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The Importance Of The Scientific Method In Abnormal Psychology

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Introduction Over the course of time, humankind has developed many methods to better themselves. One such method is the scientific method. The scientific method serves as a great tool for abnormal psychologists for a variety of reasons—probably one of the most important reasons to use the scientific method in abnormal psychology is to discuss, test, and verify findings. This gives the individual administering the treatment the ability to observe the methods of treatment. A good administer always views the patient’s case history and sees if new methods of treatment are needed to replace the old. By utilizing the scientific method, the clinician can always check to see what is working on the client and what is not, but more than that—it serves as a unique tool to further enhance the credibility of the published results (Nosek & Lakens, 2014). Interesting Aspects One of the more interesting aspects of the scientific method is the certain classifications of groups. According to the text, there are a control group, an experimental group, and a placebo group (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2013, p.105). I found the placebo group to be the most interesting due to the fact that many individuals in this group could improve based on a fake medication. I figured this could be used to rule out malingerers which I feel is an important branch of the scientific method—and goes hand in hand with the client’s case history. Another interesting aspect of this method is how one can collect data based on the
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