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A researcher wants to test the effectiveness of a highly structured cognitive-behavioral therapy program. Based on the concept of a placebo in psychotherapy, what specific type of simulated treatment should the researcher implement for the control group, and what crucial element must it lack?
Question: A researcher wants to test the effectiveness of a highly structured cognitive-behavioral therapy program. Based on the concept of a placebo in psychotherapy, what specific type of simulated treatment should the researcher implement for the control group, and what crucial element must it lack?
Sample answer: The researcher should implement an unstructured conversation with a therapist for the control group. This simulated treatment must mimic the experience of seeing a therapist but lack the active ingredient, which in this case refers to the specific structured cognitive-behavioral techniques intended to make the actual therapy effective.
Key points:
- The simulated treatment should be an unstructured conversation with a therapist.
- It must mimic the general experience of seeing a therapist.
- It must lack the specific active elements (the structured cognitive-behavioral techniques) intended to make the therapy effective.
Rubric: Full credit is given if the student suggests an unstructured conversation with a therapist and explicitly notes that it must lack the active therapeutic elements (the structured techniques) while mimicking the general experience of treatment.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A researcher wants to test the effectiveness of a highly structured cognitive-behavioral therapy program. Based on the concept of a placebo in psychotherapy, what specific type of simulated treatment should the researcher implement for the control group, and what crucial element must it lack?