In this collection, international contributors come together to discuss how qualitative and quantitative methods can be used in psychotherapy research. The book considers the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, and recognises how each method can enhance our understanding of psychotherapy. Divided into two parts, the book begins with an examination of quantitative research and discusses how we can transfer observations into numbers and statistical findings. Chapters on quantitative methods cover the development of new findings and the improvement of existing findings, identifying and analysing change, and using meta-analysis. The second half of the book comprises chapters considering how qualitative and mixed methods can be used in psychotherapy research. Chapters on qualitative and mixed methods identify various ways to strengthen the trustworthiness of qualitative findings via rigorous data collection and analysis techniques. Adapted from a special issue of Psychotherapy Research, this volume will be key reading for researchers, academics, and professionals who want a greater understanding of how a particular area of research methods can be used in psychotherapy.

This engaging book helps readers identify and then discard 52 misconceptions about data and statistical summaries. The focus is on major concepts contained in typical undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, research methods, or quantitative analysis. Interactive Internet exercises that further promote undoing the misconceptions are found on the book's website. The author's accessible discussion of each misconception has five parts: The Misconception - a brief description of the misunderstanding Evidence that the Misconception Exists - examples and claimed prevalence Why the Misconception is Dangerous - consequence of having the misunderstanding Undoing the Misconception - how to think correctly about the concept Internet Assignment - an interactive activity to help readers gain a firm grasp of the statistical concept and overcome the misconception. The book's statistical misconceptions are grouped into 12 chapters that match the topics typically taught in introductory/intermediate courses. However, each of the 52 discussions is self-contained, thus allowing the misconceptions to be covered in any order without confusing the reader. Organized and presented in this manner, the book is an ideal supplement for any standard textbook. An ideal supplement for undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, research methods, or quantitative analysis taught in psychology, education, business, nursing, medicine, and the social sciences. The book also appeals to independent researchers interested in undoing their statistical misconceptions.

From Subject to Subjectivities profiles the recent debates about the role of qualitative and participatory methods in psychology, a discipline which has traditionally seen itself as a form of positivistic science. Contributors explain how fundamentally different views of the nature of reality and of scientific theory have shaped these debates, and how psychology is being transformed through the use of these methods.

At the heart of the book are 10 exemplars of interpretive and participatory action research which describe the rationale for and process of using these methods in actual cases. They also articulate some of the challenges psychologists may face in adopting them, offering insights into how these complications can be successfully negotiated. Relevant beyond psychology, the models provided can be used within the context of a wide array of social science disciplines, from sociology and anthropology to women's studies and public health.

The contributors represent a veritable "who's who" of qualitative scholars, including Lyn Mikel Brown, Larry Davidson, Michelle Fine, Louise Kidder, M. Brinton Lykes, Jeanne Marecek, Abigail Stewart, and Niobe Way.

No previous book has examined qualitative and participatory methods specifically within the context of psychology. From Subjects to Subjectivities provides a unique and badly needed resource for those interested in learning about the practice of these methods in the field.

How Can You Improve Your Learning Capabilites? How Can You Enhance Your Potential for Change and Personal Growth? Most of us accept that education does not meet the needs of learners today, or their employers. This mismatch is a key reason why a high level of demotivated youth, as well as workers and managers remain unable to develop themselves. They have been other-organised and are unprepared for the world of work and the challenges of life. First published in 1991, this title offers a radical approach to human learning and personal change. Based on the reflective procedures of Learning Conversations, it enables a deep exploration of the learning process and allows individuals, teams and even whole organisations to create dynamic learning cultures capable of adaptive, constructive and continuing growth. Available again after some years this book is as relevant, if not of greater value, in our ever-changing society than when originally published.

