Psychology 3301F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Statistical Conclusion Validity, Evidence-Based Practice, Duplicate Publication
13 views5 pages
22 Feb 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Chapter 4: Research Methods
Intro
• Evidence based practice requires psychologists to be not only sensitive and empathic, but also well
informed about current research relevant to the services they provide
o Effective scientist-practitioner thinks in a scientific manner and applies knowledge derived from
research with care and compassion
• Eminence (antithesis of evidence) – recommendations are accepted because the person delivering them
is seen as an expert
o Should be skeptical, e.g. tv experts
• Cant just rely common sense bc logical inconsistence process info and make decisions
• Clinical focus OCD started 1800s, until 1960s seen as untreatable
Common errors in thinking
• Faulty Reasoning – form argument inacc/ misleading some way
• False dilemma – fallacy form reducing range options avail to just 2 (usually extreme) options
• Golden mean fallacy – logical error assuming most valid conclusion reach comp of 2 competing positions
• Straw person argument – mischaracterizing positon order make look absurd/unpalatable
• Affirming the consequence – first assume x is cause y, then y observed, conclude x must have caused
• Appeal to ignorance – mistake form arguing that bc no evidence prove position wrong, position must be
correct
Generating Research hypotheses
• Researchers are not immune from potential biasing effects of own beliefs
• After developed general research idea, scientists follow a number of steps to ensure that the hypothesis is
properly formulated and tested
1. Systematic research of published research
2. Formalize ideas o they can be tested in scientific manner
• Assuming no research has directly tested the idea
3. Consider cultural assumptions
• Extent idea may be based on some; that may limit applicability or relevance
4. Ethical issues
5. Draw together results to create study procedures
• Bottom line is researchers must ensure that the research methods match the hypothesis to be tested
Ethics in research
• Especially important in clinical because of vulnerable state of patients
• Psychologists are required to apply the same types of ethical decision making in both research and in
services
• Researchers have an ethical obligation to those involved
• Issue of informed consent, provides assurance participant is fully aware of possible benefits and risks
• Prior to data collection, must obtain approval for conducting research from institution in which they work
• Research ethic boards (REBs) ensure proposed research conforms to Tri-Council Policy statement Ethical
Conduct for research involving humans
APA Ethical Principles for research and publication
• Institutional approval
• Informed consent for research and recording
• Client, patient participants
• Dispensing with informed consent
• Offering inducements for research participants
• Deception
• Debriefing
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Humane are and use of animals
• Reporting research results
• Plagiarism
• Publication credit
• Duplicate publication of data
• Reviewers
• Sharing research data of verification
Research Designs
• Research must be seen as cumulative, with each study contributing to the knowledge base of an area
• Clinical psych should be informed by research on assessment, prevention and intervention
• Found relatively large number of design problems that can undermine the validity of a research study
• Gone to great lengths to developed and promote use of classification systems that covers the majority of
potential problems
o Originally conceptualized by Donald Campbell
• These potential design problems are classified as representing threats to the internal validity, external and
or statistical conclusion validity
• Internal validity = extent to which the interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be justified
and alternative interpretations can be reasonably ruled out
• External validity = extent to which interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be generalized
beyond the narrow boundaries of the specific study
• More you try and improve one, other deals with more threats
• Typically initially give priority to internal
Threats to Internal Validity
• History: influence of events that occur outside context of study
• Maturation: changes in participants due to psych or physical developed that cant be disentangled
• Testing: repeated testing influence results with familiarity
• Instrumentation: in longitudinal, changes in definition of constructs and their measurements can make
the itepetatio of hages i patiipat’s esposes oe diffiult
• Statistical regression: extreme score tend to be less extreme upon etestig…hages i soes a e
due to regression rather than experimental manipulation
• Selection biases: effect that systematic differences in recruiting participants or assigning participants to
experimental conditions may have on the outcome of the study
• Attrition: loss of participants may bias results
Threats to external validity
• Sample characteristics: degree to which characteristics of research participants map onto other samples
and populations of interest
• Stimulus characteristics and settings: aside from participants, features of the study may constrain
generalizability of results
• Reactivity of research arrangements: respond differently than they would in other contexts
• Reactivity of assessment: awareness of behaviours and moods can cause alterations
• Timing of measurement: when to measure variables
Case studies
• Typical case study involves detailed presentation of a person, couple etc illustrating some new or rare
observation or treatment innovation
• Valuable for making preliminary connections between events
• Case studies can be a rich source of research hypotheses regarding the etiology or maintenance of
disorders
• Usually author reports clients symptoms or presenting problem prior to and after treatment
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com