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Analyze the researchers' claim using the logic and findings from Hans Eysenck's 1952 study on psychotherapy. Explain why the researchers cannot conclude that the app caused the reduction in anxiety, and identify the specific alternative explanation they must rule out.
Case context: A research group is investigating the efficacy of a new mobile application designed to reduce anxiety. They recruit 100 participants, measure their anxiety levels (pretest), instruct them to use the app for a month, and then measure their anxiety levels again (posttest). The researchers find that 70% of the participants show a significant reduction in anxiety. Based on this, they publish a paper claiming that their app is an effective treatment for anxiety.
Question: Analyze the researchers' claim using the logic and findings from Hans Eysenck's 1952 study on psychotherapy. Explain why the researchers cannot conclude that the app caused the reduction in anxiety, and identify the specific alternative explanation they must rule out.
Sample answer: The researchers cannot conclude that the app caused the reduction in anxiety because their pretest-posttest design lacks an untreated control group. According to the logic of Eysenck's 1952 study, without comparing the app users to an untreated group (such as waitlist participants or archival data), it is impossible to determine whether the 70% improvement rate was caused by the app or simply due to spontaneous remission—the natural recovery or improvement of symptoms over time without active treatment.
Key points:
- The pretest-posttest design lacks a control group of untreated individuals.
- Without a control group, the researchers cannot attribute the improvement specifically to the intervention.
- Spontaneous remission is the natural improvement of symptoms over time without treatment.
- Eysenck's logic requires comparing treatment outcomes to untreated outcomes to rule out spontaneous remission.
Rubric: The response should demonstrate comprehension by explaining that: 1) The lack of a control group in the pretest-posttest design makes it impossible to draw causal conclusions about the treatment. 2) The improvement could be explained by spontaneous remission, which is the natural recovery of patients over time without therapy, matching Eysenck's critique.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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