PSYB32H3 Lecture 5: PSYB32 - Chapter 5
Document Summary
Chapter 5: research methods in the study of abnormal behaviour. Statements, theories and assertions must be testable. To formulate a theory, scientists must make use of theoretical concepts: unobservable states or processes that are inferred from observable data. Theoretical concepts are inferred from observable data: can also summarize already observed relationships. Operationalism: proposed that each concept take as its meaning a single observable and measureable operation. If each theoretical concept is operationalized in only one way, its generality is lost. Theoretical concept can be defined by sets of operations or effects. Can be linked to several different measurements , each of which taps a different facet of the concept. Case study: collect historical/biographical info on a single individual, incl. experiences in therapy. As evidence , it is useful to negate an assumed universal relationship or law. The data yielded by the case study do not allow us to determine the true cause of the change.
