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Research-Abnormal Psycology-Lecture Handout, Exercises of Abnormal Psychology

Dayalbagh Educational InstituteAbnormal Psychology

This course points out abnormal behavior reasons and its forms. Mostly it talks about amnestic disorder, mood disorder, developmental disorder, genetics, personality disorder, problems in childhood, psychological model, stress, substance disorder. This lecture includes: Individual, Research, Genetic, Psychologists, Evaluate, Quacks, Frauds, Thinker, Hypothesis, Extending, Examining

Typology: Exercises

2011/2012

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Abnormal Psychology – PSY404 VU
©Copyright Virtual University of Pakistan
25
LESSON 6
RESEARCH METHODS
What is research?
Research is a process of constant exploration and discovery. It is a systematic process of collecting and
analyzing information (data), in order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon with which we are
concerned or interested.
Research is characterized by following attributes
1. It is based on work of others
2. It is replicable
3. It is generalized to other settings
4. It is based on theory
5. It is doable
6. It generates new questions
7. It is incremental
8. The ultimate aim is the betterment of society
Research is fact finding exercise
There are many research methods like Observation, interview, surveys, experiments etc. Research is about
establishing a hypothesis and Abnormal Psychology focuses on hypotheses which explain the nature,
causes, and treatment of a disorder.
Types of Research Being Used In Abnormal Psychology
Following types of research are used in Abnormal psychology
• Individual case study is used to study one or more individual in depth.
• Research by correlation; tell whether a relationship exists between two variables. Epidemiological
research is a type of correlation research that reveals the incidence, prevalence and consequences of a
disorder.
• Research by experiment can follow two designs group or single. In both designs, a variable or
variables are manipulated and their effects are observed in order to determine the nature of casual
relationship.
• Genetic research includes Family Studies, Adoption Studies, Twin Studies, Genetic Linkage Analysis
and Association Studies.
• Research examines psychopathology across time include Cross Sectional and Longitudinal designs.
The popular books, television programs about detectives, private investigators, mysteries, murders and
robberies always interest you, catch your attention because they force you to think and act logically. They
focus on facts. Science and scientists aim to discover facts or laws that operate in their disciplines.
Psychologists are scientists who are interested in facts about human behavior. Questions like, why we
should study research methods? Students often argue that why they should study research methods
Eight reasons, why you should study research methods:
1. To understand psychology better.
2. To keep up with recent discoveries by reading research.
3. To evaluate research claims.
4. To protect yourself from quack and frauds.
5. To be a better thinker.
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LESSON 6

RESEARCH METHODS

What is research? Research is a process of constant exploration and discovery. It is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing information (data), in order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon with which we are concerned or interested.

Research is characterized by following attributes

  1. It is based on work of others
  2. It is replicable
  3. It is generalized to other settings
  4. It is based on theory
  5. It is doable
  6. It generates new questions
  7. It is incremental
  8. The ultimate aim is the betterment of society

Research is fact finding exercise There are many research methods like Observation, interview, surveys, experiments etc. Research is about establishing a hypothesis and Abnormal Psychology focuses on hypotheses which explain the nature, causes, and treatment of a disorder.

Types of Research Being Used In Abnormal Psychology

Following types of research are used in Abnormal psychology

  • Individual case study is used to study one or more individual in depth.
  • Research by correlation ; tell whether a relationship exists between two variables. Epidemiological research is a type of correlation research that reveals the incidence, prevalence and consequences of a disorder.
  • Research by experiment can follow two designs group or single. In both designs, a variable or variables are manipulated and their effects are observed in order to determine the nature of casual relationship.
  • Genetic research includes Family Studies, Adoption Studies, Twin Studies, Genetic Linkage Analysis and Association Studies.
  • Research examines psychopathology across time include Cross Sectional and Longitudinal designs.

The popular books, television programs about detectives, private investigators, mysteries, murders and robberies always interest you, catch your attention because they force you to think and act logically. They focus on facts. Science and scientists aim to discover facts or laws that operate in their disciplines.

