Entry requirements
Only open to master’s students in Psychology with specialisation Clinical Psychology.
Description
Clinical psychological research is often concerned with investigating the causes and treatment of abnormal behaviour. A range of observational study designs, both cross-sectional and longitudinal, can be used to identify causes of illness. Treatment evaluation designs range from case reports to randomized clinical trials (RCTs). RCTs have become the gold standard of evidence in biomedical research. However, the vast majority of studies is observational. Furthermore, it has been argued that RCTs are impractical in some circumstances, and impossible in others.
In this course we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies for investigating causal relationships. Secondly, we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different treatment evaluation designs, as well as the standards of conducting and reporting research, and scientific integrity. The course prepares students for scientific work, including writing the Master’s thesis, as well as for evidence-based working in clinical practice..
Course objectives
Students learn:
To reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of research designs typically used in clinical psychology;
To critically assess research papers on the merits of their chosen research strategies, design, ethical aspects, and adherence to reporting standards; and
To assess relevance of research papers for possible integration in clinical practice.
Timetable
For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable
Registration
NOTE As of the academic year 2021-2022, you must register for all courses in uSis.
You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from early August. Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from December. The exact date on which the registration starts will be published on the website of the Student Service Center (SSC)
By registering for a course you are also automatically registered for the Brightspace module. Anyone who is not registered for a course therefore does not have access to the Brightspace module and cannot participate in the first sit of the exam of that course.
Also read the complete registration procedure
Mode of instruction
6 two-hour lectures and 6 two-hour seminars, 100% attendance of seminars is mandatory.
Assessment method
Final grade is based on:
several graded assignments (40%)
grade for participation during seminars (15%)
final written exam (45%)
The final exam consists of essay questions about an article that will be made available through Blackboard one week before the exam. The exam will require students to master and integrate all course material as covered in the six weeks of lectures, assignments and course literature. Books, notes, assignments etc. may be brought to the exam. The answers need to be written in English. The list of chapters from Kazdin’s book that need to be studied for the exam, as well as the lecture slides and the additional papers that need to be studied for the exam, will be published on Blackboard.
The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.
Reading list
The book that is used in this course is: Kazdin, Alan E. (2017). Research Design in Clinical Psychology, Books a la Carte Edition, 5th Edition. New York: Pearson ISBN13: 9780205992089 (Please note: this book has been changed and updated significantly compared to the 4th edition). You might be able to find a second hand copy, but this title is no longer printed by the publisher. However, we have arranged for a custom made book (containing only the chapters that you need). This book can be purchased via studystore.nl as the title: "Experimental Clinical Psychology", author: "Putman, Peter", ISBN: 9781787645332". There is a limited amount on stock in the Netherlands and it might have to be shipped in from another country which will take a few days extra, so make sure you order the book ASAP.
Furthermore, assignment papers will be made available on Blackboard
Contact information
Dr. P. Putman PPutman@fsw.leidenuniv.n