Research Methods

1
Research Methods

• Chapter 4
• Abnormal Psychology

2
Researching Abnormal Behavior

• Scientific method
• Developing a hypothesis
• Research design

3
Research Methods

• Case study
• Correlation
• Controlled experiment

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Case Study

• In depth study of a single person
• Case studies in the history of psychology
• Benefits and drawbacks to the case study method?

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Withdrawal Designs

• Getting a baseline
• Gradually removing/reducing treatment
• Notable behavior/symptom changes?
• May happen naturally over the course of treatment

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Correlational Method

• Measures the degree and strength of a
  relationship
• Are the variables linked/related?
• Is there a link between social support and
  recovery from depression?
• Is there a link between stress and mental illness?

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Correlational Method

• Positive correlation both variables increase or
  both variables decrease
• Negative Correlation an increase in one variable
  is associated with a decrease in another variable

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Correlational Design

• Correlational designs measure the strength of a
  relationship
• Are the variables strongly related?
• Strongest positive correlation value 1.0
• Strongest negative correlation value -1.0

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Correlational Designs
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Epidemiological Research

• Prevalence the number of people with the
  disorder at any given time
• Incidence estimated number of new cases during a
  specific period of time
• Helps to determine historical influences,
  reactions to interventions, etc.

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Controlled Experiment

• Experimental Group receives the treatment
• Control Group no treatment
• The experimental and control groups only differ
  in regard to the independent variable
• Randomization- to reduce systemic bias

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Controlled Experiment

• Independent variable the variable we
  manipulate/change
• Dependent variable the variable we measure

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Experimental Method

• Single-blind procedure participant doesnt know
  if he/she is receiving drug or placebo
• Double-blind procedure participant and
  researcher do not know if the participant
  receives drug or placebo

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Experimental Method

• Placebo effect participants feel better after
  taking a sugar pill (which they think is a drug)
  because they expect to feel better

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Comparative Treatment Groups

• Comparing treatments across multiple groups
• Comparable groups- to assess the effectiveness of
  different interventions

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Internal Validity

• Internal Validity making sure nothing but the
  independent variable can influence the outcome
• High internal validity- when the study is
  carefully controlled

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External Validity

• External Validity findings can generalize to
  real-life settings
• Psychological realism extent to which
  psychological processes triggered in an
  experiment resemble real life psychological
  processes
• External and Internal Validity often a trade-off

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Genetic Studies

• Family studies
• Adoption studies
• Twin studies

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Study Design

• Cross-sectional comparing different cohorts or
  age groups
• Longitudinal following the same group over time
• Sequential combines cross-sectional and
  longitudinal

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Generalizability and Replication

• Do the findings generalize to diverse groups?
• When replicated, do the results hold?
• Use of meta-analyses combining the results of
  many studies on the same topic

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Cross-Cultural and Cultural Research

• Are psychological disorders universal or
  culture-specific?
• Diversity in symptom patterns
• Depression US- loss of interest China-
  worthlessness and suicidality
• Cross-cultural research vs. cultural research

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Ethical Issues

• Principle Do No Harm
• Informed consent
• Use of deception
• Debriefing