Half a century after the collapse of the Nazi regime and the Third Reich, scholars from a range of fields continue to examine the causes of Nazi Germany. An increasing number of young Americans are attempting to understand the circumstances that led to the rise of the Nazi party and the subsequent Holocaust, as well as the implication such events may have for today as the world faces a resurgence of neo-Nazism, ethnic warfare, and genocide. In the months following World War II, extensive psychiatric and psychological testing was performed on over 200 Nazis in an effort to understand the key personalities of the Third Reich and of those individuals who "just followed orders." In addressing these issues, the current volume examines the strange history of over 200 Rorschach Inkblot protocols that were administered to Nazi war criminals and answers such questions as: * Why the long delay in publishing protocols? * What caused such jealousies among the principals? * How should the protocols be interpreted? * Were the Nazis monsters or ordinary human beings? This text delivers a definitive and comprehensive study of the psychological functioning of Nazi war criminals -- both the elite and the rank-and-file. In order to apply a fresh perspective to understanding the causes that created such antisocial behavior, these analyses lead to a discussion within the context of previous work done in social and clinical psychology. Subjects discussed include the authoritarian personality, altruism, obedience to authority, diffusion of responsibility, and moral indifference. The implications for current political events are also examined as Neo-Nazism, anti-Semitism, and ethnic hate are once again on the rise. While the book does contain some technical material relating to the psychological interpretations, it is intended to be a scholarly presentation written in a narrative style. No prior knowledge of psychological testing is necessary, but it should be of great benefit for those interested in the Rorschach Inkblot test, or with a special interest in psychological testing, personality assessment, and the history of psychology. It is also intended for readers with a broad interest in Nazi Germany.

This new volume is the first to focus entirely on automated essay scoring and evaluation. It is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution and state-of-the-art of automated essay scoring and evaluation technology across several disciplines, including education, testing and measurement, cognitive science, computer science, and computational linguistics. The development of this technology has led to many questions and concerns. Automated Essay Scoring attempts to address some of these questions including: *How can automated scoring and evaluation supplement classroom instruction? *How does the technology actually work? *Can it improve students' writing? *How reliable is the technology? *How can these computing methods be used to develop evaluation tools? *What are the state-of the-art essay evaluation technologies and automated scoring systems? Divided into four parts, the first part reviews the teaching of writing and how computers can contribute to it. Part II analyzes actual automated essay scorers including e-raterTM, Intellimetric, and the Intelligent Essay Assessor. The third part analyzes related psychometric issues, and the final part reviews innovations in the field. This book is ideal for researchers and advanced students interested in automated essay scoring from the fields of testing and measurement, education, cognitive science, language, and computational linguistics.

Test Scoring provides a summary of traditional true score test theory and modern item response theory related to scoring tests, as well as novel developments resulting from the integration of these approaches. The background material introduced in the first four chapters builds a foundation for the new developments covered in later chapters. These new methods offer alternative psychometric approaches to scoring complex assessments. Each of the book's contributors draws from the classic literature of traditional test theory, as well as psychometric developments of the past decade. The emphasis is on large-scale educational measurement but the topics and procedures may be applied broadly within many measurement contexts. Numerous graphs and illustrative examples based on real tests and actual data are integrated throughout. This multi-authored volume shows the reader how to combine the coded outcomes on individual test items into a numerical summary about the examinee's performance. This book is intended for researchers and students in education and other social sciences interested in educational assessment and policy, the design and development of tests, and the procedures for test administration and scoring. Prerequisites include an introduction to educational and psychological measurement and basic statistics. Knowledge of differential and integral calculus and matrix algebra is helpful but not required.

This edited volume shows the relationship between dream research and its usefulness in treating patients. Milton Kramer and Myron Glucksman show that there is support for searching for the meaning of dream as experiences extended in time. Dreaming reflects psychological changes and is actually an orderly process, not a random experience. Several chapters in this book explore interviewing methodologies that will help clients reduce the frequency of their nightmares and thus contribute to successful therapy.

