Describes problems in implementing placebo controls in psychotherapy including the difficulty of ensuring that therapists and their patients will view both the experimental and placebo treatments as comparably credible. Considers six research issues stemming from the definitional requirement that the placebo control for the critical and specific…

Considers multiple design issues and strategies raised by comparative outcome studies including the conceptualization, implementation, and evaluation of alternative treatments; assessment of treatment-specific processes and outcomes; and evaluation of the results. (Author/BL)

Notes that longitudinal data can play an important role in child psychopathology and treatment. Introduces review of some of the research questions that longitudinal designs can answer and how longitudinal studies have been used in evaluating traditional syndromes in child clinical psychology. (Author/NB)

An examination of the scientific basis of both control group designs and comparative designs in outcome research reveals that comparative designs generally have fewer threats to validity and provide a more efficient means of control for nonspecific treatment factors suggesting that comparative studies warrant a larger role in the study of…

Empirical studies based on psychoanalytic model have concentrated on study of therapeutic process and diagnostic groups such as borderline personality disorder (BPD). Work in BPD provides paradigm for future approaches in study of second-order inferences removed from immediate observational field. Concept of structure may be clarified by empirical…

Questioned the statistical analyses of the Moleski and Tosi investigation of rational-emotive therapy versus systematic desensitization. Suggested means for lowering the error rate through a more efficient experimental design. Recommended a reanalysis of the original data. (LLL)

Addresses strategies needed in using longitudinal data on psychopathology to test cause-and-effect relationships, including natural experiments, testing of competing hypotheses on mechanisms, study of reversal effects, multiple replications in different circumstances, use of designs to dissociate possible mechanisms, testing for dose-response…

Reviews a study which found that symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are neither unique to or common among Vietnam veteran psychiatric patients or their Korean war counterparts. Questions choice of study sample, confounding variables, and source of data. A rebuttal by the original author is included. (WAS)

In seven articles methods of enhancing clinical practice through empirical approaches and realistic approaches and realistic research are discussed including: (1) Cronbach's method of intensive observation; (2) intensive monitoring of treatment strength, integrity, and effectiveness; (3) the use of dependent measures; (4) drawing valid conclusions…