Research methods in clinical psychology: An introduction for students and practitioners Chris Barker, Nancy Pistrang, and Robert Elliott CHAPTER 13 Epilogue
Methodological choices Pure versus applied research (evaluation/service research/audit) Questions: exploratory versus hypothesis testing Measurement procedure: self-report versus observation Measurement type: qualitative versus quantitative Design: descriptive/correlational versus experimental Design: small-N versus larger N (idiographic versus nomothetic) Setting: laboratory versus field (external validity issues)
Methodological pluralism no single approach is best overall all methods have their relative advantages and disadvantages choose appropriate methods for the questions under investigation can combine methods in a research study or programme (=“triangulation”) Pluralism is not anarchy can apply quality standards across different methods
Combining research and practice Rigorous small-N research (e.g., Barlow et al., 1984) Qualitative approaches Evaluation, audit, effectiveness Collaborations with academic colleagues
“Thus scientific methodology is seen for what it truly is - a way of preventing me from deceiving myself in regard to my creatively formed hunches which have developed out of the relationship between me and my material.” (Rogers, 1955)