Test fairness is a moral imperative for both the makers and the users of tests. This book focuses on methods for detecting test items that function differently for different groups of examinees and on using this information to improve tests. Of interest to all testing and measurement specialists, it examines modern techniques used routinely to insure test fairness. Three of these relevant to the book's contents are: * detailed reviews of test items by subject matter experts and members of the major subgroups in society (gender, ethnic, and linguistic) that will be represented in the examinee population * comparisons of the predictive validity of the test done separately for each one of the major subgroups of examinees * extensive statistical analyses of the relative performance of major subgroups of examinees on individual test items.

This edited volume provides both conceptual and practical information for conducting and evaluating evidence-based outcome studies. It encompasses psychotherapy research for traditional mental health disorders (eg. depression, anxiety), as well as psychosocial-based treatments provided to medical patient populations to have impact either on the disease process itself (pain, cardiovascular risk) or to improve the quality of life of such individuals. This is a hands-on book, whose major emphasis is on the practical nuts-and-bolts implementation of psychosocial-based RCTs from conception to completion.

Phil Fennell's tightly argued study traces the history of treatment of mental disorder in Britain over the last 150 years. He focuses specifically on treatment of mental disorder without consent within psychiatric practice, and on the legal position which has allowed it. Treatment Without Consent examines many controversial areas: the use of high-strength drugs and Electro Convulsive Therapy, physical restraint and the vexed issue of the sterilisation of people with learning disabilities. Changing notions of consent are discussed, from the common perception that relatives are able to consent on behalf of the patient, to present-day statutory and common law rules, and recent Law Commission recommendations. This work brings a complex and intriguing area to life; it includes a table of legal sources and an extensive bibliography. It is essential reading for historians, lawyers and all those who are interested in the treatment of mental disorder.

Power Analysis of Trials with Multilevel Data covers using power and sample size calculations to design trials that involve nested data structures. The book gives a thorough overview of power analysis that details terminology and notation, outlines key concepts of statistical power and power analysis, and explains why they are necessary in trial design. It guides you in performing power calculations with hierarchical data, which enables more effective trial design. The authors are leading experts in the field who recognize that power analysis has attracted attention from applied statisticians in social, behavioral, medical, and health science. Their book supplies formulae that allow statisticians and researchers in these fields to perform calculations that enable them to plan cost-efficient trials. The formulae can also be applied to other sciences. Using power analysis in trial design is increasingly important in a scientific community where experimentation is often expensive, competition for funding among researchers is intense, and agencies that finance research require proposals to give thorough justification for funding. This handbook shows how power analysis shapes trial designs that have high statistical power and low cost, using real-life examples. The book covers multiple types of trials, including cluster randomized trials, multisite trials, individually randomized group treatment trials, and longitudinal intervention studies. It also offers insight on choosing which trial is best suited to a given project. Power Analysis of Trials with Multilevel Data helps you craft an optimal research design and anticipate the necessary sample size of data to collect to give your research maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

This text introduces teachers to research methods they can use to examine their own classrooms in order to become more effective teachers. Becoming familiar with classroom-based research methods not only enables teachers to do research in their own classrooms, it also provides a basis for assessing the findings of existing research. McKay emphasizes throughout that what a teacher chooses to examine will dictate which method is most effective. Each chapter includes activities to help readers apply the methods described in the chapter, often by analyzing research data. *Chapter I, Classroom Research, introduces the reader to major research purposes and research types as they relate to classroom research, the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, the formulation of research questions and research designs, and ethical issues in research. *Chapter II, Researching Teachers and Learners, presents research methods that can be used to examine teachers' and learners' attitudes and behaviors: action research, survey research, interviews, verbal reports, diary studies, case studies, and ethnographies. *Chapter III, Researching Classroom Discourse, deals with methods that can be used to study the oral and written discourse of classrooms: interaction analysis, discourse analysis, text analysis, and ways to examine the social and political assumptions underlying the choice and presentation of content in second language teaching materials. *Chapter IV, Writing Research Reports, provides guidelines for both thesis writing and journal articles. Researching Second Language Classrooms is an ideal text for TESOL research methods courses and an essential resource for inservice teachers who wish to undertake classroom research.

