| Abstract: | REVIEWS THE CURRENT STATUS OF PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC RESEARCH, CONCLUDING THAT THE GREATEST NEED IS FOR OUTCOME STUDIES. THE MAJOR VARIABLES AND DOMAINS INVOLVED IN PSYCHOTHERAPY ARE DELINEATED TO SHOW WHERE ERRORS HAVE OCCURRED IN PAST INVESTIGATIONS, AND TO SERVE AS A BASIS FOR DETERMINING THE DEGREE OF CONTROL NECESSARY TO ANSWER THE VARIED QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY. STRATEGIC CHOICES FOR ACCUMULATING KNOWLEDGE ARE SUGGESTED IN TERMS OF THE SELECTION OF VARIABLES, CRITERIA, AND ADEQUATE RESEARCH DESIGNS FOR A GIVEN LEVEL OF EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE. CONTRARY TO MANY CURRENT VIEWS, THE PRESENT METHODOLOGY OF SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY IS FELT TO BE ADEQUATE FOR EVALUATING PSYCHOTHERAPY; HOWEVER, THE VALUE OF DIFFERENT RESEARCH APPROACHES FROM CASE STUDIES TO FACTORIAL DESIGNS MUST BE RECOGNIZED AND USED STRATEGICALLY. (2 P. REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
