advanced research methods in developmental psychopathology

ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Psychology 125c: Spring, 2008
Professor Bruce L. Baker 3221 Franz Hall 825-9176 baker@psych.ucla.edu
Ms. Cameron Neece 2214 Franz Hall 825-9592 neece@psych.ucla.edu
Ms. Cori Fujii Fernald 825-9592 cfujii@ucla.edu
These two seminars are coordinated with the Fernald Child Study Center Research Intern
program for undergraduates in Psychology and are open only to Fernald Interns.
Objectives. The 125b and 125c seminars will facilitate students' learning about research
approaches utilized by psychologists to conduct research in developmental psychopathology.
Our exploration of research approaches in the Winter Quarter considered: hypothesis testing;
controls to reduce threats to validity; measurement; and descriptive, correlational, and
longitudinal designs. We considered research approaches within the context of studies in child
clinical psychology that addressed issues such as: measure development, behavioral observation,
continuity over time, risk and protective factors, self-regulation, high risk parenting, parentchild
interaction, family stress, and well-being. This quarter we will focus on intervention
research broadly in developmental psychopathology. We will consider frequently used designs
(e.g. groups; single subjects), program contexts (e.g. evidence-based programs and program
evaluation, in university, schools, hospitals, and community agencies) and program focus (e.g.
behavioral parent training; externalizing disorders – conduct disorder, ADHD; internalizing
disorders – anxiety, depression, eating disorders; developmental disabilities). We will continue
to examine ethical issues throughout the quarter.
There will be an emphasis on the "case study" approach to learning; students will learn about
research methods primarily by in depth consideration of selected research studies. These
represent a range of issues in child psychopathology, clinical populations, and research
approaches. Exposure to research methods will be through presentations, readings, class
discussions, writing, class presentations, and – most importantly -- participation in the conduct
of research. The seminar will be uniquely tailored to fit with other experiences that students
have in the Fernald Research Internship program.
Prerequisites: Participation in the year-long Fernald Research Intern Program.
Meetings: All meetings are at the Fernald Child Study Center. We will meet for 10 hours
weekly, distributed as follows: (a) One and a half hour seminar TUESDAYS 3:30-5:00; (b) One
and a half hour coding meeting, other research activity (or sometimes a seminar) THURSDAYS
3:30-5:00; (c) 7 hours of supervised experience in one or more research projects.
Evaluation: Evaluation methods will include: (a) a term paper (due Tuesday, June 5), (b)
participation in the seminar, and related written assignments, and (c) participation in the
research practicum. There will be no exams.
Weekly Assignments: Students are required to submit brief weekly assignments based on the
readings. For several weeks (Weeks 3, 4) these are indicated in the syllabus. For most other
weeks they will involve a brief (paragraph or so) article critique; specifics will be announced in
class each week.

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SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
SPRING QUARTER: INTERVENTION RESEARCH
1. April 1 CFS Research Presentations
2. *April 10 Intervention Research: Issues and Group Designs; SPSS Analyses #5
3. April 15 Intervention Research: Single Subject Designs
4. April 22 Parent Training Studies
5. *May 1 Evidence Based Treatments & The MTA Study
6. May 6 Evidence Based Treatments & Autism Spectrum Disorders
7. May 13 Program Evaluation in Community-Based Interventions
8. May 20 Research critique: Child/Adolescent Intervention studies
9. May 27 Child/Adolescent Intervention studies (con.); Student research reports
10. June 3 Student research reports
* Thursday classes
Background References (Optional):
Baker, B. L., Blacher, J., Kopp, C. B. & Kraemer, B. (1997). Parenting children with mental
retardation. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation, 20, 1-45. This
review paper provides a good overview of issues in parenting and mental retardation –
useful framework for understanding the implications of CFS studies
Graziano, A. M., & Raulin, M. L. (2000). Research methods: A process of inquiry. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon. This book presents material that overlaps with what you covered in Psych
100B. It is included as a reference, for you to review if you want to.
Kazdin,, A. (1999). Research in contemporary clinical psychology: Design and implementation.
In T. G. Plante, Ed., Contemporary clinical psychology, Chapter 6 (pp. 97-124). This
chapter is a no-frills presentation of basic methods and issues in research. It too overlaps
with what you have covered in Psych 100B, but will be a good review.
Kazdin, A. E., & Weisz, J. R. (2003). Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and
adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press.

