CHAPTER 2
Research in Abnormal Psychology
- Research is the systematic search for facts through the use of careful of observations and
investigations
o Inaccuracy in the field of abnormal psychology can cause great suffering
- Clinical researchers face certain challenges that make their work very difficult
o Measuring unconscious motives
o Assessing private thoughts
o Monitoring mood changes
o Calculating human potential
- Clinical researchers must consider different cultural backgrounds, races, and genders of the
people they study
- They must always ensure that the rights of their research participants, both human and animal,
are not violated
What Do Clinical Researchers Do?
- Clinical researchers (clinical scientists)
o Discover universal laws and principles
o Search for nomothetic understanding
o Do not typically assess, diagnose, or treat individual clients
o Rely on the scientific method
o Key goals: increase accuracy, minimize error
- Clinical researchers depend on three methods of investigation
o Case study
o Correlational method
o Experimental method
Psychwatch: Animals Have Rights
- Animal subjects
o Between 11 and 25 million animals used in U.S. studies each year
o Research methods: animals are shocked, starved, separated from parents, surgically
altered, killed
- Outcomes
o Helped increase human life expectancy by 24 years
o Contributed to development of medications and patient savings
o The question: Are these actions ethically acceptable?
The Case Study
- How are case studies helpful?
o Detailed, interpretative description of a person’s life and psychological problems
o Source of new ideas about behavior and discoveries
o Tentative support for a theory; challenge for a theory’s assumptions
o Introduction of new therapeutic techniques
o Opportunities to study unusual problems
- What are the limitations of case studies?
o Biased observers
o Subjective evidence (low internal validity)
, o Little basis for generalization (low external validity)
The Correlational Method and the Experimental Method
- General characteristics of correlational and experimental research methods
o Typically involve observing many individuals
o Researchers apply procedures uniformly
o Studies can be replicated
o Researchers use statistical tests to analyze results
The Correlational Method
- Correlation
o Degree to which events or characteristics vary with each other
- Correlational method
o Research procedure used to determine how much events or characteristics vary along
with each other
- Subjects or participants
o People chosen for study are collectively called a sample
o Sample must be representative of the larger population
Describing a Correlation
- Correlational data can be graphed and a line of best fit can be drawn
o Positive correlation (slope is upward and to the right):
Variables change in the same direction
o Negative correlation (downward slope):
Variables change in the opposite direction
o Unrelated (no slope):
No consistent relationship
- The magnitude (strength) of a correlation is important
o High or strong magnitude:
Variables vary closely together; fall close to the line of best fit
o Weaker magnitude:
Variables do not vary as closely together; loosely scattered around the line of
best fit
- Direction and magnitude of a correlation are often calculated numerically
o The correlation coefficient, symbolized by the letter r
o Can vary from +1.00 (perfect positive correlation) to -1.00 (perfect negative correlation)
Sign (+ or -) indicates direction
Number indicates magnitude
0.00: No consistent relationship
Research in Abnormal Psychology
- Research is the systematic search for facts through the use of careful of observations and
investigations
o Inaccuracy in the field of abnormal psychology can cause great suffering
- Clinical researchers face certain challenges that make their work very difficult
o Measuring unconscious motives
o Assessing private thoughts
o Monitoring mood changes
o Calculating human potential
- Clinical researchers must consider different cultural backgrounds, races, and genders of the
people they study
- They must always ensure that the rights of their research participants, both human and animal,
are not violated
What Do Clinical Researchers Do?
- Clinical researchers (clinical scientists)
o Discover universal laws and principles
o Search for nomothetic understanding
o Do not typically assess, diagnose, or treat individual clients
o Rely on the scientific method
o Key goals: increase accuracy, minimize error
- Clinical researchers depend on three methods of investigation
o Case study
o Correlational method
o Experimental method
Psychwatch: Animals Have Rights
- Animal subjects
o Between 11 and 25 million animals used in U.S. studies each year
o Research methods: animals are shocked, starved, separated from parents, surgically
altered, killed
- Outcomes
o Helped increase human life expectancy by 24 years
o Contributed to development of medications and patient savings
o The question: Are these actions ethically acceptable?
The Case Study
- How are case studies helpful?
o Detailed, interpretative description of a person’s life and psychological problems
o Source of new ideas about behavior and discoveries
o Tentative support for a theory; challenge for a theory’s assumptions
o Introduction of new therapeutic techniques
o Opportunities to study unusual problems
- What are the limitations of case studies?
o Biased observers
o Subjective evidence (low internal validity)
, o Little basis for generalization (low external validity)
The Correlational Method and the Experimental Method
- General characteristics of correlational and experimental research methods
o Typically involve observing many individuals
o Researchers apply procedures uniformly
o Studies can be replicated
o Researchers use statistical tests to analyze results
The Correlational Method
- Correlation
o Degree to which events or characteristics vary with each other
- Correlational method
o Research procedure used to determine how much events or characteristics vary along
with each other
- Subjects or participants
o People chosen for study are collectively called a sample
o Sample must be representative of the larger population
Describing a Correlation
- Correlational data can be graphed and a line of best fit can be drawn
o Positive correlation (slope is upward and to the right):
Variables change in the same direction
o Negative correlation (downward slope):
Variables change in the opposite direction
o Unrelated (no slope):
No consistent relationship
- The magnitude (strength) of a correlation is important
o High or strong magnitude:
Variables vary closely together; fall close to the line of best fit
o Weaker magnitude:
Variables do not vary as closely together; loosely scattered around the line of
best fit
- Direction and magnitude of a correlation are often calculated numerically
o The correlation coefficient, symbolized by the letter r
o Can vary from +1.00 (perfect positive correlation) to -1.00 (perfect negative correlation)
Sign (+ or -) indicates direction
Number indicates magnitude
0.00: No consistent relationship
