PSYCH 241 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Phineas Gage, Scientific Control, Oliver Sacks
29 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Idiographic rather than nomothetic: focus on individual rather than group characteristics. Often used in clinical psych and neuropsychology. Two major types: case studies, single-subject experimental designs. Distinction is whether something is manipulated or not, but almost all psych stuff involves some manipulation. Clinical observations, self report, archival data (e. g. medical records: cab include assessment alone, can report results of a treatment. Major problem: lack of scientific control: simultaneous treatments, extraneous variables, placebo effects. Advantages: rich source of ideas for hypothesis (oliver sacks awakenings, method for studying rare events/individuals. Phineas gage: opportunity for clinical innovations and interventions, possible challenge to theoretical assumptions. Mirror box: tentative support for psychological theory, pilot study leading to nomothetic research (with groups) Based on b. f. kinner"s approach called applied behavioral analysis (aba: greater scientific control than case-study approach. Critical feature: independent variable: treatment and control (baseline stage) Compare treatment and baseline conditions: monitor behavior continuously, search for changes.
