PSYC 211 - Research Methods (ONE)

Descriptive questions

aimed at describing a group or type of individual

Descriptive question example

what is the average IQ of children with ADHD?

Difference questions

examine the difference between groups

Difference question example

Is behavior therapy more effective than play therapy in reducing anxiety?

Relationship questions

ask to what degree 2 or more factors covary

Experimental research

 independent variable is manipulated and effect on dependent variable is examined

Is experimental research common or rare? Why?

Experimental research is rare in clinical psychology because it would be unethical to “make” children depressed, or to “manipulate” self esteem to produce depression

Nonexperimental research

observation, analysis and description of phenomena - no manipulation of variables is involved

3 types of observational research

1. Observation

2. Case study

3. Quasi-experimental design

2 types of observation

1. Nonparticipant observation

2. Participant observation

Nonparticipant observation

observing from a far

Participant observation

can perform an action that may alter the behavior of the subjects

_______ and _______ in observational research can be more or less structured depending on the goal

measures, setting

Case study

collect data on developmental history to examine why current behavior problems exis

Positive and negative or case study

Rich in depth and complexity of information, but very few people are examined

2 limitations of case study

1. Low generalizability

2. Bias in reports

Quasi-experimental design

random assignment or manipulation are not possible, but you still examine relationship of IV to Dv

Example of quasi-experimental design

effect of intellectual disability on interaction with peers (cannot assign kids to intellectual disability present/absent

2 limitations of quasi-experimental design

1. Confounding variables (cannot control other related variables that tend to naturally occur with intellectual disability)

2. Correlation is not causation

Developmental framework

examine how a behavior problem develops or the developmental course of problems

2 types of studies under the developmental framework

1. Longitudinal study

2. Cross-sectional study

Longitudinal study

measures at 2 or more points in time

Example of longitudinal study

effect of maternal schizophrenia on child outcome (motor problems, then aggression, then schizophrenia; much higher prevalence of getting schizophrenia if parent also has it)

3 limitations of longitudinal study

1. Subjects become test-wise

2. Cohort effects

3. Outdated measures

Cohort effects

Sample different groups of different developmental ages and compare dependent measures to determine how development affects outcome

Example of cross-sectional study

Effect of maternal schizophrenia on child outcome (infant group has motor problems, elementary age displays aggression, and teens have schizophrenia outcomes)

Limitation of cross-sectional study

Differences may be due to historical or sociocultural changes or to uncontrolled differences between groups, rather than development

Treatment framwork

 examine how a behavior problem changes in response to treatment

2 study designs under the treatment framwork

1. Single case experimental design

2. Group experimental study

Single case experimental design

continuous measure of child behavior pre-treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment

2 limitations of single case experimental design

1. Generalizability: low number of participants

2. Maturation effects (no control group)

Group experimental study

30-60 children per group with a single pre-test and post-test; alternative to single case experimental design

Limitation of group experimental study

Limited sample of behavior from each child

Qualitative research

the collection of data in non-numerical form - narratives or video - and analysis of that data without reducing it to numbers

Hypotheses in qualitative research

Need not have specific hypotheses

Purpose of qualitative research

Purpose is to look at people’s behavior in most naturally occurring forms

Qualitative research is more common in __________ and _____________ than in ___________

sociology, anthropology, psychology

4 ethical issues in research

1. Informed consent to participate (particular concern for children)

2. Deception - how much is necessary?

3. Potential harm vs. benefits (i.e. embarrassment or discomfort or withholding treatment from control groups)

4. Falsifying data