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Spring 2012 (PSYC 6/71685)
Instructor: David M. Fresco, Ph.D.
Office: 226 Kent Hall Annex
Phone: (330) 672-4049
E-mail: fresco@kent.edu
Meeting Time: Wednesdays 11:00 to 1:45
Office Hours: TBA & By Appointment
Course Description
This course will provide a review of issues in measurement, design, and analysis pertinent to research in clinical psychology. The primary goals of the course are 1) to improve your critical acumen in consuming research performed by others and 2) to assist you in formulating, developing, and bringing to fruition your own research ideas. Topics will include methodological issues in 1) measurement and psychological assessment, 2) evaluation of psychological intervention, and 3) testing models of psychological dysfunction.
READINGS
Required:
1. Kazdin, A.E. (2003). Research Design in Clinical Psychology (4th Ed), Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 0-205-33292-7.
2. All required readings and lecture notes are available in the shared Dropbox folder. Ask me to invite you to the folder.
Suggested:
1. Cohen, P, Cohen, J., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2002). Applied Multiple Regression: Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Science (4th Edition). Mahwawh, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, ISBN: 0805822232.
2. R. Rosenthal & R. L. Rosnow (2007). Essentials of Behavioral Research: Methods & Data Analysis (3rd edition) New York: McGraw-Hill, ISBN:
COURSE FORMAT
The course will be taught in three segments. The first segment will consist of presentations describing basic issues in clinical research (e.g., philosophy of science, forms of clinical inquiry, sampling and measurement, threats to methodological rigor, ethics). The second segment consists of student presentations on their thesis proposals. The third segment takes the form of a NIH study section where peer reviewers discuss and then provide written feedback on student thesis proposals.GRADED ASSIGNMENTS
Meta-analysis Assignment
Students will be given a lecture and discussion on the theory and conceptualization of meta-analysis. Readings will be provided to complement the material presented in class. There will be one graded assignment based on meta-analysis. The graded assignment will be to sketch out a small-scale meta-analysis on a literature that is relevant to your thesis. This assignment is not meant to be a full manuscript. This assignment is not math intensive. Rather, I envision the assignment being 2-3 pages of text (at most) and perhaps 1-2 tables. I want you to briefly describe some apparent variability in your literature and propose 2-3 potential moderators for that effect. I hope the assignment might inspire you to conduct your own meta-analysis.Master’s Thesis Topic Presentation
Students will give brief individual presentations of their research proposals, followed by a class discussion period. Ideally, these proposals will integrate your thesis research. Feel free to exchange ideas with classmates before presenting the proposal. The in-class presentations will provide opportunities for presenters to obtain assistance on methodological, logistical, and statistical questions, and for classmates to develop skills in the constructive evaluation of research. Presenters should be open about their concerns, hesitancies, and the possible limitations of their research, and classmates should be forward (but sensitive) in providing constructive criticism and suggestions. The discussions should be viewed as opportunities to benefit from the disparate viewpoints, strengths, and experiences that your classmates can share.Study Section Critique
The goals of this assignment are to give students more exposure to the way of getting external funding for one’s research and general immersion into the workings of the NIMH as well as to one’s presentation and writing skills. Each student will submit in writing, a draft of his or her thesis prospectus to me. I will then assign each thesis prospectus to two students (primary and secondary reviewers) who will then lead a NIMH study section style review of the prospectus. The author of the prospectus will be excused from class while her or his prospectus is discussed. The primary reviewer will have responsibility for introducing the prospectus to the class. The secondary reviewer will complement the review given by the primary and will also be responsible for taking any notes that are generated by the discussion. The primary reviewer will then be responsible for writing a NIMH style critique that will eventually be returned to the author of the prospectus. Each student will serve as a primary on one prospectus and a secondary on one prospectus. (Further details will be provided). Students will earn up to 10 points for their oral presentation and up to 20 points for the written critique.
- Four to five prospectuses will be discussed each time.
- I will do my best to make assignments of the primary and secondary reviewers so that they are fair. I would like us to keep review assignments blind.
