Week 3: Chapter 4 - Research Methods Flashcards
What are the key features of Adoption Studies
Study of first degree relatives with the same genetics, but rared in different environments - showing if disorders can be related to a genetic component
Describe what a baseline is in research methods?
The measured rate of behaviour before the introduction of an intervention - allows for comparison and assessment of the effects of the intervention
When research uses a single person or a small group, studied in detial, this is referred to as a ?
Case-study
What can you not do using a case-study method?
You cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect relationships, and findings can only be generalized with great caution (this is in contract with single-case experimental design)
What is the difference between Statistical Significance and Clinical Significance?
Clinical significance referes to the degree of research findings having a useful and meaningful application to real problems whereas Statistical Significance refers to the probability that obtaining the observed researching findings by chances is small.
The age of participants in each age group of a study with a cross-sectional design is called a ?
Cohort
A cohort effect is what?
The observation that people of different age groups differ in their values and experiences
Research that contracts two or more treatment methods to determine which is most effective is called ?
Comparative treatment research
Any factor in a study that makes the results uninterpreted because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied is refered to as ?
Confound
What is a confounding variable?
A variable that was not part of the intended design that may contribute to changes in the dependent variable
Explain what happens in a postitive correlation vs negative correlation
Positive correlation - Two variables increase or decrease together
Negative Correlation - As one variable decreases, the other variable increases
What is a correlation coefficient?
The strength and direction of any association between two variables - can range from -1.00 (indicating no association) to +1.00. This is indicating the strength and the sign reflecting direction.
When there is a cross-generational effect this means there is a ?
Limit on the generalizability of the longitudinal research because groups may differ in experiences
The methodology examining characteristics by comparing individuals at different ages is referred to as
Cross-sectional design
The dependent variable is
The phenomena that is measures and expected to be influenced
What neither subjects or researchers know group assignment, this is referred to as
Double-blind control
Explain what an effect size is
The measure that shows the amount of difference among the members of a group in a clinical study
What is an endophenotype
The genetic mechanism that contributes to underlying problems causing the symptoms and difficulties experiences by people with a psychological disorder
The research method that examines prevalance, distribution and consequences of disorders in populations is refered to as ?
Epidemiology psychopathology
The research method that can establish casation by manipulating the variables and controling for alternative explanations of any observed effects is called what?
Experiment
What is external validity?
The extent to which research findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study
Genetic studies that examine patterns of trains and behaviour among relatives is called ?
Family studies
The extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study is refered to as ?
Generalizability
What is genetic linkage analysis?
Study that seeks to match the inheritance pattern of a disorder to a genetic marker, helping researchers to establish the location of the gene responsible for the disorder
What is a genetic marker?
An inherited characteristic for which the chromosomal location of the responsible gene is known
What is a genotype?
The specific genetic makeup of an individual (what cannot be seen)
The scientific attempt to develop a comprehensive map of all human genes is known as what?
The Human Genome project
An educated guess or statement to be tested by research is a ?
Hypothesis
What is an independent variable?
What is manipulated by the experimenter in a study and expected to influence the dependent variable
Explain internal validity
The extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out
The degree of beahviour change with different interventions is the _________ (for example, high or low)
Level
The systematic study of changes in the same individual or group examined over time is what type of study design?
Longitudinal
When a study has measures taken on two or more behaviours or on a single behaviour in two or more situations this is called a ?
Multiple baseline single case experiment
The direction of changes in behaviour or behaviurs is referd to as ?
The trend
The degree of cange in phenomenon over times is the ?
Variability
What does a withdrawl design entail?
The removal of treatment to note wheather it has been effective
What are the key points in twin studies?
The comparison of twins with unrelated or less closely related individuals. Twins share genotypes
What are the three important questions to ask/search for when examining abnormal behaviour ?
What problems cause distress or impair function
WHY do people behaviour in unusual ways - the etiology
how can we HELP - treatment
How can you increase internal validity?
Minimise confounds by use of control groups, use of random assignment, use of analog models
What are the ways to balance out Statistical significance and Clinical significance?
Through effect size and social validity
Explain what happens when using repeated measures
behaviour is measures several times instead of only once before changes. Researches take the same measurement repeatedly to learn how variable the behaviour is i.e. does it change day to day, any obvious trends etc.
What are the two types of single-subject designs?
Withdrawl designs and Multiple baseline designs
What is a sequential design?
Combination of cross section and longitudinal, involves repeated study of different cohorts over time
What is a programme of research?
A series of studies that examines different aspects of a problem. All inter-related by drawing on several methodologies, often involving replication
