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Running Head: RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
Research Methods and Approaches
Name
Institution
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RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
The Focus Topic in Week 1
The topic selected was concerned with clinical psychology (CP). CP is one of the popular
fields under psychology, and it has raised a lot of concern among psychologists and scientists.
Clinical psychology is concerned with the implementation of effective methods for management
and treatment of psychological disorders, as well as behavioral problems (Schwarz, Newman &
Leach, 2016). In this form of applied psychological research, clinical psychology integrates
science both in theory and practice to create solutions to discomfort and disabilities by promoting
adaptation, adjustment and personal development for people with disorders.
The motivation for this topic was brought about by the increased demand for answers by
the CP researchers on the different health conditions and problems affecting human with the aim
of bringing change to the world. To find solutions to human problems, researchers conduct
investigations on people with psychological problems in environments where the problems
manifest (Waters, LeBeau & Craske, 2017).
Research Question
In research, the most important step is finding a good research question. In this case,
there is a need to do some research on setting a good research question since it should be limited
to given criteria and not general. The framing of the research question should also be based on
the research approach being used, and it could be casual, observational, relational or descriptive.
In my case, the research question was relational meaning there was a cause-effect relationship.
Research Question: How effective is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of
Depression and Anxiety for diabetes type 2 patients.
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RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
Diabetes type 2 is a condition that makes the blood sugar level to rise beyond the
optimum level. It is caused by the inability of the body to use insulin properly, and the disease
poses a challenge to the family and the government as well due to the increased cost of treatment
and reduced quality of life. Individuals with this condition are at a higher risk of getting
depressed and anxious. Cognitive behavior therapy is a clinical psychology approach for the
treatment of a variety of emotional and behavioral disorders leading to self-discovery ad
behavior change. The primary objective behind this research is to find out how functional
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)is in the treatment of anxiety and depression in individuals
living with type 2 diabetes.
Testable Research Hypothesis
A testable research hypothesis is a hypothesis that can be either proved or disproved
through conducting tests. Proving the hypothesis requires an experiment to be conducted and
observations made to see how the variables relate or change under given conditions. A good
hypothesis should be specific, testable and should provide a prediction on what will happen to
the variables. It should also be clear on the changes to e made during testing and the effects that
will be caused by the changes. In my case, there is an experimental hypothesis that shows a
treatment will cause an effect while the null hypothesis explains the experimental treatment will
not affect the participants.
Experimental Hypothesis: Conducting Cognitive behavioral therapy on diabetic patients
minimizes symptoms of anxiety and depression
Null Hypothesis: Conducting Cognitive behavioral therapy does not minimize depression and
anxiety in patients with diabetes.
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RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
Research Design
A research design is a combination of techniques and strategies that the researcher
chooses to integrate reasonably and logically. The research design helps the researcher to obtain
data that will help in answering the research question effectively. Experimental research applies
three types of research designs. The pre-experimental research design is used when the
researcher wants to observe the variables under conditions that are believed to have a cause-
effect. The second method is the quasi-experimental design. In this case, a cause-effect
relationship between the two variables is determined. However, the researcher does not assign
random groups, and the independent variables are not manipulated as well. In this case, the
researcher finds a relationship by exposing the controlled group to the variable and results
compared with the group that is not exposed. Lastly, the experimental research design is used as
a scientific method to establish a cause-effect relationship by manipulating the independent
variable. All other variables in this design are controlled except the independent variable.
In this research, casual research will be used to explain the cause-effect relationship
between the variables. The research involves establishing the variable that cause-effect and the
variable that is affected by through manipulation. In this case, an experimental research design
will be used to explain the phenomenon by making casual statements. Data correction will
involve both qualitative and quantitative methods. Collection of this kind of data will be done
through making and recording observations, recording anxiety, and depression screening results
in a meta-analysis table.
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RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
Reason for research design choice
The reason why this research design is appropriate is that the research question is
observational-relational. This means that the research needs to establish if the relationship
between variables is casual through experimenting. The design is an appropriate choice since it is
the only research design that allows the researcher to change the behavior or situation by
manipulating its natural conditions through manipulation manifest (Waters, LeBeau & Craske,
2017). In this case, our experiment has an independent variable which is the variable
manipulated by the researcher (in our case, it’s the cognition behavioral therapy treatment), a
dependent variable which is the outcome or the response that the researcher is interested in
establishing. This research also includes the experimental group consisting of randomly assigned
participants to the CBT treatment being tested (Bless & Burger, 2016). The other characteristic
involved in this design is the control group which includes the group of people who are randomly
selected for comparison with the experimental group. The other reason for choosing this research
design is because it explains facts on the effect a change causes on the variable rather than
making predictions. This makes the research design more accurate than other designs.
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RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
References
Schwarz, N., Newman, E., & Leach, W. (2016). Making the truth stick & the myths fade Lessons
from cognitive psychology. Behavioral Science & Policy, 2(1), 85-95.
Bless, H., & Burger, A. M. (2016). A Closer Look at Social Psychologists’ Silver Bullet:
Inevitable and Evitable Side Effects of the Experimental Approach. Perspectives on
Psychological Science, 11(2), 296–308. [Link]
Waters, A.M., LeBeau, R.T., & Craske, M.G. (2017). Experimental Psychopathology and
Clinical Psychology: An Integrative Model to Guide Clinical Science and Practice.
Psychopathology Review, 4 (2), 112-128 Retrieved from [Link]
[Link]/doi/pdf/10.5127/pr.038015