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SPRING QUARTER EXPANDED SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND READINGS
Readings designated with (*) are required. Others are optional. Copies of all readings
(required and optional) are available in the CFS office. Please try to read the papers listed under
each topic before class that week. Readings are listed in the best order to read them.
Week 1. CFS RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
*Fenning, R. M., Baker, J. K., Baker, B. L., & Crnic, K. A. (2007). Parenting children with
borderline intellectual functioning: A unique risk population. American Journal on Mental
Retardation, 112, 107-121. Pay particular attention to the codes for parent behavior in the
naturalistic setting.
Eisenhower, A., Baker, B. L., & Blacher, J. (2005). Preschool children with intellectual
disability: Syndrome specificity, behaviour problems, and maternal well-being. Journal of
Intellectual Disability Research,49, 657-671.
Baker, B. L., McIntyre, L. L., Blacher, J., Crnic, K., Edelbrock, C., & Low, C. (2003). Preschool
children with and without developmental delay: Behavior problems and parenting stress
over time. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. Required Winter quarter; read it
now if you didn’t read it then.
Week 2. INTERVENTION RESEARCH: ISSUES and GROUP DESIGNS.
SPSS ANALYSIS EXERCISE #5
*Kazdin, A. E., & Weisz, J. R. (2003). Introduction: Context and background of evidence-based
psychotherapies for children and adolescents. In Kazdin & Weisz, Ch. 1 pp 3-20.
*Weisz, J. R., Donenberg, G. R., Weiss, B., & Han, S. S. (1995). Bridging the gap between
laboratory and clinic in child and adolescent psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 63, 688-701. Presents the major problem of differential effectiveness
in the laboratory and the real-world.
Hoagwood, K. (2003). Ethical issues in child and adolescent psychosocial treatment research.
In A.E. Kazdin and J. R. Weisz (Eds.). Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and
adolescents, Ch. 4. New York: Guilford.
Week 3. INTERVENTION RESEARCH: SINGLE SUBJECT DESIGNS
We will continue our discussion of group designs and then consider single subject designs. We
will consider several approaches to single-subject research, and then focus on student
presentation of three single-subject experiments. The Kazdin chapter will be good background.
Kazdin, A. E. (1982). Single-case experimental designs. In Kendall, P. C. & Butcher, J. N.
Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology, Ch. 14. New York: Wiley. Pay
particular attention to pp. 461-467. (optional)

*Read one of the following single case articles (as assigned in class) and be prepared to report
on it in class. Copies will be distributed in the first class.
Ayllon, T., Layman, D., & Kandel, H. J. (1975). A behavioral-educational alternative to drug
control of hyperactive children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 8, 137-146. (A
classic study)
Garfinkle, A. N., & Schwartz, I. S. (2002). Peer imitation: Increasing social interactions in
children with Autism and other developmental disabilities in inclusive preschool
classrooms. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 22, 26-38.
Ronen, T., (1991). Intervention package for treating sleep disorders in a four-year-old girl.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 22, 141-148.
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Week 4. PARENT TRAINING STUDIES
We will discuss the Cunningham, Bremner, & Boyle study from the perspective of the
methodological points raised in the Peterson and Bell-Dolan article. Score Cunningham et al. on
the Ten (plus) Commandments checklist that will be handed out in class.
*Peterson, L., & Bell-Dolan, D. (1995). Treatment outcome research in child psychology:
Realistic coping with the “Ten Commandments of Methodology.” Journal of Clinical Child
Psychology, 24, 149-162.
*Cunningham, C. E., Bremner, R., & Boyle, M. (1995). Large group community-based parenting
programs for families of preschoolers at risk for disruptive behaviour disorders: Utilization,
cost effectiveness, and outcome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 1141-
1159.
Baker, B. L. (1997). Parent training. In J. W. Jacobson & J. A. Mulick (Eds.), Diagnosis and
professional practice in mental retardation, 289-299. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association
Week 5. EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENT AND THE MTA STUDY
*Chorpita, B. F. (2003). The frontier of evidence-based practice. In Kazdin & Weiss, Ch. 3.
Builds on the Chambliss & Hollon article.
*Jensen, P. S., et al. (2001). Findings from the NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD
(MTA): Implications and applications for primary care providers. Developmental and
Behavioral Pediatrics, 22, 60-73.
Anastopoulos, A. D., & Farley, S. E. (2003). A cognitive-behavioral training program for parents
of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In Kazdin & Weiss, Ch. 11.
Week 6. EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENT FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
*Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2005). A comparison

of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism.
Research in developmental disabilities, 26, 359-383. This is based on Lovaas (1987); it
provides support for ABA and raises issues about evidence base for autism treatments.
Lovaas, O.I. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in
young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3-9. This is the
classic paper portrayed in a film that we will watch part of; it raises a host of issues about
design of intervention research.
Cohen, H., Amerine-Dickens, M., & Smith, T. (2006). Early intensive behavioral treatment:
Replication of the UCLA model in a community setting. Journal of Developmental &
Behavioral Pediatrics, 27, 145-155.
Sallows, G. O., & Graupner, T. D. (2005). Intensive behavioral treatment for children with
autism: Four-year outcome and predictors. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 110,
417-438. This is an extremely careful replication of the original Lovaas (1987) conditions,
with the same positive findings.
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Week 7.
PROGRAM EVALUATION IN COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS
*Olds, D. L. (2002). Prenatal and infancy home visiting by nurses: From randomized trials to
community replication. Prevention Science, 3, 153-172.
Baker, B. L. & Feinfield, K. A. (2007). Early Intervention and Parent Education. Chapter for
Handbook of Developmental Disabilities. This chapter provides descriptions of several
notable early intervention programs.
Week 8. RESEARCH CRITIQUE: CHILD/ADOL. INTERVENTION STUDIES
*Feinfield, K. A., & Baker, B. L. (2004). Empirical support for a treatment program for families
of young children with externalizing problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent
Psychology, 33, 182-195.
*Agras, W., Walsh, T., Fairburn, C., Wilson, T et al. (2000). A multi-center comparison of
cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa. Archives
of General Psychiatry, 57, 459-466.
Week 9. CHILD/ADOLESCENT INTERVENTION ARTICLES;
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Current articles on topics of interest to class; to be distributed in class.
Week 10 STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
This class will feature presentations by interns on term paper research.