Chapter 6: Conducting Research in Clinical Psychology in Andrew Pomerantz book

1. Conducting
Research in
Clinical Psychology

2. Conducting Research in
Clinical Psychology
• Why do clinical psychologists do research?
 Treatment outcome
 Assessment methods
 Diagnostic issues
 Professional issues
 Teaching and training issues

3. • Efficacy
 The success of a particular therapy in a
controlled study conducted with clients
who meet specific criteria.
 In short, how well a therapy works “in
the lab.”
Research on Treatment
Outcome

4. • Effectiveness
 The success of a therapy in actual clinical settings in
which client problems are not limited to predetermined
criteria.
 In short, how well a therapy works “in the real world.”
 1995 Consumer Reports survey of readers is an example
 Generally positive toward psychotherapy, but scientific rigor
is questionable
Research on Treatment
Outcome

5. Research on Treatment
Outcome
• Statistical vs. Clinical (“real world”)
Significance.
• Statistical significance doesn’t
necessarily mean clinical significance.

6. • Internal validity
 The extent to which change in the DV is due to
change in the IV.
 Generally high in efficacy studies.
• External validity
 Generalizability of result.
 Generally high in effectiveness studies.
Research on Treatment
Outcome

7. Research on Assessment
Methods
 Examples can include:
 Validation or expanded use of assessment tools.
 Establishing psychometric data for assessment
tools.
 Comparing multiple assessment tools to each
other.
 Others

8. Research on Diagnostic
Issues
 Examples can include:
 Examine reliability or validity of diagnostic
constructs.
 Examine relationships between disorders.
 Prevalence or course of disorders.
 Others

9. Research on Professional
Issues
 Examples can include psychologists’:
 Beliefs
 Activities
 Practices
 Other aspects of their professional lives

10. Research on Teaching and
Training Issues
 Examples can include:
 Training philosophies
 Specific coursework
 Opportunities for specialized training
 Outcome of training efforts
 Comparison to training in similar disciplines
 Others

11. How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?
1. The Experimental Method
 Observation of events
 Hypothesis
 Define independent and dependent variables
 Empirically test the hypothesis
 Alter hypothesis as necessary per results

12. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
2. Quasi-experiments
 Used in place of true experiments when
practical, ethical, or other issues limit
manipulations.
 Less scientifically sound than true
experiments, but common in clinical
psychology.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

13. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
3. Between-group Designs
 Participants in different conditions receive entirely
different treatments.
 Often, an experimental condition vs. a control group.
4. Within-group Designs
 Compare participants in a single condition to selves at
different points in time.
5. Mixed-group Designs
 Combination of between- and within-group.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

14. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
6. Analogue Designs
 Used when actual clinical populations or
situations can’t be accessed.
 An approximation or simulation of the
“real thing.”
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

15. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
7. Correlational Designs
 Examine relationship between two or
more variables.
 Causality cannot be determined.
 Often used when experimental or quasi-
experimental designs are not feasible.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

16. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
8. Case Studies
 Detailed examination of a single person or
situation; often very clinically relevant.
 Often qualitative rather than quantitative.
 Demonstrates the idiographic approach to
research (vs. nomothetic approach).
 Can inspire more systematic research.
 ABAB design is one example.
 Alternately apply and remove a treatment.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

17. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
9. Meta-analysis
 Statistical method of combining results of
separate studies into a single summary
finding.
 Findings are translated into effect sizes.
 Can quantitatively capture the trends of many
individual studies.
 Examples include meta-analyses of
psychotherapy outcome.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

18. How Do Clinical Psychologists
Do Research? (cont.)
10. Cross-sectional Designs
 Compare participants at a single point in time.
 More efficient than longitudinal designs.
11. Longitudinal Designs
 Compare participants at different points in time.
 Less efficient than cross-sectional designs, but
can be more valid in assessing change across
time.
How Do Clinical
Psychologists Do Research?

19. Ethical Issues in Research
in Clinical Psychology
Numerous APA ethical standards specifically
address research:
 Obtain informed consent
 Don’t coerce participation
 Use deception only when justified and necessary
 Minimize harm to participants
 Don’t fabricate or falsify data
 Assign authorship appropriately
 Share data with other researchers for verification

20. Thank You! =)