University of Technology Sydney

96046 Research Project 1

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Health (GEM)
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 96043 Introduction to Clinical Practice Skills AND 96044 Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology AND 96045 Adult Clinical Psychology 1 AND 96049 Assessment Across the Lifespan AND 96047c Clinical Placement 1 AND 96048c Adult Clinical Psychology 2 AND 96050c Clinical Health Psychology
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This subject introduces students to the conduct of psychology research in clinical settings and with clinical populations. Common clinical psychology research methodologies and approaches are introduced and ethical principles of research in clinical psychology are also explored.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

001. Locate scholarly literature relevant to a given topic
002. Critique selected research
003. Formulate a research question
004. Undertake a review of the literature related to a research question
005. Select a research methodology relevant to a given research question
006. Present a research proposal addressing a gap in the literature
007. Construct an ethics application for a research project
008. Evaluate the reliability and validity of assessment
009. Conduct approved research
010. Interpret research data using appropriate methodology
011. Evaluate research data in the context of the literature
012. Communicate research findings and outcomes
013. Assess the impact of research
014. Suggest modifications and directions for further research
015. Apply research in a given clinical context
046. Evaluate the impact of an intervention
057. Use written and spoken communication in a manner appropriate to the target audience
064. Maintain a professional relationship with supervisor
066. Accept supervisory input
076. Interpret assessment results

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:

  • Apply in practice accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the current state of psychological theories and models, the application, implementation and interpretation of psychological investigations, and the implementation of psychological interventions. (.001)
  • Provide ethically and legally accountable client-centred care, with awareness of own capabilities and limitations. (.002)
  • Assess and report on individual and population psychological health status, using appropriate testing and/or observation methodologies. (.003)
  • Design and evaluate psychological interventions to optimise client or organisational health. (.004)
  • Evaluate evidence and engage in systematic inquiry. (.005)
  • Communicate effectively and accurately with clients and stakeholders in written or spoken language appropriate to their needs. (.006)
  • Demonstrate respect and value for diverse ways of knowing, being and doing, in particular recognising the diversity of Indigenous Australians, while critically reflecting on the impact of ongoing colonisation and its pervasive discourse on their health and wellbeing, and integrating this knowledge into practice (.007)
  • Reflect on the knowledge, skills and attributes required for the evaluation and integration of emerging evidence into practice, promoting the growth of personal and professional learning, and the education of others. (.009)
  • Represent the psychologist's perspective in multidisciplinary environments, and through self-awareness and acknowledgement of the contribution of other health practitioners, support an interdisciplinary approach to attain the best outcomes for clients. (.010)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:

Lifelong learning

Graduates of the Master of Clinical Psychology are lifelong learners, committed to and capable of reflection and inquiry in their quest for personal development and excellence in professional practice.

Professional capacity

Graduates of the Master of Clinical Psychology are client-focussed, ethical practitioners with the understanding and proficiency to be leaders in their profession, capable of effectively researching and communicating solutions in a global context.

Global citizenship

Graduates of the Master of Clinical Psychology contribute to society, resolving to undertake those actions and responsibilities that will enhance their role in local, national and global communities.

Teaching and learning strategies

Preparation for Learning:

Students are required to prepare for learning by coming to lectures prepared. This might include completing required readings or reviewing relevant data output prior to attending the lectures and seminars.

Active Lectures and workshops:

This subject follows a presentation and practice approach where students are exposed to key aspects of the research process, followed by practice and consideration of key issues through class exercises. Because of the small class size, teaching staff will encourage real-time interaction between peers. For example, teaching staff will request clinical examples for statistical concepts, plus discussion of controversial issues (at times in small groups, if time is available). Teaching staff will provide feedback to student commentary.

Case-based Learning:

Students are required to synthesise formal knowledge and apply it in clinical research contexts. Real-world clinical examples will be provided to clarify key features of research design and statistics. These will assist students in learning how to apply the skills taught in class to real world examples. Students will initiate their own research project, specifically deciding on research questions, hypotheses, research design, sample and variables. Students will also submit their project for ethics approval.

Scientist-Practitioner Focus:

This course frequently mentions the paradigm of evidence-based practice in clinical psychology, that is, critical thinking about clinical treatments that work, as based on well-designed clinical trials, or on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of such trials. Therefore, students learn to how to locate and evaluate appropriate research studies, including assessment of the validity of the studies. Students are encouraged to come to class prepared to engage the lecturer in discussion about this evidence base.

Collaborative Learning:

Much work as clinical psychologists involves working with multi-disciplinary teams as well as teams made up of multiple psychologists. Therefore, clinical psychology students should develop skills in teamwork. In this subject, students are required to discuss with each other their proposed research projects, thus providing peer feedback.

Reflective Learning:

Reflective practice is an essential skill of a clinical psychologist. This subject aims to foster reflective practice by asking students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses regarding research methods and statistics, and strategies to overcome such weaknesses.

