Research Methods And Frameworks Notes PDF

Research methods and frameworks Jingwen Frances Jin PSYC7319 9/25/2024  Outline  Basic concepts and components  Look into the current research frameworks  Current mainstream research frameworks  In-cl...

Research methods and frameworks Jingwen Frances Jin PSYC7319 9/25/2024  Outline  Basic concepts and components  Look into the current research frameworks  Current mainstream research frameworks  In-class research design exercises 2 9/25/2024 Basic concepts and components 3 9/25/2024  Basic Components of Research  Starts with a hypothesis Essentially educated guess Hypotheses in science are formulated so that they are testable  Research design A method to test hypotheses about the independent and dependent variables 4 9/25/2024  Considerations in Research Design  Internal validity vs. external validity Internal validity: Extent to which results of a study are due to the independent variable External validity: Extent to which results of a study are generalizable to the population it’s studying 5 9/25/2024  Considerations in Research Design  Ways to increase internal validity by minimizing confounds Use of control groups Use of randomization procedures 6 9/25/2024  Correlational Research  Assess the degree to which levels of certain variables are linked to levels of other variables  The nature of correlation Statistical relation between two or more variables No independent variable is manipulated Range from –1.0 to 0 to +1.0 Negative correlation vs. positive correlation Necessary in situations where you can’t manipulate variables  Limitations Causation and directionality 7 9/25/2024 Figure 04.01 Hypothetical Correlation Coefficients between Age and Sleep 8 9/25/2024  Epidemiological Research  Type of correlational research  Often involves surveys of large groups of people to get a picture of an entire population  Study of the incidence, distribution, and consequences of a particular problem or set of problems in one or more populations 9 9/25/2024  Experimental Research  Nature of experimental research Manipulate independent variable Observe effects on dependent variable Attempt to determine causal relationships Premium on internal validity  Clinical trial: Experiment designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment 10 9/25/2024  Clinical Trials  Control group: Provides a comparison point Often matched to demographics of experimental group Placebo control group: Some participants are given an inactive treatment (e.g., sugar pill), but participants don’t know which treatment they are getting Double-blind: Participants and assessors are unaware of what kind of treatment participants are getting  Placebo effect: Something changes simply because the participant expects the change to occur (e.g., expecting to feel better when taking an inactive pill) 11 9/25/2024  Studying Behavior Over Time Time-based research strategies Cross-sectional designs: Take a cross section of the population at different age groups Compare cohorts (age groups) on traits of interest Longitudinal designs Study one group of people over time Have to take into account specific experiences of the generation being studied (cross-generational effect) 12 9/25/2024  The correlational nature in etiology research  Cannot randomly assign human subjects to conditions that would “cause” psychopathology.  Thus, research on etiology is generally correlational by nature  Two problems arise  Temporality  The 3rd variable 13 9/25/2024  Temporality problem  The cause must come before the onset of the disorder  Cross-sectional study: which comes first?  e.g., major stressors cause depression or depression induces stressors?  → Turn to longitudinal study  Important to start investigating before the onset of the psychopathology  → how to select your sample? (Discussion question) 14 9/25/2024  The 3rd variable problem  E.g., maybe another predisposition or factor (e.g., living environment associated with both depression and stressors) that increases the chance of both depression and stress  → need to “control”  Statistically control  Or have a control group 15 9/25/2024  Statistical versus Clinical Significance  Statistical methods help to protect against biases in evaluating data  Statistical vs. clinical significance Statistical significance – are results due to chance? Clinical significance – are results clinically meaningful and likely to make a real difference in people’s lives?  Balancing statistical versus clinical significance Evaluate effect size and social validity 16 9/25/2024  Studying Genetics (1 of 4)  Behavioral genetics Interactions of genes, experience, and behavior Genotype: Genetic makeup Phenotypy: Observable characteristics (e.g., eye color, degree of shyness) Endophenotype: Genetic mechanism that contributes to problems causing certain symptoms 17 9/25/2024  Studying Genetics (2 of 4)  Family studies Proband: The person who has the trait of interest (e.g., someone who has schizophrenia) If there is a genetic influence, expect to see the trait more in first-degree relatives compared to second-degree Issue of shared environment: Families usually live together, so similarities may be due to environmental factors as well as genetics 18 9/25/2024  Studying Genetics (3 of 4)  Adoption studies One way to separate the effects of the environment Sibling pairs separated after birth: Do they show similarities even if they were raised in different environments? Are adopted children more similar to their birth parents (genetics) or adoptive parents (environment)? 19 9/25/2024  Studying Genetics (4 of 4)  Twin studies Compare identical/monozygotic twins against fraternal/dizygotic twins If a trait is genetic, expect to see greater concordance in identical twins (similar environment and same genetics) compared to fraternal twins (similar environment, different genetics)  Can be combined with adoption studies: If identical twins are both adopted separately and raised apart, shared outcomes are more attributable to genetics 20 9/25/2024  Studying Behavior Across Cultures  Value of cross-cultural research Overcoming ethnocentric views Increases understanding of etiologies, symptom presentation, and treatments  Difficulties in cross-cultural research Definitions of abnormal/pathological behavior Variance in presentation Availability of valid assessment instruments may be limited 21 9/25/2024 Some current mainstream research frameworks 22 9/25/2024  Research frameworks  Evolutionary psychopathology  Differential susceptibility  Developmental psychopathology  Developmental psychology + psychopathology  Examining how individuals grow deviated from the normal developmental trajectory 23 9/25/2024 2015 JAMA Psychiatry 24 9/25/2024  Research frameworks  Biological psychiatry  Mental disorder is neurobiological problem Thomas Insel Ted Talk at Caltech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4m65sbqbhY  Examining the neurological and biological correlates and causes of mental health problems 25 9/25/2024  Research frameworks  Computational psychiatry  Relatively recent  Use data-driven approaches or theory-driven models to quantitatively examine mechanisms  Why psychiatry needs computational models of the brain (John Murray) Why psychiatry needs computational models of the brain | John Murray | TEDxAmherst – YouTube 26 9/25/2024 27 9/25/2024  2017 Science 28 9/25/2024 Research frameworks Back to classification … 29 9/25/2024  The NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)  NOT a classification system  Template for research  Uncouple research questions from the categorical nosology system that has the problems of limited validity RDoC Matrix: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-funded-by-nimh/rdoc/constructs/rdoc- matrix.shtml 30 9/25/2024 RDoC Matrix Example: Positive valence system 31 9/25/2024 Basic RDoC Principles  Transdiagnostic and dimensional (from normal functioning to both ends of extremity)  Seeking (biological) correlates of intermediate (i.e., narrower than the disorder categories) psychological constructs (e.g., reward anticipation, loss aversion)  Equal weights of various levels of analysis 32 9/25/2024 Discussion & Exercises 33 9/25/2024  What do you mean by controls? 34 9/25/2024 Plomin et al., 2009 Imagine if you are about to start investigating what causes a disorder. 1) Cross-sectional or longitudinal? 2) How to select your sample? 35 9/25/2024