Research-informed benchmarks for psychological treatments: Efficacy studies, effectiveness studies, and beyond.

To examine whether the results of effectiveness studies match those obtained for efficacy studies on the same treatments, we conducted a focused review of the published treatment effectiveness literature. A literature search yielded 35 effectiveness studies for adult disorders (N = 21) and child and adolescent disorders (N = 14). A comparison of data from these studies with benchmarks from recent reviews of efficacy trials revealed treatment completion rates comparable with those found in the efficacy benchmarks. The improvement rates were comparable in effectiveness studies with those reported in randomized clinical trials of treatment efficacy. Despite methodological limitations in many effectiveness studies, these initial data provide encouraging support for the transportability to clinical settings of treatments with established efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ideographic Concept Mapping in Counseling Psychology Research: Conceptual Overview, Methodology, and an Illustration.

This article provides an overview of the research approach called concept mapping at conceptual, methodological, and practical levels. The relevance of the approach to counseling psychology research is discussed, and the approach is located conceptually in the realm of qualitative methods available to counseling psychology researchers. To illustrate ideographic concept mapping, the authors collect, present, and discuss data from 2 psychologists regarding their conception of the scientist-practitioner construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The outcomes of couple and family therapy: Findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Building on a special issue of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy that was devoted exclusively to assessing the state of empirical knowledge about the efficacy and effectiveness of Couple and Family Therapy (CFT), this article presents a set of conclusions on the state of scientific knowledge about the outcomes of CFT. The primary conclusion is that there is substantial evidence to suggest that CFT is effective in general, and that it may even be superior to alternative treatments for certain major problems and disorders. Certain methodological and conceptual problems with this body of research are addressed and recommendations for improving CFT research are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research findings on neurolinguistic programming: Nonsupportive data or an untestable theory?

In an earlier review of the experimental literature on neurolinguistic programming (NLP), the present author (see record 1984-21020-001) concluded that the effectiveness of this therapy was yet to be demonstrated. In their comment on that review, E. L. Einspruch and B. D. Forman (see record 1986-08199-001) agreed with this conclusion but suggested that it was due to the presence of methodological errors in the research on NLP to date and that the efficacy of NLP was open to debate. In the present article, it is contended that those suggestions were based on misconceptions regarding the factors that limit the methodological worth of research. Several of the detailed criticisms from that review are refuted, and data from 7 recent studies that further demonstrate that research data do not support either the basic tenets of NLP or their application in counseling situations are presented. Implications for the use of NLP in counseling research or clinical practice are discussed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research definitions of mental health and mental illness.

The conceptual and methodological difficulties involved in each of the various categories of definitions of mental health outlined in this review are discussed. Suggestions for further research are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodological innovation to increase the utility and efficiency of psychotherapy research for patients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

Psychotherapy research with chronic and difficult-to-treat populations, such as those with co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders, can employ flexible research designs, which allow for a systematic yet nonlinear relationship between efficacy and effectiveness designs. Outcomes research can bypass the efficacy-effectiveness dichotomy through use of a hybrid model (Carroll & Rounsaville, 2003) conducted in the context of community treatment settings in collaboration with community providers. We present the case for using this methodological approach as a means of advancing psychotherapy research and practice, while translating and disseminating empirically supported treatments with more efficiency. A hybrid model study conducted within the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network illustrates the application. These findings inform new directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Conceptual and methodological considerations in advancing best practices.

Major national, state, and local systems reform efforts are under way to close the gap between science and service through implementation of a range of evidence-based practices (EBPs). A set of rhetorical distinctions and ensuing debates about the relevance of science versus service and efficacy versus effectiveness threatens to widen rather than close the gap. However, methodological and conceptual approaches, drawing upon strong theory-driven models, offer considerable promise for an integrated science on implementation effectiveness. This paper outlines some of the major scientific and policy challenges in strengthening the link between science and service in school psychology within the context of the papers in this series. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schools make a difference: Evidence, criticism, and new directions.

Examines recent research on school effectiveness and emphasizes how variation in school processes affect student achievement. Although the review indicates that there is meaningful variation across schools in student achievement, it is argued that there are conceptual and methodological limitations of the research, such as its atheoretical nature and the instability of outcomes, that must be considered when findings are used for policy and program development. New directions for school research are discussed, including the need to study a wide range of student outcomes other than student performance on standardized achievement tests and the need to identify how classroom and school processes combine to create an effective learning environment. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of cognitions in marital relationships: Definitional, methodological, and conceptual issues.

Although there have recently been numerous investigations exploring the role of couples' cognitions in an attempt to understand marital distress, at present there is little cohesion and direction in the study of how couples think about their relationships. The current article asserts that this lack of direction results from at least three factors: (a) a lack of delineation of the important cognitive variables to be considered in marital functioning, (b) conceptual and methodological difficulties that arise in attempts to operationalize cognitive variables, and (c) a dearth of models of marital functioning that incorporate cognitions in a detailed manner. These three factors are discussed, along with a review of empirical investigations supporting the importance of cognitions in intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy: Two paradigms, one science.

