Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Clinical Psychological Science
- Part II Observational Approaches
- Part III Experimental and Biological Approaches
- 9 Conceptual Foundations of Experimental Psychopathology
- 10 A Practical Guide for Designing and Conducting Cognitive Studies in Child Psychopathology
- 11 Peripheral Psychophysiology
- 12 Behavioral and Molecular Genetics
- 13 Concepts and Principles of Clinical Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- 14 Clinical Computational Neuroscience
- Part IV Developmental Psychopathology and Longitudinal Methods
- Part V Intervention Approaches
- Part VI Intensive Longitudinal Designs
- Part VII General Analytic Considerations
- Index
- References
9 - Conceptual Foundations of Experimental Psychopathology
Historical Context, Scientific Posture, and Reflections on Substantive and Method Matters
from Part III - Experimental and Biological Approaches
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Clinical Psychological Science
- Part II Observational Approaches
- Part III Experimental and Biological Approaches
- 9 Conceptual Foundations of Experimental Psychopathology
- 10 A Practical Guide for Designing and Conducting Cognitive Studies in Child Psychopathology
- 11 Peripheral Psychophysiology
- 12 Behavioral and Molecular Genetics
- 13 Concepts and Principles of Clinical Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- 14 Clinical Computational Neuroscience
- Part IV Developmental Psychopathology and Longitudinal Methods
- Part V Intervention Approaches
- Part VI Intensive Longitudinal Designs
- Part VII General Analytic Considerations
- Index
- References
Summary
Experimental psychopathology is the psychological science discipline that uses the methods of the experimental psychology laboratory in conjunction with quantitative analytic approaches to gain leverage on the etiology and pathogenesis of psychopathology, within a brain-based (genomic, endophenotype, neurobiological) diathesis-stressor matrix. Laboratory methods provide precision in measurement not attainable through clinical rating approaches and experimental design options allow the investigator to better identify potentially causal as well as maintaining processes in psychopathology. The chapter provides both a historical context within which experimental psychopathology can be placed and identifies conceptual and methodological features of the approach. A number of issues are addressed: (a) the value of clinical observation; (b) context of discovery; (c) counting vs. rating in data collection; (d) the falsity of the null hypothesis in statistical testing; (e) levels of analysis; (f) how predictors are conceived of in many instances; (g) the importance of embracing heterogeneity in empirical data; (h) specific etiology and genetics; (i) emergence; and (j) causality in a correlational framework. This overview is intended to convey defining features of the experimental psychopathology approach.
Keywords
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- Information
- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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