Psych 380 1st Edition Lecture 6 Current Lecture Chapter 4 Research Methods in the Study Psychopathology I Science and Scientific Methods II Approaches to Research on Psychopathology III Integrating the Findings of Multiple Studies How do we know things Epistemology Why are people poor Why do some people commit crimes What causes depression What explains doing good or altruism Truths that turned out to be myth Bleeding a person can be used to cure disease Racial integration of the armed forces will lead to the destruction of morale Women are incapable of voting intelligently Opposites attract Homosexuality is a mental disorder Autism is caused by poor parenting refrigerator parents Counterfeits for knowledge Opinion is not evidence IU is a better school than Purdue US is best country Argumentativeness is not evidence Name calling person is socialist and insults are not evidence Repetition isn t evidence is too is not is too Common belief does not mean accurate sensible belief people who discuss suicide don t people tend to be crazier around the time of the full moon lunacy How do we know things Authority ancients or Holy Book says so religion Greek philosophy Ideology our fixed beliefs define truth data is relatively unimportant I know this to be true this is the way it is Rocks simply cannot fall from the sky so if you saw one you are wrong meteorites The earth is roughly 7000 years old science content of religious book is superior to geology textbook Conceptual makes sense Empirical data test it Descriptive methods Naturalistic observation not in lab Black Santa Case study single cases common in autism and behavioral therapy Survey most common method Science and Scientific Methods Science to know The systematic pursuit of knowledge through observation Scientists gather data to test theories Theory Set of propositions developed to explain what is observed A good theory is falsifiable Allows for disconfirmation Hypotheses Specific predictions about what will occur if a theory is correct Popper s Falisficationism A theory can never be said to be true Of a theory it can only be said that it is the best available in the sense that is better than anything that has come before at least for the time being As a consequence there is no certainty in science scientific knowledge is always tentative Case Study Detailed biographical description of an individual Family history Medical status Educational and work background Information about peer and romantic relationships Personality and adjustment issues Current difficulties and prior experiences in therapy Correlational Method Do variable X and variable Y vary together Are they related in a systematic way Do people who experience more stress have more headaches Variables measured but not manipulated Cannot determine cause or effect Correlation Degree of relation between two variables Two components Strength or Magnitude ignore sign ranges from 0 no relationship to 1 or 1 perfect relationship Direction or Sign or Direction of the Correlation Coefficient Positive correlation Indicates that the values on the two variables being analyzed move in the same direction That is as scores on one variable go up scores on the other variable go up as well on average vice versa Negative correlation Indicates that the values on the two variables being analyzed move in opposite directions That is as scores on one variable go up scores on the other variable go down and vice versa on average Longitudinal vs Cross sectional Designs Longitudinal Studies participants over time Examines whether causes are present before disorder develops High Risk Method Include only those who are at greatest likelihood of developing a disorder Reduces the cost of longitudinal research Cross sectional Causes and effects measured at the same time Confounds Third variable may produce changes in two correlated variables Epidemiological Research Epidemiology Study of the distribution of disorders in a population and possible correlates Three features of a disorder Prevalence Incidence Risk Factors Correlational Research Behavioral Genetics Methods to determine genetic predisposition concordance to psychopathology Family Method Twin Method Adoptees Method