PSYC 2051 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Penetrance, Proband, Endophenotype
Document Summary
Importance of replication: replication: repeating results under similar test conditions, replicating research has resulted in changes to previous conclusive results. Examples: childhood vaccines may cause autism, antidepressants raise suicide risk in children and adolescents, most sexually abused children exhibit signs of trauma. Characteristics of clinical research: development of hypotheses about relationships, potential for self-correction, consideration for reliability and validity, use of operational definitions, acknowledgement of base rates, evaluation based on statistical significance. Experiments: best tool for testing cause-and-effect relationships, components of a simple experiment. Dependent variable (expected to change as a result of manipulating the independent variable) Types of groups in an experiment: experimental group (group exposed to an independent variable, control group (similar in every way to experimental group but not exposed to independent variable, placebo group (participants receive an inactive substance) Over 75% of participants may correctly guess their position in this group based on effects. Additional controls in experimental research: design of the experiment.
