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RESEARCH IN ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY; CHAPTER 2 WHY DO WE NEED RESEARCH METHODS? PURPOSE OF RESEARCH IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY To discover universal laws/principles of abnormal psychological functioning To gain a nomothetic (vs. idiographic) understanding of abnormal psychology CLINICAL RESEARCH METHODS Psychologists use the scientific method to gain information about abnormal psychological functioning They generate and then test hypotheses about how variables are related to each other…and draw conclusions about why the relationships existCLINICAL RESEARCH Types of clinical research: Case Study Correlational Method Experimental Method CASE STUDIES EVALUATING THE CASE STUDY What are some Pros? Source of new ideas May offer tentative support for or challenge a theory Richness of data What are some Cons? Observers are biased Data collection relies on subjective evidence (low internal validity) Low external validity Correlational Method Design used to determine how much events or characteristics vary with each other Use correlations to assess relationship strength and direction▪ r varies from -1 to 1 A correlation does NOT imply that one variable causes another Examples:▪ Ice cream and crime▪ Weight and use of sweet ‘n low▪ Dumbo’s feather▪ Therapeutic alliance and symptom improvement  Special Forms of Correlational Research Epidemiological Studies▪ Reveal the incidence and prevalence of a disorder in a population Incidence: number of new cases in a certain period of time Prevalence: total number of cases over a period of time Longitudinal Studies EVALUATING THE CORRELATIONAL METHOD What are some pros?▪ High external validity (can generalize findings)▪ Can replicate What are some cons?▪ Low internal validity Results do not explain relationships  EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Design where an independent variable is manipulated and the effects of this manipulation are observed on a dependent variable. Variables Independent variable (IV): Variable the experimenter manipulates to see if it causes change in the DV Dependent variable (DV): Variable the experimenter measures, to see if the IV had an effect on it Confounding variable (confounds): Variables other than the IV that causes a difference between groups on the DV Inferential statisticsStatistical Significance vs. Practical SignificanceStatistical significance:  the likelihood that a result will not happen by chance does NOT indicate the IMPORTANCE of the result Likelihood that improvement was caused by treatment Practical/Clinical significance:  Is the improvement meaningful in the individual’s life  Experimental Group: receives the manipulation you’re interested in, for example the treatment you’re studying Control Group : does not receive manipulation you’re interested in, but possibly something else that is similar MORE EXPERIMENT TERMS Random Assignment: Randomly sort participants into groups Placebo Effect: Improvements resulting from expectation alone Example: Sugar pill decreasing symptoms of depression MORE EXPERIMENT TERMS Experimenter Bias : Researchers unintentionally bias the outcomes of their study Double Blind Design : Neither researchers nor subjects know who is in the experimental or control group Alternative Experimental Designs Quasi-Experimental (Mixed) Design e.g., Child Abuse as Predictor of Mood Disorder Natural Experiments e.g., Anxiety in Katrina survivors  Analogue Experiments  e.g., Medication research in “depressed” rats Single-subject research e.g., Treating extreme food refusal (reward /


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OSU PSYCH 3331 - Chapter 2

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