PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Classical Conditioning, Blind Experiment, Exposure Therapy
Clinical Perspectives
Outline
• What does psychology have to do with the real world?
• How does basic psychology inform clinical practice?
Psychology and the Real world
• Psychology
o Based on 'scientific method'
▪ Experimental control
▪ Strict measurement
o These factors form the basis of understanding, measuring and changing psychological aspects
of the real world
• Stress disorders
o Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
▪ Affects 10% of people exposed to trauma
▪ Marked by:
• Distressing memories of the event
• Anxiety
• Avoidance of reminders
▪ Memories are qualitatively different
• Intrusive
• Rich in sensation
• Feels and smells perceptually rich
• Sensation of being back in the situation
o Managing stress responses
▪ Psychological debriefing
• Common response to trauma counselling
• Offered 24-48 hrs of trauma exposure
• Includes:
• Discussion of experience and emotional response
• Intended to prevent posttraumatic stress
• Does it work?
• No
• In order to test if a treatment is successful, we need to be able to measure
the effects of treatment
Effective treatment
• Randomised controlled trials
o Random allocation to groups
o Independent assessments
o Standardised assessments
o Strict protocols for interventions
o Checks that interventions are valid
• Measurement
o Assess people before treatment with standardised measures
o Need to know the 'starting point' of a person's distress
o Properly developed measurement tools are essential
o 'psychometric strength'
▪ Accurate in its measurement
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• Comparison
o Comparison condition is needed
o We can only know that a treatment works if we compare it against something else
▪ Show a reduction in PTSD symptoms before and after treatment
o There was no comparison condition
▪ Always needs a control condition
▪ Used to compare the experimental condition
• Exclude factors the could lead to a reduction in PTSD symptoms
o Observed changes may be due to:
▪ Time
▪ Attention you receive
▪ Repeated assessments (how are you feeling?)
▪ Must have a comparison condition
• Controlling for Bias
o Must avoid any sources of bias in sample
o Randomisation
▪ To avoid biased allocation to a treatment condition
o Assessment bias
▪ Assessment needed after treatment
▪ Must be independent
▪ Blind assessment
• Not biased by knowing what treatment was given
▪ Double blind studies
• Patients do not know what treatment they are getting
• Clinicians do not know what drugs they are giving
o Quality checks
▪ Always check that procedures are followed properly
▪ Treatment 'fidelity' checks
• Ensure that people do what they say they are doing
• Psychological debriefing
o These principles were ignored for decades
o Controlled trials have proven that debriefing does not prevent psychological disorders
• Need for evidence
o Evidence is needed to shape practice
o World health organisation (WHO) requires multiple trials to validate a psychological
intervention
o Randomised controlled trials
o It is unscientific and unethical to deliver ineffective treatments
• Peshawar (Pakistan)
o Near the border is Afghanistan
o 60% of participants have experiences war/conflict
o 20% of study participants have experienced natural disaster
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
