Conducting Health Research

1. Conducting Health Research Health Psychology

2. I. Scientific Foundations of Health Psych • Psychology • Epidemiology

3. II. Psychology’s 5 Contributions • Techniques for _________________ • Focus on health • Developed _______________________ health/illness behaviors • Created theoretical models to explain & predict behaviors • Scientific method to study behaviors

4. Research Methods in Psych • _________________ • DFN: detailed in-depth study of ONE person • e.g., 80 yr old Latino man with diabetes and lung cancer • Pro: Lots of info, great for rare/special cases • Con: Can’t generalize (magnifies sampling error)

5. Correlational studies • DFN: degree of relationship between two variables • e.g., # stressful life events & heart attack • Correlation coefficient: -1.00 to +1.00 • Pro: Shows direction of influence (positive/negative) • Con: Can’t determine ______________ ___________________

6. Cross-Sectional studies • DFN: compares groups at _________________ • e.g., anxiety of Psych majors vs. non-majors on 1st day of this class • Pro: Shows differences between grps • Con: Can’t see trends over time

7. ______________________ studies • DFN: compares groups over time • e.g., anxiety of Psych majors vs. non-majors this class over the semester • Pro: Shows developing trends & changes • Con: Expensive, takes long time

8. Experimental Designs • DFN: manipulates independent variable & observes its effect on dependent variable • e.g., look at heart disease in low fat diet (tx grp) and regular diet (control grp) • Con: Can be too fake/artificial • Pro: Shows causation, can control placebo & nocebo effects

9. DFNs • Placebo = positive effects based on positive expectation (e.g., sugar pill) • Hawthorne effect = improvement due to _______________ (e.g., of doctor) • Nocebo = negative effects (e.g., voodoo death)

10. Ex Post Facto Designs • DFN: contrasts groups with a ______________ subject variable (no manipulation of independent variable) • e.g., look at heart disease in nondrinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers, & heavy drinkers • Pro: Uses real life differences • Con: Can’t determine causation (similar to correlational studies)

11. III. Contributions of Epidemiology • DFNs: • Epidemiology = studies factors contributing to disease in a _____________ • Mortality = # deaths due to particular cause • Morbidity = # cases of a disease • Prevalence = proportion of population with a disease at a certain time (# existing cases) • Incidence = # of new cases of a disease during a certain time (a year)

12. 3 Purposes of Epidemiological Studies • Determine __________ of specific diseases • Test if hypotheses are consistent with data • Evaluate prevention procedures

13. Research Methods in Epidemiology • Observational Methods • Retrospective (Case-control studies) • Prospective • DFN: Retrospective = Looking back • Compare people who already have disease to people who don’t • DFN: _____________ = Following forward • Longitudinal, compares cohort over time

14. DFN: cohort = group starting an experience together

15. Natural Experiments • DFN: contrasts groups with naturally occurring differences (no manipulation of independent variable) • e.g., radioactive spill • Pro: Uses ______________ differences • Con: Can’t determine causation

16. Experimental Investigations • DFN: manipulates independent variable (IV) & observes its effect on dependent variable (DV) • RARE in Epidem • e.g., clinical trials, community trials • DFN: Double-blind = experimenter & __________________ don’t know who receives placebo or independent variable (IV)

17. Case Correlational Cross-Sectional Longitudinal Ex Post Facto Experimental -- Observational Retrospective ______________ Natural Experimental IV. Comparing Psych & Epidem

18. Epidem Example: John Snow • 1848: Cholera epidemic in London • Homes along certain _______________ had higher rates • Shut off those ________________