Research methods in clinical psychology: An introduction for students and practitioners Chris Barker

1
Research methods in clinical psychologyAn
introduction for students and practitionersChris
Barker, Nancy Pistrang, and Robert Elliott

• CHAPTER 13
• Epilogue

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Methodological choices

• Pure versus applied research (evaluation/service
  research/audit)
• Questions exploratory versus hypothesis testing
• Measurement procedure self-report versus
  observation
• Measurement type qualitative versus quantitative
• Design descriptive/correlational versus
  experimental
• Design small-N versus larger N (idiographic
  versus nomothetic)
• Setting laboratory versus field (external
  validity issues)

3
Methodological pluralism

• Methodological pluralism
• no single approach is best overall
• all methods have their relative advantages and
  disadvantages
• choose appropriate methods for the questions
  under investigation
• can combine methods in a research study or
  programme (triangulation)
• Pluralism is not anarchy
• can apply quality standards across different
  methods

4
Combining research and practice

• Rigorous small-N research (e.g., Barlow et al.,
  1984)
• Qualitative approaches
• Evaluation, audit, effectiveness
• Collaborations with academic colleagues

5

• Thus scientific methodology is seen for what it
  truly is - a way of preventing me from deceiving
  myself in regard to my creatively formed hunches
  which have developed out of the relationship
  between me and my material. (Rogers, 1955)