1. Unit 4: Research in Clinical Psychology - Seminar
Tonight the Seminar Discussion is based on information in part; from the research article, �Genes matter in addiction.

2. Genes matter in addiction…
From the required reading
Price, M. (2008). Genes matter in addiction.  Monitor on Psychology, 39, p. 14.   Retrieved July 20, 2008, from
It reads “At least half of a person's susceptibility to drug addiction can be linked to genetic factors.”
“When it comes to tobacco, genetics account for about 75 percent of a person's inclination to begin smoking, said University of Pennsylvania psychologist Caryn Lerman, PhD. Genes also account for 60 percent of the tendency to become addicted and 54 percent of one's ability to quit.” (Price,2008)

3. Genes That Drive You To Drink (But Don't Make You An Alcoholic)
October 29, 2009 — Your genetic make up may predispose you to drink more but may not increase your genetic risk for alcoholism. New research pinpoints genetic pathways and genes associated with levels of alcohol ... > 
Does genetic make up also affect our desire to drink alcohol not merely become an alcoholic?

4. Addiction; Nature versus Nurture
What are the new research findings about the ways addiction is based on nature (genetics) vs. nurture (environment & experiences)?
What impact do your genes have on your behavior?

5. Implications
What implications does this new information have for your work as a psychologist or counselor? 

6. Leapfrogging…
Since the research in this area is leapfrogging ahead now, how will you keep up to date about the evolving research findings that could affect your work?

7. Ethical Issues
What ethical issues would you be concerned about in conducting research of this kind? 

8. In our Discussion Board
We discussed how executive functioning of the teenage brain has been affected by the limits of the brain development of their frontal cortex.
We also discussed the implications of this on behavior outcomes.

9. In our Reading this week
We read chapter  6: "Conducting Research in Clinical Psychology" and chapter 11: "General Issues in Psychotherapy" in our textbook, Clinical psychology: Science, practice and culture. 

10. Addiction analysis
In your own words describe what addiction is. Is it the same for everyone?

11. One time drugs..
Can one time drug use affect a teenage brain for the rest of their lives?

12. Teen Interventions
What therapeutic interventions might be effective for dealing with teenage addictions?

13. Gene Interventions
In studying the correlation between genes and addiction they are looking for SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) these are used to flag gene sequences. Researchers have found hotspot on chromosome 11, which the team were able to track down to a gene called PKNOX2. This gene appears to regulate genes linked to addiction. It appears the gene may play a role in the general behavior of addictive tendencies.
If found to be true what affect does this have on your role as a Clinical Psychologist?

14. Psychological Research
Of the psychological research studies of which you are aware, which studies do think have most greatly contributed to the development of the field?
An example might include Pavlov’s dog-based studies of classical conditioning.

15. Internal vs External Validity
Do you think studies with greater internal validity or greater external validity are ultimately more beneficial to clients who receive psychological services?
How do research findings with high internal validity benefit the field?
How do research findings with high external validity benefit the field?

16. 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

17. Ethical Issues …
Do the APA’s Code of Ethics effectively address all aspects of psychological research?
Are there any improvements or additions that you feel are necessary to the code. If so, what are they?
Are there any current standards of the code relating to research that you feel are unnecessary? If so, what are they, and why are they unnecessary?

18. Which Type of Psychotherapy is Best?
Supporters of various kinds of therapy have often claimed theirs is superior
However, comparative outcome studies have consistently reached the same finding: a virtual tie
Different therapies are equally effective
This finding was nicknamed the “dodo bird effect” (from Alice in Wonderland)

19. Which Type of Psychotherapy is Best? (cont.)
How could various therapies be equally effective?
Common factors—shared, fundamental elements of therapy (rather than specific techniques) are “active ingredients”
Therapeutic relationship/alliance
Hope
Attention
Three step model of common factors
Support, learning, action factors (in that sequence)

20. Which Type of Psychotherapy is Best? (cont.)
The dodo bird verdict has not gone unchallenged (dodo bird)
Some researchers argue that for specific disorders, some therapies are demonstrably better (e.g., Dianne Chambless)
Outcome studies using manualized treatments for specific disorders can lead to a prescriptive approach to psychotherapy
Certain therapies are “treatments of choice” for specific disorders
This controversy continues today

21. What Types of Psychotherapy Do Clinical Psychologists Practice?
Why is it important to query multiple sources when investigating the effectiveness of psychotherapy?
How might a client’s opinion suffer biases?
How might a psychologist’s opinion suffer biases?
How might an outside party, such as a managed care company, suffer biases?

22. Questions?