PSYB32H3 Chapter 4: Research Methods in the Study of Abnormal Behaviour
21 Jun 2018
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CHAPTER 4
4.1 - Science and Scientific Methods
• Science = The pursuit of systematized knowledge through reliable observation.
• Theory = A formally stated and coherent set of propositions that purport to explain a
range of phenomena, order them in a logical way, and suggest what additional
information might be gleaned under certain conditions.
• Hypotheses = The specific prediction about the outcome of an experiment. It is based on
the assumption that the theory in question is accurate.
4.2 - Case Study, Qualitative, and Epidemiological Research Methods
• research methods:
o Case study = The collection of historical or biographical information on a single
individual, often including experiences in therapy.
▪ cover family history and background, medical history, educational
background, jobs held, marital history, and details concerning
development, adjustment, personality, life course, and current situation
▪ validity of information gathered in a case study is sometimes questionable
▪ Case studies don’t rule out alternative hypotheses
▪ the case study is an excellent way of examining the behaviour of a single
individual in great detail and of generating hypotheses that can later be
evaluated by controlled research. It is useful in clinical settings, where the
focus is on just one person. Historically, it has been concluded that the
case study is of limited scientific use because it may not reveal principles
characteristic of people in general and is unable to provide satisfactory
evidence concerning cause–effect relationships.
▪ Theory-building case studies = case studies that are useful in developing
theoretical formulations according to the principle that an acceptable
theory must be able to account for the common and unique themes found
across a series of relevant case studies.
o Qualitative research = A descriptive approach to research based on a relatively
small number of people that involves describing phenomena in rich detail.
o Quantitative research = A numerical approach to research that typically involves
numeral counts of a small number of variables assessed in a relatively large
sample of participants.
o Epidemiological research
▪ focuses on determining three features of a disorder:
• Prevalence = In epidemiological studies of a disorder, the
percentage of a population that has the disorder at a given time.
• Incidence = In epidemiological studies of a particular disorder, the
rate at which new cases occur in a given place at a given time.
• Risk factors = A condition or variable that, if present, increases the
likelihood of developing a disorder.
▪ Risk factors:
• Parental mental disorder = The presence of a behavioural or
psychological syndrome in one’s mother or father.
• Severe abuse = The traumatic experience of extreme
mistreatment by someone else (e.g., childhood sexual abuse)
4.3 - The Correlational Method
• Correlational method = The research strategy used to establish whether two or more
variables are related. Relationships may be positive—as values for one variable
increase, those for the other do also, or negative—as values for one variable increase,
those for the other decrease.
• In correlational research, the variables being studied are measured as they exist in
nature. This feature distinguishes the method from experimental research, in which
variables are actually manipulated and controlled by the researcher.
• Correlation coefficient (R) = A statistic that measures the degree to which two variables
are related.
o any value between −1.00 and +1.00
o measures both the magnitude and the direction of a relationship
o magnitude of a correlation coefficient tells us the strength of a relationship
between two variables
o higher the absolute value of r, the larger or stronger the relationship between the
two variables
o An r of either +1.00 or −1.00 indicates the highest possible, or perfect,
relationship, whereas an r of 0.00 indicates that the variables are unrelated
o If the sign of r is positive, the two variables are said to be positively related; in
other words, as the values for variable X increase, those for variable Y also tend
to increase
o when the sign of r is negative, variables are said to be negatively related; as
scores on one variable increase, those for the other tend to decrease