- The primary and secondary reviewers should have a rough draft of the written critique/summary statement done in advance of their turn to lead the discussion.
- The final summary statement is due to me by the Friday of the week that a particular prospectus is discussed.
- I will then distribute the final summary statement to the author of the prospectus so that the feedback can be considered and incorporated into their final paper.
Master’s Thesis Prospectus Papers
The final product of this course segment will be a written, 10-15 page proposal (double-spaced, typed, APA format), which will include a review of the a written response to the summary statement critique (1-page single spaced), background literature, methodological issues, proposed design, proposed analyses, and power analyses of the original research project. The proposal will be evaluated according to the feasibility, planning detail, choice of measures, anticipation of obstacles and findings, motivation by well-articulated theory, integration of relevant prior research, and appropriateness of the proposed analyses. The goal is to complete a proposal that will serve as the groundwork for your Master’s thesis. In addition to the final proposal, students will be required to complete several practical assignments relevant to the proposal. These assignments will not be graded, but will be designed to facilitate progress on your proposals. I will provide you informal feedback that you can incorporate into your final product.Computer/Internet
1. Many of the readings I assign outside of our text as well as copies of lecture notes are saved as Adobe Acrobat *.pdf files. The Adobe Acrobat reader is a free program that is pre-installed on most computers, but can be downloaded at the Adobe webpage.
2. Please do not submit any paper copies of assignments. Rather, when turning in written assignments, please send them in MS Word or .rtf format. I cannot easily read Word Perfect files. Internet attachments are best. Finally, when we are working on a document together, I use the MS Word tracking and comment features to provide feedback.
GRADING |
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Meta-analysis Assignment based on your literature review |
10 points
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Written Summary Statement: |
20 points
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Final proposal: |
40 points
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*Class participation |
30 points |
Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A: 87-100
B: 75-86
C: 65-74
*You're 30 participation points will be earned as follows. Thesis Prospectus Presentation (10 points), Study section presentation (10 points), Iron Chef in-class assignment (5 points), General Participation (5 points).
Please note that except in the case of an emergency, no extensions will be granted for any assignments.
Course Schedule
1-11 (Wed.) |
IntroductionsDeveloping a program of research in the current climate: Context, opportunities, and challengesReadings (Articles in bold are required readings)1. Miller, G. (2010). Beyond DSM: Seeking a Brain-Based Classification of Mental Illness. Science, 327(5972), 1437. 2. Sanislow, C. A., Pine, D. S., Quinn, K. J., Kozak, M. J., Garvey, M. A., Heinssen, R. K., Wang, P. S.-E., et al. (2010). Developing constructs for psychopathology research: Research domain criteria Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(4), 631–639. doi:10.1037/a0020909 3. NIMH. (2010). From Discovery to Cure: Accelerating the development of new and personalized interventions for mental illness (pp. 1–34). 4. Levenson, R. W. (2007). The future of the clinical science movement: Challenges, issues, and opportunities. In T. A. Treat, R. R. Bootzin, & T. B. Baker (Eds.), Psychological Clinical Science (pp. 349–360). Psychology Press. 5. Kazdin, A. E., & Blase, S. L. (2011a). Rebooting Psychotherapy Research and Practice to Reduce the Burden of Mental Illness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 21–37. doi:10.1177/1745691610393527 6. Teachman, B. A., & Treat, T. A. (2011). Reactions to the Call to Reboot Psychotherapy Research and Practice: Introduction to Special Section of Comments on Kazdin and Blase (2011). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 475–477. doi:10.1177/1745691611418242 7. Shoham, V., & Insel, T. R. (2011). Rebooting for Whom?: Portfolios, Technology, and Personalized Intervention. