Spring

2022
Department of
Applied Psychology,
NUML

Advance Research Methods

(ADCP-I/ EVENING)
Course Code: ADCP-703
Proposed Course Code: APPP-
Semester: ADCP- I (Evening)
Subject Teacher: Ms. Sehrish Khan
Email Address: sehrish.khan@numl.edu.pk

Course Description
This course is designed to familiarize the students with concepts of research particularly focusing
on clinical setting, such as from generating research idea to data collection, analysis, and
interpretation of research findings. The course aims at developing scientific reasoning and
understanding of research process.

Course Outcomes
At the completion of the course the students will be able to:

i. Understand the basic concepts of research methodology

ii. Be aware of ethical concerns as per APA
iii. Different research techniques applied in clinical psychology
iv. Design, analyze and interpret the findings of an empirical investigation

Course Outline

Week 1 Lecture #1 & 2

Orientation & Introduction to Research and Scientific Methods

 Class introduction
 Expectations from the Course
 Discussion on course outline
 Introducing and defining research
 Ways of Acquiring Information: Common sense, Experience, Intuition,
Authority, Tenacity, Logical Reasoning, Science. Scientific method
 Types of Research: Basic and Applied Research, Qualitative and
Quantitative Research, Descriptive, Correlational, Explanatory and

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 Exploratory Research
Week 2 Lecture #3 & 4

Research Methodology and Clinical Psychology: An Overview

 Brief Description of Research Methods: Archival research,

Observational research, Case study, Survey research, Experimental
research
 Validity concerns in clinical psychology research
 A brief description of steps in planning and doing research
Week 3 Lecture # 5 & 6
Ethics in Research
 Ethical Considerations in Clinical Psychology
 APA Guidelines for Ethical Research with Human Beings: Issues of
Freedom of Choice, Privacy and Confidentiality, Deception, Debriefing
and Risk Benefit Ratio
Week 4 Lecture #7 & 8

Doing Ground work in clinical Research

 Formulating research questions
 Defining Variables and Types of Variables
 Operational Definitions of Variables
 Review of Literature (the search process)
 Hypothesis and Formulation of Hypothesis
 Research proposal
Week 5 Lecture #9 & 10

Writing a Research Report

 APA Guidelines for Writing a Research Report

 How to Write a Research Proposal
Week 6 Quiz - 1

Week 7 Lecture #11 & 12

Observational Research

 Defining Observational Research

 Quantitative and Qualitative Observation
Week 8 Lecture # 13 &14

 Observation with Intervention: Participant Observation, Structured

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 Observation
Week 9 & 10 Mid-Term Examination

Week 11 Lecture # 15 & 16

Self Report Methods
 Quantitative self report methods
 Qualitative self report methods
Week 12 Lecture # 17 & 18

Case Study Research

 Introducing Case Study Research
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Case Study Research

Week 13 Quiz-2

Experimental Research Design

 Steps involved in Experimental Research
 Independent and Dependent Variable
 Experimental Manipulation
 Control and Experimental Group

Week 14 Lecture # 21 & 22

 Balancing Techniques: Randomization, Matching, Blocking
 Internal vs. External Validity
 Threats to Internal Validity
 True vs. Quasi Experiment
Week 15 Lecture # 23 & 24

 Introducing different Experimental Designs: Pretest-Posttest Design,

Posttest Only Design, Factorial Design, Independent Groups Design/
Between Groups Design, Repeated Measures Design/Within Groups
Design, Small-N designs
Week 16 Lecture # 25 & 26

Analysis, interpretation and Dissemination of quantitative and qualitative data

Week 17 & 18  Review of syllabus
 END TERM FINAL SEMESTER EXAM

Text Books

1. Barker, C, Pistrang, N., Elliott, R. (2016). Research Methods in Clinical Psychology. John

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 Wiley & Sons.
2. Roberts, M.C.& Ilardi, S. S. (2003). Handbook of research methods in clinical
Psychology. MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
3. Evans, A. N., & Rooney, B. J. (2014). Metgods in Psychological research. (3 rd ed.). US:
Sage Publications.
4. Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., &Zechmeister, J. S. (2012). Research Methods in
Psychology. (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Suggested Readings

1. Goodwin, C. J., & Goodwin, K. A. (2012). Research in Psychology: Methods and Designs.
(7th ed.). US: John Wiley & Sons.

2. Mertens, D.M. (2015). Research and evaluation in education and psychology. (4 th ed.). US:
Sage Publications.
3. Breakwell, G. M., Smith, J. A., & Wright, D. B. (2012). Research Methods in Psychology. (4th
ed.). London: Sage Publications.

4. Smith, R. A., & Davis, S. F. (2009). The Psychologist as Detective: An Introduction to

Conducting Research in Psychology. (5th ed.). New Jersey. Prentice Hall.

5. Smith, J. A. (2008). Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods. (2nd

ed.). London: Sage Publications.

6. Haslam, S. A., & McGarty, C. (2014). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. (2nd
ed.). California: Sage Publications

Evaluation
 Internal Evaluation 20%
 Mid-Term Examination 30%
 Final-Term 50%
Examination

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