Chapter 4 INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, THIRD CANADIAN EDITION by John Hunsley and Catherine M. Lee

Guest: Questions Introduction to research methods Generating research hypotheses Ethics in research Research designs Selecting research participants and measures Analyzing the data For next class Overview

Basing decisions on replicated research findings wherever possible Evidence-based practice

In groups of 5-6 : What are the qualities of a good researcher?

In groups of 5-6: What are the qualities of a good clinician?

Which qualities are common to good science and good practice?

Eminence-based practice or evidence-based practice? Thesis Proposition to be maintained or proved Hypothesis Proposition made as basis for reasoning without assumption it is entirely true Starting point for investigation

Testing the hypothesis Acting on best evidence Data Analysis Observations Previous research Theory Conclusions Formulating a hypothesis Scientific approach to problems

PracticeResearch Generating hypotheses

Ethical principles in research and publication Informed consent for research participation Research Ethics Board approval for research Ethics in research

Depends on – State of knowledge – Question to be addressed – Frequency of the phenomenon under study Research design

All participants are assessed prior to intervention Participants are randomly assigned to a treatment or no treatment group All participants are assessed after the intervention period Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)

Extent to which findings from a study can be generalized Naturalistic Real-world Effectiveness studies External Extent to which interpretations from a study can be justified and alternative explanations ruled out Controlled Laboratory Experimental Efficacy studies Internal Two types of validity

Balancing internal and external validity Trying to resolve discrepancies Openness to unexpected results Challenges in research

Selecting research participants and measures

Probability or nonprobability Size Characteristics – Age – Gender – Ethnicity – Severity of problem – Help-seeking or not Samples

Types – Self-report – Rating by someone who knows the person (parent, teacher) – Interviews – Performance on psychological test – Projective measure – Archival data (school reports, etc..) Psychometric properties – Reliability – Validity Measures

Analyzing the data

Moderator : Is the treatment equally efficacious for all participants Mediator: What is the mechanism of change Example: Does this intervention for the treatment of bulimia work equally well for boys and girls, and for patients of different ages (moderator analyses) How does the intervention work ? Is it by changing body image, by increasing ability to resist media images, or by learning relaxation (mediator analyses) Moderators and mediators in intervention

Yavchitz et al – Searched December 2009-March 2010 reports of RCTs in EurekAlert! – Located 70 news reports and reviewed the associated article – Overly positive spin 40% of journal abstracts 47% of media releases 51% of news reports Research in the news…giving an overly positive spin

Gonon et al Analysis of news reports of studies on ADHD – Only two of ten most cited studies reported in newspapers in 1990s were subsequently replicated – Only one newspaper article that addressed issue of non-replication Duncan & Keller studies on gene-environment interaction published in – 96% of hypothesized effects significant in initial studies; 27% of effects were significant in replications. Take home messages: Many appealing preliminary findings are not replicated If you want to know about the state of the science, you need to go to the scientific literature Research in the news…replication is not exciting…

Narrative reviews Systematic reviews – Explicit search criteria – Explicit inclusion criteria Meta-analyses – Uses effect sizes to combine data from multiple studies Keeping up with research…

Find meta-analyses of treatments for the problem you have selected from Exhibits 12.2 or 13.1 Look at the types of studies that have been conducted (internal validity) See to what extent the meta-analysis is relevant to the person you are thinking about (external validity) – Look at the samples: – Look at the measures – Is anything reported about mediators or moderators For your assignment on searching for treatments…

For next class…

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted by Access Copyright (The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency) is unlawful. Requests for further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. The purchaser may make back-up copies for his or her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The author and the publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or damages caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein. All clipart courtesy of Microsoft.com Copyright Notice