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 478–482. doi:10.1177/1745691611418526 8. Atkins, M. S., & Frazier, S. L. (2011). Expanding the Toolkit or Changing the Paradigm: Are We Ready for a Public Health Approach to Mental Health Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 483–487. doi:10.1177/1745691611416996 9. Shalev, I., & Bargh, J. A. (2011). Use of Priming-Based Interventions to Facilitate Psychological Health: Commentary on Kazdin and Blase (2011). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 488–492. doi:10.1177/1745691611416993 10. Chorpita, B. F., Rotheram-Borus, M. J., Daleiden, E. L., Bernstein, A., Cromley, T., Swendeman, D., & Regan, J. (2011). The Old Solutions Are the New Problem: How Do We Better Use What We Already Know About Reducing the Burden of Mental Illness Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 493–497. doi:10.1177/1745691611418240 11. Yates, B. T. (2011). Delivery Systems Can Determine Therapy Cost, and Effectiveness, More Than Type of Therapy. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 498–502. doi:10.1177/1745691611416994 12. Sloan, D. M., Marx, B. P., & Keane, T. M. (2011). Reducing the Burden of Mental Illness in Military Veterans: Commentary on Kazdin and Blase (2011). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 503–506. doi:10.1177/1745691611416995 13. Kazdin, A. E., & Blase, S. L. (2011b). Interventions and Models of Their Delivery to Reduce the Burden of Mental Illness: Reply to Commentaries. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 507–510. doi:10.1177/1745691611418241
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1-18 (Wed.) |
Philosophy of Science and the Scientific MethodReadings1. Kazdin, Chapter 1 2. Faust, D., & Meehl, P.E. (1992). Using scientific methods to resolve questions in the history and philosophy of science: Some illustrations. Behavior Therapy, 23, 195-211.
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1-25 (Wed.) |
Ethical issues in clinical researchReadings1. Kazdin, Chapter 17 Homework Assignment: Visit CITI website and complete online human subjects certificate class. Email to me or bring certificate to class next week. This certificate is required of any personnel on a NIH grant application let alone being a researcher at Kent State, UH, or Summa. Class exercise: Discussion of ethical dilemmas. |
2-1 (Wed.) |
Study Design and ValidityReadings1. Kazdin, Chapters 2 & 3 Measurement and psychometricsReadings1. Kazdin, Chapter 13 2. Clark, L.A., & Watson, D. (1995). Constructing validity: Basic issues in objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7, 309-319. 3. Haynes, S.N., Richard, D.C.S., & Kubany, E.S. (1995). Content validity in psychological assessment: A functional approach to concepts and methods. Psychological Assessment, 7, 238-247.
Class Exercise: Identifying threats to internal validity. |
2-8 (Wed.) |
Statistical methods in clinical researchReadings1. Kazdin, Chapter 15 2. Cohen, J. (1990). Things I have learned (So far). American Psychologist, 45, 1304-1312. 3. Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159. 4. Kazdin, A. (2007). Mediators and mechanisms of change in psychotherapy research. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3(1), 1–27. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091432
6. Holmbeck, G. N. (1997). Toward Terminological, Conceptual, and Statistical Clarity in the Study of Mediators and Moderators: Examples From the Child-Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Literatures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 599-610. 7. Kraemer, H. C., Stice, E., Kazdin, A., Offord, D., & Kupfer, D. (2001). How Do Risk Factors Work Together? Mediators, Moderators, and Independent, Overlapping, and Proxy Risk Factors. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 848-856. 8. Kraemer, H. C., Wilson, T., Fairburn, C. G., & Agras, W. S. (2002). How Do Risk Factors Work Together? Mediators and Moderators of Treatment Effects in Randomized Clinical Trials. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59, 877-883.
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2-15 (Wed.) |
Psychopathology research: Overview of conceptual issues, methodology, and designReadings1. KBH, Chapters 18 & 19 Class Exercise: Study design.Choose date to present thesis research study, sign-up sheet passed out in class.