Practice-based and Self-Directed Learning:

Students are encouraged to continually search for and evaluate newly published research in clinical psychology, particularly in their topics of special interest, such as those related to their thesis. Students are also encouraged to meet in groups both in class and outside of class to discuss potential problems related to designing their research projects.

Ongoing Feedback:

Feedback is an important teaching and learning strategy employed throughout the subject. Teaching staff will provide detailed feedback regarding assessment tasks, and students are encouraged to provide feedback to their peers during class based activities.

Content (topics)

Students will engage in lectures and tutorials which cover i) the procedures and supports available for conducting research in the UTS environment, ii) the scientist-practitioner model and evidence-based treatments, iii) ethical principles in clinical research, and iv) key data analysis and interpretation approaches used in clinical psychology.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Clinical outcomes interpretation exercise

Intent:

Clinical psychologists are evidence-based practitioners. To be an evidenced-based practitioner, psychologists are required to understand how to analyse and interpret clinical data. This task is designed to simulate key steps of the interpretation of clinical outcome data, as occurs in routine clinical practice.

Objective(s):

This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives:

010, 012, 014, 015, 046 and 076

This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes:

.001, .003, .004, .005, .006, .007 and .010

Type: Exercises
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 35%
Length:

Expected completion time: 90 minutes maximum

Criteria:

Students are expected to achieve a mark of at least 50% to pass this assessment.

Assessment criteria can be found in the Assignments section of the subject Canvas site.

Assessment task 2: Written Research Proposal

Intent:

Clinical psychologists are required to summarise an intended research project via a research protocol. This task gives trainees the opportunity to develop and communicate a full research proposal similar to what is required in a variety of clinical and research contexts. It will also provide trainees with the opportunity to obtain detailed feedback on the rationale and feasibility of their project.

Objective(s):

This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives:

001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 008, 011, 013, 014, 015, 057, 064 and 066

This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes:

.001, .002, .003, .004, .005, .006, .009 and .010

Type: Report
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 65%
Length:

2000 Words (maximum)

Criteria:

Students are expected to achieve a mark of at least 50% to pass this assessment. Assessment criteria can be found in the Assignments section of the subject Canvas site.

Assessment task 3: Human Research Ethics Committee Application

Intent:

This task allows trainees to demonstrate understanding and application of ethical principles to research practice.

Objective(s):

This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives:

007 and 009

This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes:

.002 and .005

Groupwork: Individual
Weight: Mandatory task that does not contribute to subject mark
Length:

Contingent upon project and administrative requirements.

Criteria:

Submitted/Not submitted.

Minimum requirements

Students must attain at least 50% overall in order to pass the subject. 100% attendance as the workshops is required.

There are must-pass assessments in this subject. Please check assessment descriptions for details

Students who require UTS Human Research Ethics Committee approval for their thesis project will need to have completed the online application by the end of the subject.

Required texts

Coursework Assessments Policy

Coursework Assessments Procedures

Graduate School of Health Policy, Guidelines and Procedures (login required)

Additional required readings will be provided via Canvas

Recommended texts

There will be required readings associated with each topic. Trainees should complete the following readings before each of the respective seminars. These readings will be available through Canvas or in the UTS library. A more complete list will be posted on Canvas for each seminar.

General references

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics with SPSS (5th edition). London: Sage Publications. Or earlier editions.

Kendall, P. C. & Comer, J. S. (2014). Research methods in clinical psychology. In, Oxford handbook of clinical psychology, Updated edition (D. H. Barlow, editor), 52 – 74. London: Oxford University Press.

Evidence-based practice

American Psychological Association (2006). Evidence-based practice in psychology. American Psychologist, 61, 271-285.

Lilienfeld, S. et al. (2013). Why many clinical psychologists are resistant to evidence-based practice. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 883- 900.

Experimental and Quasi-experimental designs

Kendall, J. M. (2011). Designing a research report: Randomised controlled trials and their principles. Emergency Medicine, 20, 164 – 168.

Moher, D. et al. (2010). CONSORT 2010 Statement explanation and elaboration. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 63 (8), e1 – e37.

Single-case designs

Holman, G., & Koerner, K. (2014). Single case designs in clinical practice: A contemporary CBS perspective [etc]. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3,138-147.

Smith, J. D. (2012). Single-case experimental designs: A systematic review of published research and current standards. Psychological Methods, 17, 510 – 550.

Effect sizes and statistical power

Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155 - 159.

Morris, P. E. & Fritz, C. O. (2013). Why are effect sizes still neglected? The Psychologist, 26, 580 – 583.

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis

Moher, D. et al. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. BMJ, 339, b2535 [or] PLoS Med, 6(7): e1000097.

Moller, M. H. et al. (2018). Are systematic reviews and meta-analyses still useful research? We are not sure. Intensive Care Medicine, 44, 518 – 520.