In this book, William R. Uttal continues his analysis and critique of theories of mind. This book considers theories that are based on macroneural responses (such as those obtained from fMRI) that represent the averaged or cumulative responses of many neurons. The analysis is carried out with special emphasis on the logical and conceptual difficulties in developing a theory but with special attention to some of the current attempts to go from these cumulative responses to explanations of the grand question of how the mind is generated by the brain. While acknowledging the importance of these macroneural techniques in the study of the anatomy and physiology of the brain, Uttal concludes that this macroneural approach is not likely to produce a valid neural theory of cognition because the critical information-the states of the individual neurons-involved in brain activity becoming mental activity is actually lost in the process of summation. Controversial topics are considered in detail including discussions of empirical, logical, and technological barriers to theory building in cognitive neuroscience.

Gathering scholars from different disciplines, this book is the first on how to study emotions using sociological, historical, linguistic, anthropological, psychological, cultural, and mixed approaches. Bringing together the emerging lines of inquiry, it lays foundations for an overdue methodological debate. The volume offers entrancing short essays, richly illustrated with examples and anecdotes, that provide basic knowledge about how to pursue emotions in texts, interviews, observations, spoken language, visuals, historical documents, and surveys. The contributors are respectful of those being researched and are mindful of the effects of their own feelings on the conclusions. The book thus touches upon the ethics of research in vivid first person accounts. Methods are notoriously difficult to teach-this collection fills the gap between dry methods books and students' need to know more about the actual research practice.

Psychological tests provide reliable and objective standards by which individuals can be evaluated in education and employment. Therefore accurate judgements must depend on the reliability and quality of the tests themselves. Originally published in 1986, this handbook by an internationally acknowledged expert provided an introductory and comprehensive treatment of the business of constructing good tests. Paul Kline shows how to construct a test and then to check that it is working well. Covering most kinds of tests, including computer presented tests of the time, Rasch scaling and tailored testing, this title offers: a clear introduction to this complex field; a glossary of specialist terms; an explanation of the objective of reliability; step-by-step guidance through the statistical procedures; a description of the techniques used in constructing and standardizing tests; guidelines with examples for writing the test items; computer programs for many of the techniques. Although the computer testing will inevitably have moved on, students on courses in occupational, educational and clinical psychology, as well as in psychological testing itself, would still find this a valuable source of information, guidance and clear explanation.

See How Graphics Reveal Information Graphical Data Analysis with R shows you what information you can gain from graphical displays. The book focuses on why you draw graphics to display data and which graphics to draw (and uses R to do so). All the datasets are available in R or one of its packages and the R code is available at rosuda.org/GDA. Graphical data analysis is useful for data cleaning, exploring data structure, detecting outliers and unusual groups, identifying trends and clusters, spotting local patterns, evaluating modelling output, and presenting results. This book guides you in choosing graphics and understanding what information you can glean from them. It can be used as a primary text in a graphical data analysis course or as a supplement in a statistics course. Colour graphics are used throughout.