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2-22 (Wed.) |
Psychotherapy research: Overview of conceptual issues, methodology and designReadings1. Kazdin, Chapters 142. Kadzin, A.E. (1999). The meanings and measurement of clinical significance. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 332-339.3. Rounsaville, B.J., Carroll, K.M., & Onken, L.S. (2001). A stage model of behavioral therapies: Getting started and moving on from Stage 1. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 133-142.4. Kazdin, A. E. (2001). Progression of therapy research and clinical application of treatment require better understanding of the change process. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 143-151.5. Rounsaville, B.J., Carroll, K.M., & Onken, L.S. (2001). Methodological diversity and theory in the stage model: Reply to Kazdin. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 152-154.6. Carroll, K. M., & Rounsaville, B. J. (2007). A vision of the next generation of behavioral therapies research in the addictions. Addiction, 102(6), 850–862. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01798.x Optional
Readings on Empirically Supported Treatments
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2-29 (Wed.) |
Publication and the peer review processReadings1. Kazdin, Chapter 18 2. Kazdin, A.E. (1995). Preparing and evaluating research reports. Psychological Assessment, 7, 228-237. 3. Seals, D., & Tanaka, H. (2000). Manuscript peer review: a helpful checklist for students and novice referees. Advances in Physiology Education, 23, 52-58. 4. Wilkinson, L., and the Task Force on Statistical Inference. (1999). Statistical methods in psychology journals: Guidelines and explanations. American Psychologist, 54, 594-604. Turn in tentative bibliography (APA format) |
3-7 (Wed.) |
Introduction to Meta-analysisReadings1. Rosenthal, R. (1995). Writing meta-analytic reviews Psychological Bulletin, 118(2), 183. American Psychological Association. 2. Schmidt, F. L., Oh, I.-S., & Hayes, T. L. (2009). Fixed- versus random-effects models in meta-analysis: Model properties and an empirical comparison of differences in results. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 62(1), 97–128. doi:10.1348/000711007X255327 Proposal Assignment: Complete outline for background and introductory sections of proposal. Include bulleted list of tentative research question(s)/hypotheses.
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3-14 (Wed.) |
Introduction to NIH Grant applicationsI will distribute via email a grant application that I have submitted along with the summary statement I received. We will discuss the format of the research plan, the process of submitting a NIMH grant application, what happens to the application when it is reviewed at a study section, and what one does upon receipt of the summary statement. Proposal Assignment: Complete outline for method section. Include bulleted description of participants, measures, procedure, time-line, and analytic plan. |
3-21 (Wed.) |
No class - have a great spring break! |
3-28 (Wed.) |
Office Hours DayStudents come to discuss their thesis for 20-minute blocks of time instead of meeting for class. Each student will email me an “agenda” with questions they would like help with for that meeting. Meta-Analysis Homework Due. Emailed to me as a MS Word file.
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4-4 (Wed.) |
Student Presentations 1 through 4 |
4-11 (Wed.) |
Student
Presentations 5 through 9
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4-18 (Wed.) |
Study
Section Critiques 1 through 4 |
4-25 (Wed.) |
Study
Section Critiques 5 through 9 |
Final Papers due Monday, May 3, 2012, 5 p.m. |
Additional Optional Readings
Ethnicity, gender, and cross-cultural issues in research
1. Alvidrez, J., Azocar, F., & Miranda, J. (1996) Demystifying the concept of ethnicity for psychotherapy researchers, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 903-908.
2. Beutler, L. E., Brown, M. T., Crothers, L., Booker, K., & Seabrook, M. K. (1996). The dilemma of factitious demographic distinctions in psychological research, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 892-902.
3. Hohmann, A.A., & Parron, D.L. (1996). How the new NIH guidelines on inclusion of women and minorities apply: efficacy trails, effectiveness trials, and validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 851-855.
4. Miranda, J., Azocar, F., Organista, K.C., Muñoz, R.F., & Lieberman, A. (1996). Recruiting and retaining low-income latinos in psychotherapy research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 868-874.
5. Thompson, E. E., Neighbors, H. W., Munday, C., & Jackson, J. S. (1996). Recruitment and retention of African-American patients for clinical research: An exploration of response rates in an urban psychiatric hospital. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 861-867.
Statistical Methods
1. Cohen, J. (1994). The earth is round (p < .05). American Psychologist, 49(12), 997.
2. Kraemer, H., & Blasey, C. (2004). Centring in regression analyses: a strategy to prevent errors in statistical inference. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13(3), 141–151.
