Stephen-
Not quite double blind, but very very close. You would also have to
ensure that the therapists were equally convinced of the effectiveness of
their treatments otherwise differential experimenter enthusiasm could
affect the Ss responses. That quibble aside, I agree that it would be a
good test of cognitive (or any other) therapy.
-Don.
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Don Allen email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dept. of Psychology voice: (604)-323-5871
Langara College fax: (604)-323-5555
100 W. 49th Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada, V5Y 2Z6
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On Wed, 11 Aug 1999, Stephen Black wrote:
> > Rick Adams wrote:
> >
> > "Some forms of alternative medicine don't lend themselves well
> > to a rigid double-blind research approach (to use a psychological
> > anology, try designing a double blind experiment to demonstrate
> > the efficacy of cognitive therapy...
>
> Nothing like a little summer-time challenge. OK, here goes.
>
> Design an equally-credible placebo treatment. This isn't as difficult
> as it seems, as people are prepared to believe almost anything as
> psychotherapy (e.g. repressed memory therapy). This has been done. For
> example, Paul & Shannon (1966), in a classic study, designed an
> attention-placebo treatment in which subjects were given a supposed
> "fast-acting tranquillizer" (placebo) and told to work at a supposed
> "very stressful task". An important requirement would be to determine,
> post-hoc, whether the fake treatment was, in fact, equally credible.
> Or, you could just use standard psychodynamic therapy as a credible
> all-purpose placebo therapy.
>
> Randomly assign subjects to either placebo therapy or cognitive
> therapy. So far, we have single-blind (subjects don't know which is
> the placebo). To make it double blind, have the outcome measures
> taken by independent interviewers or observers who don't know which
> treatment has been applied to which subjects. The interviewers would
> have to be cautioned not to ask any questions which could reveal which
> treatment the subjects had received, but this shouldn't be a problem.
>
> Bingo, double-blind study. QED.
>
> -Stephen
>
> Reference
>
> Paul, G., & Shannon, D. (1966). Treatment of anxiety through
> systematic desensitization in therapy groups. Journal of
> Abnormal Psychology, 71, 124--135.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
> Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
> Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Lennoxville, QC
> J1M 1Z7
> Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