Psychologists are scientists who are interested in facts about human behavior. Questions like, why we should study research methods? Students often argue that why they should study research methods

Eight reasons, why you should study research methods:

  1. To understand psychology better.
  2. To keep up with recent discoveries by reading research.
  3. To evaluate research claims.
  4. To protect yourself from quack and frauds.
  5. To be a better thinker.

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  1. To be scientifically literate, better educated citizen and consumer.
  2. To improve your market ability in information age.
  3. To do your own research. 1. To Understand Psychology better The question, why you should study research method has a classic answer for the classic question i.e. that is to understand psychology and specially abnormal psychology, the science of the study of mental disorders in a better way. To study abnormal psychology without knowing the research methods would be like buying a car without a knowing about its made and its engine or buying a house without seeing its location and structure. Psychology’s value in the world often comes not from its facts but from its methods of study i.e. the most wonderful and useful thing that psychology can offer is not a prepackaged answer to the problem (related to human behavior) based on facts but rather its method of getting answers to the problems. So these methods of getting answers to the problems of behavior are the research methods of study. 2. To Read Research When research gets answers to the problems that interest you and then you must read and interpret scientific research reports. i. What is the latest treatment for depression? ii. What are the causes of shyness? iii. How the work place stress can be reduced? If you want to be up to date, (a) Then read research (b) Know research terminology (c) Understand logic of research. (d) Consult the original source. (e) Draw your own conclusions. Reading about research teaches you though in a vague sense how to do research. If your knowledge is up to date, with each year, you would be providing most up-to date information to your students and to your clients and you would be given treatments to your clients that work.

Would you be pleased to go to a teacher or to a clinician whose knowledge and skills were say some ten years out of date? Think about it. Would you really go? No.

3. To Evaluate Research If you understand research, you will be able to critically evaluate it. These days, knowledge is available through libraries, newspapers, through television and through internet. To judge as to how much importance to be given to a particular research study is very difficult. Evaluating a research is a useful skill, which can only develop when you read good quality research and quantity of research. 4. To Protect Yourself from Quacks and Frauds These days you observe experts who are free to go on television talk shows and on internet and some times they provide dangerous tips on how to loose weight, quit smoking, solve relationship problems related to parent child, husband wife and brother and sister and employee employer etc. I do not mean that all experts are giving bad advice but it is really very hard to differentiate between what is a good piece of suggestion and what is not?

Today science, non-science and pseudo-science exist side by side in form of books, on television talk shows and on internet. We live in the age of information or tell me is it that we live in the age of misinformation? Without training in research, it is hard to distinguish, which information is useful and which is harmful.

5. To Be a Better Thinker Scientific approach makes you a better thinker, improves your thinking skills and it makes you learn to solve problems and make decisions, judge and interpret information, so it raises your practical intelligence. This

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I. Identifying possible causes. E. Examining options. N. Narrowing the options by narrowing the experimentation. C. Comparing data. E. Extending, revising and testing.

The basic steps in scientific inquiry aim for precision and replication. Scientists and psychologists spell out specify the procedures and methods so that others can replicate and reproduce their findings and ambiguity should not be there.

Ambiguity can be reduced by operational definitions, which define a concept by other operations (steps used in measuring it). Aggression is a concept so what does researcher means by it? Beating the enemy or injuring the enemy.

There is no psychology without scientific inquiry because without science, psychology has few facts and would be little batter than palmistry, astrology, graphology or any pseudo science. So science has helped:

  1. Psychologists to get rid of superstitions
  2. Develop understanding how to help people.
  3. Scientific inquiry is actually research process, which is a logical, rational proven way of obtaining information related to human behavior.

Basic components of a research

1 Hypothesis An educated guess or statement to be supported by data. 2 Research Design The plan for testing the hypothesis. The sample or subjects to be used. The instrument and tool to be utilized. 3 Dependent Variable An aspect of phenomenon that is measured, expected to change or influenced by the independent variable. 4 Independent variable The aspect that is manipulated or that thought to influence the change in the dependent variable. 5 Internal Validity The extend to which results of the study can be attributed to the independent variable. 6 External Validity The extend to which results of the study can be generalized or applied outside this study.

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