cultures
In relation to clinical psychology, what is a cross-cultural aim of research?
whether the same symptoms are shown in different groups
two strengths of the cross-cultural method?
reduce the level of ethnocentrism in studies and conclusions and can improve generalisability
cross-cultural methods aid clinicians understandings of the cultural factors involved when diagnosing
two weaknesses for cross-cultural data?
ppts will be different in different cultures, some cultures more eager to please researcher
likely to be a conflict between the cultures: values, therefore conclusions may lack validity
what is meta-analysis?
involves using the findings from different studies
e.g using secondary data
describe some of the procedure for meta-analysis?
data is polled and findings are analysed as if they were collected in one study
seek out studies from a variety of places, cultures and times
this gives an overview of results in one area to study
What are two strengths of meta-analysis?
conclusions can be drawn from a huge sample and from different areas
results can be generalised to a larger population because of the larger and wider sample
two weaknesses of meta-analysis?
researchers not involved in gathering data directly, may be unidentified issues of reliability or validity
possibility of publication bias which can impact on the validity of meta-analyses