This book demonstrates how to conduct latent variable modeling (LVM) in R by highlighting the features of each model, their specialized uses, examples, sample code and output, and an interpretation of the results. Each chapter features a detailed example including the analysis of the data using R, the relevant theory, the assumptions underlying the model, and other statistical details to help readers better understand the models and interpret the results. Every R command necessary for conducting the analyses is described along with the resulting output which provides readers with a template to follow when they apply the methods to their own data. The basic information pertinent to each model, the newest developments in these areas, and the relevant R code to use them are reviewed. Each chapter also features an introduction, summary, and suggested readings. A glossary of the text's boldfaced key terms and key R commands serve as helpful resources. The book is accompanied by a website with exercises, an answer key, and the in-text example data sets. Latent Variable Modeling with R: -Provides some examples that use messy data providing a more realistic situation readers will encounter with their own data. -Reviews a wide range of LVMs including factor analysis, structural equation modeling, item response theory, and mixture models and advanced topics such as fitting nonlinear structural equation models, nonparametric item response theory models, and mixture regression models. -Demonstrates how data simulation can help researchers better understand statistical methods and assist in selecting the necessary sample size prior to collecting data. -www.routledge.com/9780415832458 provides exercises that apply the models along with annotated R output answer keys and the data that corresponds to the in-text examples so readers can replicate the results and check their work. The book opens with basic instructions in how to use R to read data, download functions, and conduct basic analyses. From there, each chapter is dedicated to a different latent variable model including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), multiple groups CFA/SEM, least squares estimation, growth curve models, mixture models, item response theory (both dichotomous and polytomous items), differential item functioning (DIF), and correspondance analysis. The book concludes with a discussion of how data simulation can be used to better understand the workings of a statistical method and assist researchers in deciding on the necessary sample size prior to collecting data. A mixture of independently developed R code along with available libraries for simulating latent models in R are provided so readers can use these simulations to analyze data using the methods introduced in the previous chapters. Intended for use in graduate or advanced undergraduate courses in latent variable modeling, factor analysis, structural equation modeling, item response theory, measurement, or multivariate statistics taught in psychology, education, human development, and social and health sciences, researchers in these fields also appreciate this book's practical approach. The book provides sufficient conceptual background information to serve as a standalone text. Familiarity with basic statistical concepts is assumed but basic knowledge of R is not.

This edited volume shows the relationship between dream research and its usefulness in treating patients. Milton Kramer and Myron Glucksman show that there is support for searching for the meaning of dream as experiences extended in time. Dreaming reflects psychological changes and is actually an orderly process, not a random experience. Several chapters in this book explore interviewing methodologies that will help clients reduce the frequency of their nightmares and thus contribute to successful therapy.

Since the early days of performance assessment, human ratings have been subject to various forms of error and bias. Expert raters often come up with different ratings for the very same performance and it seems that assessment outcomes largely depend upon which raters happen to assign the rating. This book provides an introduction to many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM), a psychometric approach that establishes a coherent framework for drawing reliable, valid, and fair inferences from rater-mediated assessments, thus answering the problem of fallible human ratings. Revised and updated throughout, the Second Edition includes a stronger focus on the Facets computer program, emphasizing the pivotal role that MFRM plays for validating the interpretations and uses of assessment outcomes.

Choosing Methods in Mental Health Research develops a new framework for mental health research. It is concerned with how to choose the most appropriate mental health research method, not only to address a specific question, but to maximize the potential impact on shaping mental health care. Mike Slade and Stefan Priebe focus attention on the types of audience that the researcher is seeking to influence, the types of evidence each audience accepts as valid, and the relative strengths and limitations of each type of methodology. A range of research methodologies are described and critically appraised, and the use of evidence by different groups is discussed. This produces some important findings about the interplay between research production and consumption, and highlights directions for future mental health research theory and practice. The findings presented here will be relevant to mental health service users and professionals who use research evidence to inform decision-making. It will also prove an invaluable resource for students and researchers in the field of mental health.

The political and legislative changes which took place in South Africa during the 1990s, with the dissolution of apartheid, created a unique set of social conditions. As official policies of segregation were abolished, people of both black and white racial groups began to experience new forms of social contact and intimacy. By examining these emerging processes of intergroup contact in South Africa, and evaluating related evidence from the US, Racial Encounter offers a social psychological account of desegregation. It begins with a critical analysis of the traditional theories and research models used to understand desegregation: the contact hypothesis and race attitude theory. It then analyzes every day discourse about desegregation in South Africa, showing how discourse shapes individuals' conception and management of their changing relationships and acts as a site of ideological resistance to social change. The connection between place, identity and re-creation of racial boundaries emerge as a central theme of this analysis. This book will be of interest to social psychologists, students of intergroup relations and all those interested in post-apartheid South Africa.

