THE RESEARCH PROCESS:GENERATING HYPOTHESES, RESEARCH METHODS

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Clinical Psychology (PSY401)

LESSON 11

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

The process of research in clinical psychology, like research in other areas of psychology and in other

sciences, involves the unfolding of a story. The story begins with a question that, when framed properly,

can be answered with an acceptable degree of certainty. Pursuing the answers to questions involves six

broad steps; generation of hypotheses, selection of measures of key variables, selection of a research

design, selection of a sample, hypothesis testing, and interpretation and dissemination of results.

Throughout this process, it is imperative that researchers follow clear guidelines and standards for

ethical treatment of participants (human or animal) in research.

1. GENERATING HYPOTHESES

Any piece of research begins with a question that needs to be answered. Why do more women than men

experience clinical depression? What is the role of human genetics in the development of infantile

autism? How stable are certain personality characteristics, such as extroversion or sociability, across the

life span? What role does poverty play in the development of psychopathology? Is psychotherapy

effective in the treatment of eating disorders such as Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa? These

questions are among the thousands that have been posed and examined through research by clinical

psychologists.

In order to serve as the focus of scientific research, a question needs to be refined into a hypothesis. A

hypothesis goes further than a question in that it reflects the researcher's best educated idea about the

expected answer to a question. Furthermore, a hypothesis can be tested to determine if the null

hypothesis (i.e., that there is no difference or no relationship between the variables being studied) can be

rejected with some degree of certainty or statistical probability. Some types of descriptive research (e.g.,

epidemiological research to determine the prevalence of different forms of psychopathology) may not

be framed in terms of hypotheses. Instead, descriptive research attempts to provide information that

defines the extent or parameters of a particular behavior, personality characteristic, or psychological

disorder.

Research that is aimed to predict, explain, or change human behavior, however, is best represented as a

specific hypothesis that can be tested. The statistical methods employed by psychologists allow

researchers to determine the probability that the null hypothesis is false and that a hypothesized

relationship among different variables did not occur simply by chance.

Research hypotheses can emerge from at least three sources: careful observations of a clinical case or

cases, a theory concerned with human behavior or psychopathology, and the results of previous

research. A skilled clinical researcher is first and foremost an astute observer of human behavior. One

of the richest and most relevant sources of observations is the interactions of clinical psychologist with

their clients or patients. For example, a clinical psychologist who treats aggressive and noncompliant

children may observe that these children frequently come from families in which there is a high degree

of conflict and anger between the parents. This observation raises the possibility that conflict and

discord in marital relationships can contribute to childhood aggression and noncompliance. Equally

plausible, however, is the hypothesis that aggressive and disobedient behavior by a child can contribute

to tension and arguments between parents. In this way, observations of individual cases raise questions

whose answers require other methods and additional information.

A theory can serve as an important source of hypotheses about a variety of clinical problems. A theory

serves as a road map for a clinical psychologist, providing a sense of what to expect and why it should

be expected. Nevertheless, the central propositions of any theory cannot be left as mere abstractions. A

strong theory must lend itself to empirical evaluation and testing. For example, operant behavior theory

predicts that any behavior that is followed by positive consequences should increase in frequency. Thus,

a researcher can do more than asking a question about the effects of positive consequences on behavior.

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