3. Kraemer, H. C., Kazdin, A. E., Offord, D. R., Kessler, R. C., Jensen, P. S., & Kupfer, D. J. (1999). Measuring the potency of risk factors for clinical or policy significance Psychological Methods, 4(3), 257.
4. Kraemer, H., Kiernan, M., Essex, M., & Kupfer, D. (2008). How and why criteria defining moderators and mediators differ between the Baron & Kenny and MacArthur approaches. Health Psychology, 27(2), S101–S108.
5. Kraemer, H., & Kupfer, D. (2006). Size of treatment effects and their importance to clinical research and practice. Biological Psychiatry, 59(11), 990–996.
6. Kraemer, H., Mintz, J., Noda, A., Tinklenberg, J., & Yesavage, J. (2006b). Caution regarding the use of pilot studies to guide power calculations for study proposals. Archives Of General Psychiatry, 63(5), 484.
7. Kraemer, H., & Periyakoil, V. (2004). Agreement Statistics: Kappa Coefficients in Medical Research. Wiley Online Library.
Psychotherapy Research
1. Beutler, L. E., Brown, M. T., Crothers, L., Booker, K., & Seabrook, M. K. (1996). The dilemma of factitious demographic distinctions in psychological research Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(5), 892. American Psychological Association.
2. Duncan, B. L. (2002). The legacy of Saul Rosenweig: The profundity of the dodo bird Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 12(1), 32–57. doi:10.1037//1053-0479.12.1.32
3. Goldfried, M. R., & Wolfe, B. E. (1998). Toward a more clinically valid approach to therapy research Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 143. American Psychological Association.
4. Gortner, E. T., Gollan, J. K., Dobson, K. S., & Jacobson, N. S. (1998). Cognitive–behavioral treatment for depression: Relapse prevention Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 377. American Psychological Association.
5. Howard, K. I., Krause, M. S., Saunders, S. M., & Kopta, S. M. (1997). Trials and tribulations in the meta-analysis of treatment differences: Comment on Wampold et al.(1997). American Psychological Association.
6. Jacobson, N. S., & Truax, P. (1991). Clinical significance: A statistical approach to defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 12. American Psychological Association.
7. Jacobson, N., Dobson, K., Truax, P., Addis, M., Koerner, K., Gollan, J., Gortner, E., et al. (1996). A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(2), 295–304.
8. Kazdin, A. E. (1999). The meanings and measurement of clinical significance. American Psychological Association.
9. Kazdin, A. E., & Bass, D. (1989). Power to detect differences between alternative treatments in comparative psychotherapy outcome research Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 138. American Psychological Association.
10. Manber, R., Kraemer, H. C., Arnow, B. A., Trivedi, M. H., Rush, A. J., Thase, M. E., Rothbaum, B. O., et al. (2008). Faster remission of chronic depression with combined psychotherapy and medication than with each therapy alone Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(3), 459–467. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.76.3.459
11. Schatzberg, A., & Kraemer, H. (2000). Use of placebo control groups in evaluating efficacy of treatment of unipolar major depression. Biological Psychiatry, 47(8), 736–744.
12. Shadish, W. R., & Sweeney, R. B. (1991). Mediators and moderators in meta-analysis: There“s a reason we don”t let dodo birds tell us which psychotherapies should have prizes Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(6), 883. American Psychological Association.
13. Wampold, B. E., Mondin, G. W., Moody, M., & Ahn, H. (1997a). The flat earth as a metaphor for the evidence for uniform efficacy of bona fide psychotherapies: Reply to Crits-Christoph (1997) and Howard et al.(1997) Psychological Bulletin, 122(3), 226–230. American Psychological Association.
14. Wampold, B. E., Mondin, G. W., Moody, M., Stich, F., Benson, K., & Ahn, H. (1997b). A meta-analysis of outcome studies comparing bona fide psychotherapies: Empiricially,“ all must have prizes..” Psychological Bulletin, 122(3), 203. American Psychological Association.