Prospectus

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Experimental Clinical Psychology

Course
2020-2021

Important Note

  • All Semester II bachelor and master psychology courses and examinations (2020-2021) will be offered in an on-line format.

  • If it is safe and possible to do so, supplementary course meetings may be planned on-campus. However, attendance at these meetings will not be required to successfully complete Semester II courses.

  • All obligatory work groups and examinations will be offered on-line during Central European Time, which is local time in the Netherlands.

  • Information on the mode of instruction and the assessment method per course will be offered in Brightspace, considering the possibilities that are available at that moment. The information in Brightspace is leading during the Corona crisis, even if this does not match the information in the Prospectus.

Entry requirements

Only open to master’s students in Psychology with specialisation Clinical Psychology.

Description

Clinical psychological research is often concerned with investigating the causes and treatment of abnormal behaviour. A range of observational study designs, both cross-sectional and longitudinal, can be used to identify causes of illness. Treatment evaluation designs range from case reports to randomized clinical trials (RCTs). RCTs have become the gold standard of evidence in biomedical research. However, the vast majority of studies is observational. Furthermore, it has been argued that RCTs are impractical in some circumstances, and impossible in others.

In this course we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies for investigating causal relationships. Secondly, we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different treatment evaluation designs, as well as the standards of conducting and reporting research, and scientific integrity. The course prepares students for scientific work, including writing the Master’s thesis, as well as for evidence-based working in clinical practice..

Course objectives

Students learn:

  • To reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of research designs typically used in clinical psychology;

  • To critically assess research papers on the merits of their chosen research strategies, design, ethical aspects, and adherence to reporting standards; and

  • To assess relevance of research papers for possible integration in clinical practice.

Timetable

For the timetables of your lectures, work group sessions, and exams, see the timetables page of your study programme. You will also find the enrolment codes here. Psychology timetables

Registration

Course

Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Master’s course registration

Examination

Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date. Students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination. Registering for exams

Mode of instruction

6 two-hour lectures and 6 two-hour seminars, 100% attendance of seminars is mandatory.

Assessment method

Final grade is based on:

  • several graded assignments (40%)

  • grade for participation during seminars (15%)

  • final written exam (45%)

The final exam consists of essay questions about an article that will be made available through Blackboard one week before the exam. The exam will require students to master and integrate all course material as covered in the six weeks of lectures, assignments and course literature. Books, notes, assignments etc. may be brought to the exam. The answers need to be written in English. The list of chapters from Kazdin’s book that need to be studied for the exam, as well as the lecture slides and the additional papers that need to be studied for the exam, will be published on Blackboard.

The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.

Reading list

The book that is used in this course is: Kazdin, Alan E. (2017). Research Design in Clinical Psychology, Books a la Carte Edition, 5th Edition. New York: Pearson ISBN13: 9780205992089 (Please note: this book has been changed and updated significantly compared to the 4th edition). You might be able to find a second hand copy, but this title is no longer printed by the publisher. However, we have arranged for a custom made book (containing only the chapters that you need). This book can be purchased via studystore.nl as the title: "Experimental Clinical Psychology", author: "Putman, Peter", ISBN: 9781787645332". There is a limited amount on stock in the Netherlands and it might have to be shipped in from another country which will take a few days extra, so make sure you order the book ASAP.

Furthermore, assignment papers will be made available on Blackboard

Contact information

Dr. P. Putman PPutman@fsw.leidenuniv.n