| Abstract: | Identifies and discusses some subtle experimental artifacts that may be generated by common procedures for the selection of patients to serve as Ss in psychotherapy research. Clinical observations derived from a project investigating Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy are used as examples of potential artifacts in both the recruitment and screening phases of the selection process. It is proposed that the activities of patient recruitment and screening ought to become separate foci of research attention in their own right, so that questions of extratherapeutic motives, expectancies, and role can be addressed more systematically than is possible with informal clinical observation. Investigators should eschew any avoidable intrusions upon the naturalistic help-seeking and help-giving activities of patients and therapists. It is concluded that there should be some attempt to standardize recruitment and screening activities across research projects and settings. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
