Research Methods & Treatments pt. 2

Question 1

What is Random Assignment?

Answer 1

A procedure that uses a random event to assign people to groups for the purposes of an experiment.

Question 2

What is Blinding?

Answer 2

Participants do not know what group they are in.

Question 3

What is Double-Blinding?

Answer 3

This is when both the participants and the experimenter do not know which group the participants are in. (this can help limit clinician bias)

Question 4

How can we know if the differences we observe are due to the independent variable or due to chance?

Answer 4

Significance Testing (this shows statistical significance; P<0.05)

Question 5

What does Significance Testing tell us?

Answer 5

It tells us whether to reject or fail the null hypothesis, but it will not tell us the strength of the effect.

Question 6

What is Effect Size?

Answer 6

A standardized size (magnitude) of the association between two variables.

Question 7

What are common Effect Size metrics?

Answer 7

• Pearson’s r (correlation)
• Cohen’s D (the common effect size when comparing two groups)
• Odds ratio

Question 8

Explain Cohen’s D:

Answer 8

A small Cohen’s D value represents a small difference between the two groups and a large Cohen’s D represents a big difference between the two variables.

Question 9

True or False: Do not interpret effect size until assessing statistical significance?

Answer 9

True

Question 10

Effective treatment example…

Answer 10

On desktop.

Question 11

What is a Meta-Analysis?

Answer 11

A statistical approach that calculates and combines results from many studies. (this is very useful for making sense of research with conflicting results)

Question 12

Why do some studies have longer whiskers in a meta-analysis chart?

Answer 12

Those studies have larger confidence intervals around the effect size due to a smaller sample size. When the sample size is small, effect size estimates are less precise.

Question 13

True or False: Therapy is often more helpful than no treatment or placebos?

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What is Empirically Supported Treatment (EST)?

Answer 14

Therapy that has received clear support for a particular disorder and has corresponding treatment guidelines.

Question 15

How can treatment be considered an EST?

Answer 15

Two or more studies (that conducted randomly controlled trials) conducted by independent research teams must find the treatment to be either: superior to no treatment, a placebo condition, alternative treatment, or equivalent to an established treatment.

Question 16

What is Efficacy?

Answer 16

Results of a systematic evaluation of an intervention in controlled clinical research context. (similar to internal validity)

Question 17

What does it mean if a treatment is efficacious?

Answer 17

It means that the treatment is empirically supported.

Question 18

What is Effectiveness?

Answer 18

Assesses the applicability and feasibility of the intervention in the local setting where treatment is delivered. (similar to external validity)

Question 19

True or False: Only RCT’s can asses efficacy?

Answer 19

True

Question 20

How can RCT’s remain controlled?

Answer 20

• Waitlist
• TAU (treatment as usual)
• Active control groups
• Medication
• Other EST’s

Question 21

What does Statistical Significance indicate?

Answer 21

It indicates whether a participant’s improvement in functioning occurred because of treatment.

Question 22

What does Clinical Significance indicate?

Answer 22

It indicates whether the amount of improvement following treatment is “meaningful” in an individual’s life.

Question 23

What is a Therapeutic Alliance?

Answer 23

The relationship between the therapist and the client.

Question 24

What are the 3 key parts to a Therapeutic Alliance?

Answer 24

• Working collaboratively on the problem.
• Agreement between the patient and therapist about the goals of therapy.
• Affective bond between patient and therapist.

Question 25

What is the Dodo Bird Verdict?

Answer 25

Psychotherapy works. Thus, everyone wins and there are no losers.

Question 26

What do people on the opposite side of the Dodo Bird Verdict believe?

Answer 26

For many problems, some treatments have been shown to be superior to others. (basically, there are some forms of treatment that work better and not all of the treatments are the same)

Question 27

True or False: Equivalence does not prove a common mechanism?

Answer 27

True

Question 28

What are some things that an Alliance-outcome might be attributed to?

Answer 28

• The patient.
• The therapist.
• Patient and Therapist interactions.
• Symptom improvement over time.

Question 29

Explain Behavior therapy:

Answer 29

• It is based off of the behavioral model.
• Idea that abnormal behavior is acquired via learning (classical or operant conditioning)
• Focuses on new learning to create new behaviors.

Question 30

Explain Cognitive therapy:

Answer 30

• Targets cognitive distortions.

- Focuses on learning to systematically identify and challenge thinking errors.

Question 31

Explain Cognitive and Behavioral therapy:

Answer 31

• “CBT”

- Merging of cognitive and behavioral approaches.

Question 32

Explain Motivational Interviewing:

Answer 32

• Explores a client’s own motivations for changes.
• Useful for people who are ambivalent about making a change.
• Often used in substance treatment.

Question 33

What are some common techniques for Psychodynamic therapy?

Answer 33

• Free association.
• Analysis of resistance.
• Analysis of transference.

Question 34

What are the two main forms of Psychodynamic therapy?

Answer 34

• Psychodynamically-oriented therapy (once/twice a week of interactive therapy)
• Psychoanalysis (three/four times a week, the patient lies down on the couch, and the therapist does very little talking-free association)

Question 35

Review Biological treatments…

Answer 35

In notes.

Question 36

Review Non-Medical Biological Treatments…

Answer 36

In notes.