4. Research in Clinical Psychology

PURPOSE OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

• •Clinical psychology has a rich history of empirical research in domains of assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, etc.

• •Clinical psychology includes scientific study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychological-based distress or dysfunction.

• •It promotes subjective (preventing a person from psychological disorder) well being and personal development.

Unfavorable review of psychotherapy outcome served as a landmark research and a catalyst for additional investigations on the subject

• Hans Eysenck

• Elii Todd

Refers to the success of a particular therapy in a controlled study conducted with clients who were chosen according to particular study criteria

•In short, how well it works ‘in the lab’

•Outcome for treated individuals is compared to outcome for individuals who receive alternate or no treatment

• Efficacy

• Effectiveness

•Refers to the success of a therapy in actual clinical settings in which client problems span a wider range and are not chosen as a result of meeting certain diagnostic criteria.

•In short, how well it works ‘in the real world’

•How well it translates from the lab to the clinics, hospitals, etc.

• Efficacy

• Effectiveness

Refers to the extent to which the change in the dependent variable is solely due to the change in the independent variable

• •Internal Validity

• •External Validity

Refers to the generalizability of the result, to what extent is the same finding valid for different settings and populations?

• •Internal Validity

• •External Validity

•The more the internally valid, the _____________ the external validity

• lesser

• more

•______________________ studies are respected for their internal validity but discounted for external validity

• Efficacy

• Effective

Clinical psychologists also examine elements of their own profession through __________________ research.

• Empirical

• External

•Clinical psychologists conduct research to evaluate and improve the assessment methods that they use with clients.

• ASSESSMENT METHODS

• DIAGNOSTIC ISSUES

• PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

• TEACHING AND TRAINING ISSUES