The Koerner Center is pleased to announce the publication of Alan E. Kazdin’s book Research Design in Clinical Psychology, sixth edition. The book elaborates research methods used in clinical psychology, but the issues and methods are relevant to many other areas as well, such as psychiatry, social work, nursing counseling, education, and health care. Methodology is divided in this book into five areas: Research Design, Assessment, Data Evaluation and Interpretation, Ethics and Scientific Integrity, and Communication of Research Findings. These areas help organize many issues as they emerge in planning and executing research. The book emphasizes the importance of methodological diversity in science. The dominant model of quantitative research in contemporary science is elaborated, but other equally rigorous methodologies are covered as well (e.g., qualitative and mixed-methods research, single-case experiments). Diversity of methodologies adds to the options available to the researcher as well as the breadth of knowledge we can obtain about a given phenomenon.
The revised edition of the book gives special attention to advances in such areas as (1) selection and development of a research study, (2) integration of cultural, ethnic, sex, and gender issues, (3) evaluation of clinical interventions, (4) novel assessment procedures, (5) use of technology, robots, A.I., and web methods in conducting studies, (6) publication bias, “negative” results, and current priorities related to replication, (7) ethical issues, and (8) changes in the publication and communication of research.
The book includes examples from diverse areas such as sports, nutrition, religion, social behavior, health factors, and education to illustrate key points for bringing methodology to life.
In addition, Professor Kazdin recently published a French translation of his 2008 work The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child: With no pills, no therapy, no contest of will. The book focuses on ways of changing child behavior at home, at school, and in the community. Professor Kazdin also created a free online course (Coursera-Yale) for parents in response to widespread interest in this subject following television and other media coverage of the programs he developed at Yale.
Alan E. Kazdin is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University. Before coming to Yale, he was on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. At Yale, he has been chair of the Psychology department, director and chair of the Yale Child Study Center at the School of Medicine, director of Child Psychiatric Services at Yale New Haven Hospital, and chair of the Yale University Press Publications Committee. His research has focused primarily on the treatment of aggressive and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Currently, his work focuses on world mental health and the treatment of mental disorders of adults. In 2008 he was president of the American Psychological Association. His 850+ publications include 51 books that focus on research methodology, psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents, parenting and child rearing, and interpersonal violence. His work on parenting and childrearing has been featured on NPR, PBS, BBC, and CNN, and he has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, 20/20, and Dr. Phil.