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Conducting Research in Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists conduct research for several reasons, including to evaluate treatment outcomes and effectiveness, assess new diagnostic methods and issues, and study professional and training topics. Research methods include experiments, quasi-experiments, between-group designs, within-group designs, mixed designs, analogue designs, correlational designs, case studies, meta-analyses, cross-sectional designs, and longitudinal designs. Ethical standards require informed consent, avoiding coercion, minimizing harm, and honest reporting of results.
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Conducting Research in Clinical Psychology
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- 2. Conducting Research in ClinicalPsychology • Why do clinical psychologists do research? Treatment outcome Assessment methods Diagnostic issues Professional issues Teaching and training issues
- 3. • Efficacy Thesuccess of a particular therapy in a controlled study conducted with clients who meet specific criteria. In short, how well a therapy works “in the lab.” Research on Treatment Outcome
- 4. • Effectiveness Thesuccess of a therapy in actual clinical settings in which client problems are not limited to predetermined criteria. In short, how well a therapy works “in the real world.” 1995 Consumer Reports survey of readers is an example Generally positive toward psychotherapy, but scientific rigor is questionable Research on Treatment Outcome
- 5. Research on Treatment Outcome •Statistical vs. Clinical (“real world”) Significance. • Statistical significance doesn’t necessarily mean clinical significance.
- 6. • Internal validity The extent to which change in the DV is due to change in the IV. Generally high in efficacy studies. • External validity Generalizability of result. Generally high in effectiveness studies. Research on Treatment Outcome
- 7. Research on Assessment Methods Examples can include: Validation or expanded use of assessment tools. Establishing psychometric data for assessment tools. Comparing multiple assessment tools to each other. Others
- 8. Research on Diagnostic Issues Examples can include: Examine reliability or validity of diagnostic constructs. Examine relationships between disorders. Prevalence or course of disorders. Others
- 9. Research on Professional Issues Examples can include psychologists’: Beliefs Activities Practices Other aspects of their professional lives
- 10. Research on Teachingand Training Issues Examples can include: Training philosophies Specific coursework Opportunities for specialized training Outcome of training efforts Comparison to training in similar disciplines Others
- 11. How Do Clinical PsychologistsDo Research? 1. The Experimental Method Observation of events Hypothesis Define independent and dependent variables Empirically test the hypothesis Alter hypothesis as necessary per results
- 12. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 2. Quasi-experiments Used in place of true experiments when practical, ethical, or other issues limit manipulations. Less scientifically sound than true experiments, but common in clinical psychology. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 13. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 3. Between-group Designs Participants in different conditions receive entirely different treatments. Often, an experimental condition vs. a control group. 4. Within-group Designs Compare participants in a single condition to selves at different points in time. 5. Mixed-group Designs Combination of between- and within-group. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 14. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 6. Analogue Designs Used when actual clinical populations or situations can’t be accessed. An approximation or simulation of the “real thing.” How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 15. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 7. Correlational Designs Examine relationship between two or more variables. Causality cannot be determined. Often used when experimental or quasi- experimental designs are not feasible. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 16. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 8. Case Studies Detailed examination of a single person or situation; often very clinically relevant. Often qualitative rather than quantitative. Demonstrates the idiographic approach to research (vs. nomothetic approach). Can inspire more systematic research. ABAB design is one example. Alternately apply and remove a treatment. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 17. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 9. Meta-analysis Statistical method of combining results of separate studies into a single summary finding. Findings are translated into effect sizes. Can quantitatively capture the trends of many individual studies. Examples include meta-analyses of psychotherapy outcome. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 18. How Do ClinicalPsychologists Do Research? (cont.) 10. Cross-sectional Designs Compare participants at a single point in time. More efficient than longitudinal designs. 11. Longitudinal Designs Compare participants at different points in time. Less efficient than cross-sectional designs, but can be more valid in assessing change across time. How Do Clinical Psychologists Do Research?
- 19. Ethical Issues inResearch in Clinical Psychology Numerous APA ethical standards specifically address research: Obtain informed consent Don’t coerce participation Use deception only when justified and necessary Minimize harm to participants Don’t fabricate or falsify data Assign authorship appropriately Share data with other researchers for verification
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