Research Design in Clinical Psychology

by Alan E. Kazdin

Book Overview

Gain a thorough understanding of the entire research process - developing ideas, selecting methods, analyzing and communicating results - in this fully revised and updated textbook. The sixth edition... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205332927
• ISBN13: 9780205332922
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 664 Pages
• Weight: 2.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.9" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Good but long-winded

I give this 4 stars because it truly is an excellent reference book for clinical psychology research methodology, but I don't think I've ever come across a textbook writer as verbose as Kazdin. The man will beat a dead horse to a pulp, get a bat, and then beat the pulp until it's pureed. To his credit, I honestly think he is trying to help readers along (especially beginners) in their understanding of complex topics via repetition and different wording of the same concepts, but it gets downright ridiculous in most of the chapters and bogs down the fluidity and rhythm of the text.

A good source

This text is easy to follow with lots of examples. It can be a little redundant for people who have a good background in research; however, for beginners, it's a really good text.

Practical information for researchers

I've used Kazdin's book for several years now in planning my own research in the area of developmental psychopathology. I can see why others have criticized the book as being long-winded and somewhat dry - I wouldn't recommend reading the book cover-to-cover. However, the book is filled with practical advice on how to design research studies in the areas of clinical or abnormal psychology. I especially like Kazdin's discussion of the threats to internal and external validity that commonly plague research. I'd recommend this book as a "handbook" for researchers to reference when they need to look up specific topics or to plan a new project.

Great book!

As a third year grad student, I read A LOT of textbooks. I can say that this is one of the better ones, with clear definitions and lots of examples. A great asset for any student.