Comments on M. E. P. Seligman's (see record 1996-13324-001) reanalysis of the 1995 Consumer Reports survey of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. The authors express concern that readers may draw from Seligman's arguments the erroneous conclusion that the transition from efficacy paradigms to effectiveness paradigms requires a relaxation of methodological rigor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology research on sexual (orientation) minority issues: Conceptual and methodological challenges and opportunities.

This lead article of the special issue discusses conceptual and methodological considerations in studying sexual minority issues, particularly in research conducted by counseling psychologists (including the work represented in this special issue). First, the overarching challenge of conceptualizing and defining sexual minority populations is described. Second, the importance and value of scholarship about sexual minority issues are highlighted. Third, challenges in sexual minority research are outlined, using the articles in this special issue for illustrative purposes, and suggestions are offered for consideration in future research. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which counseling psychologists are uniquely positioned to advance knowledge, practice, and social justice through research on sexual minority issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidentiary pluralism as a strategy for research and evidence-based practice in rehabilitation psychology.

Objective: This article examines the utility of evidentiary pluralism, a research strategy that selects methods in service of content questions, in the context of rehabilitation psychology. Hierarchical views that favor randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) over other evidence are discussed, and RCTs are considered as they intersect with issues in the field. RCTs are vital for establishing treatment efficacy, but whether they are uniformly the best evidence to inform practice is critically evaluated. Conclusions: The authors argue that because treatment is only one of several variables that influence functioning, disability, and participation over time, an expanded set of conceptual and data analytic approaches should be selected in an informed way to support an expanded research agenda in which therapeutic and extratherapeutic influences on rehabilitation processes and outcomes is investigated. The benefits of evidentiary pluralism are considered, including those that help close the gap between the narrower clinical rehabilitation model and a public health disability model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spirituality, religion, and health: An emerging research field.

The investigation of spiritual/religious factors in health is clearly warranted and clinically relevant. This special section explores the persistent predictive relationship between religious variables and health, and its implications for future research and practice. The section reviews epidemiological evidence linking religiousness to morbidity and mortality, possible biological pathways linking spirituality/religiousness to health, and advances in the assessment of spiritual/religious variables in research and practice. This introduction provides an overview of this field of research and addresses 3 related methodological issues: definitions of terms, approaches to statistical control, and criteria used to judge the level of supporting evidence for specific hypotheses. The study of spirituality and health is a true frontier for psychology and one with high public interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal judgments about relations between multilevel variables.

Three experiments presented stimulus information about cause and effect variables taking 3 quantitative values. Judgments tended to vary in accordance with considerations of conditions affecting the validity of causal inference from correlational data: whether causal candidates were presented simultaneously or in a temporal order such that one could affect the other and whether candidates were confounded with each other. The results supported a general hypothesis that causal judgments are moderated in accordance with acquired methodological intuitions. The 4th experiment showed that tendencies in correlation judgment were different from those in causal judgment, further supporting the hypothesis that causal judgment from multilevel variable information is, to some extent, determined by processes or conceptual frameworks specific to the domain of causal cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing Evidence-Based Practice: The Role of Case-Based Research.

How can practitioners engage in evidence-based practice when the evidence for effectiveness of psychological treatments comes from randomized controlled trials using patient populations different from those encountered in everyday settings and treatment manuals that seem oversimplified and inflexible? The authors argue that important evidence about best practice comes from case-based research, which builds knowledge in a clinically useful manner and complements what is achieved by multivariate research methods. A multidimensional model of the research process is provided that includes clinical practice and case-based research as significant contributors. The authors summarize the principles of case-based research and provide examples of recent technical advances. Finally, the authors suggest ways in which practitioners can apply the case-based approach in researching and publishing their own cases, perhaps in collaboration with university-based researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversifying our understanding of diversity and communication in groups: Dialoguing with Clark, Anand, and Roberson (2000).

M. A. Clark, V. Anand, and L. Roberson's (see record 2000-12222-001) article is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the nature, dynamics, and effects of diversity on small groups. Their model linking diversity with communicative practices and subsequent group and member outcomes provides an important conceptual framework that can help to synthesize existing research and suggest directions for future research. This article notes the contributions and limitations of the proposed model. Concerns are raised about what constitutes diversity, how best to conceptualize communicative behavior in groups, and methodological practices appropriate for studying diverse groups. Alternative conceptual lens and methodological procedures are offered for diversifying the study of diversity and communication in groups to ensure that the process mirrors the desired outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of moral thought: Review and evaluation of Kohlberg's approach.

Evaluates the evidence supporting L. Kohlberg's theory on the development of moral thought. A systematic review of the literature suggests that there are several conceptual and methodological problems with the approach. The problems include the derivation, administration, and scoring of the model's primary measurement device (Moral Judgment Scale); the lack of evidence for both the reliability and validity of that device; and the absence of direct evidence for the basic assumptions of the theory. It is concluded that the empirical utility of the model has yet to be demonstrated. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)