Item response theory (IRT) has moved beyond the confines of educational measurement into assessment domains such as personality, psychopathology, and patient-reported outcomes. Classic and emerging IRT methods and applications that are revolutionizing psychological measurement, particularly for health assessments used to demonstrate treatment effectiveness, are reviewed in this new volume. World renowned contributors present the latest research and methodologies about these models along with their applications and related challenges. Examples using real data, some from NIH-PROMIS, show how to apply these models in actual research situations. Chapters review fundamental issues of IRT, modern estimation methods, testing assumptions, evaluating fit, item banking, scoring in multidimensional models, and advanced IRT methods. New multidimensional models are provided along with suggestions for deciding among the family of IRT models available. Each chapter provides an introduction, describes state-of-the art research methods, demonstrates an application, and provides a summary. The book addresses the most critical IRT conceptual and statistical issues confronting researchers and advanced students in psychology, education, and medicine today. Although the chapters highlight health outcomes data the issues addressed are relevant to any content domain. The book addresses: IRT models applied to non-educational data especially patient reported outcomes Differences between cognitive and non-cognitive constructs and the challenges these bring to modeling. The application of multidimensional IRT models designed to capture typical performance data. Cutting-edge methods for deriving a single latent dimension from multidimensional data A new model designed for the measurement of constructs that are defined on one end of a continuum such as substance abuse Scoring individuals under different multidimensional IRT models and item banking for patient-reported health outcomes How to evaluate measurement invariance, diagnose problems with response categories, and assess growth and change. Part 1 reviews fundamental topics such as assumption testing, parameter estimation, and the assessment of model and person fit. New, emerging, and classic IRT models including modeling multidimensional data and the use of new IRT models in typical performance measurement contexts are examined in Part 2. Part 3 reviews the major applications of IRT models such as scoring, item banking for patient-reported health outcomes, evaluating measurement invariance, linking scales to a common metric, and measuring growth and change. The book concludes with a look at future IRT applications in health outcomes measurement. The book summarizes the latest advances and critiques foundational topics such a multidimensionality, assessment of fit, handling non-normality, as well as applied topics such as differential item functioning and multidimensional linking. Intended for researchers, advanced students, and practitioners in psychology, education, and medicine interested in applying IRT methods, this book also serves as a text in advanced graduate courses on IRT or measurement. Familiarity with factor analysis, latent variables, IRT, and basic measurement theory is assumed.

Although many archaeologists have a good understanding of the basics in computer science, statistics, geostatistics, modeling, and data mining, more literature is needed about the advanced analysis in these areas. This book aids archaeologists in learning more advanced tools and methods while also helping mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists with no previous knowledge of the field realize the potential of the methods in archaeological experiments.

This edited volume introduces the latest advances in quantitative methods and illustrates ways to apply these methods to important questions in substance use research. The goal is to provide a forum for dialogue between methodologists developing innovative multivariate statistical methods and substance use researchers who have produced rich data sets. Reflecting current research trends, the book examines the use of longitudinal techniques to measure processes of change over time. Researchers faced with the task of studying the causes, course, treatment, and prevention of substance use and abuse will find this volume helpful for applying these techniques to make optimal use of their data. This innovative volume: introduces the use of latent curve methods for describing individual trajectories of adolescent substance use over time; explores methods for analyzing longitudinal data for individuals nested within groups, such as families, classrooms, and treatment groups; demonstrates how different patterns of missing data influence the interpretation of results; reports on some recent advances in longitudinal growth modeling; illustrates methods to assess mediation when there are multiple mediating pathways underlying an intervention effect; describes methods to identify moderating relations in structural equation models; demonstrates the use of structural equation models to evaluate a preventive intervention; applies epidemic modeling techniques to understand the spread of substance use in society; illustrates the use of latent transition analysis to model substance use as a series of stages; and applies logistic regression to prospectively predict smoking cessation.