To provide an update on basic research pertaining to a theoretical orientation o

To provide an update on basic research pertaining to a theoretical orientation of your
choice in the syllabus relevant to a particular condition (e.g., PTSD, BPD, OCD, or one
of your choosing). Identify, read, present, and synthesize the findings from a minimum of
three or five (depending on if it’s the midterm or final) papers that have been published in
the last 10 or so years regarding efficacy and effectiveness: what research has come out
since around 2013 investigating this orientation and what did they find? Be sure to
document any variations in this approach that are included in the studies (what is
different or unusual or unique to the methods used in the study, if any? If they went “by
the book,” note that).
b) Examine the topic through a lens of diversity, broadly define: (e.g., nationality,
race/ethnicity, older adults—avoid children; that’s a different class—, sexual orientation,
socioeconomic status, or even cross-culturally (how is this applied in different countries
or different contexts within the US?). How does socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity,
religion, gender/sex, sexuality, influence the orientation (or does it)? What about regional
differences within North America (e.g., rural vs. urban). This topic is not as in vogue as it
once was, and, as such, one or two older papers can be used. Be sure to document any
variations in this approach that are included in the studies (what is different or unusual or
unique to the methods used in the study, if any? If they went “by the book,” note that).
You can choose the same prompt for your midterm and final, but the topic must be different
(e.g., attention for your midterm, but conceptual knowledge for your final) and the articles must
be new for the final.
In each prompt, document who the population was studied (who was receiving treatment),
whether it was compared to placebo, treatment as usual (TAU), waitlist control, etc.), how
outcomes were measured, what the results showed, any threats to validity and reliability, etc.
Was the article a meta-analysis? If so, read the article carefully for how these were coded.
Key elements to this paper.
There is no set format for this paper if everything is presented in a reasonable manner. One
possible format would be:
1. Introduction paragraph(s)
-In general, the first paragraph or two should present the topic you are going to discuss and a
statement of the “problem” or the query. In the topic “pain disorder and psychoanalysis,” you
would define what is pain disorder, how it is measured and diagnosed; what is psychoanalysis,
how was it developed, who typically administers it, etc. You must demonstrate mastery of the
topic you chose, which can include the orientation you are interested in. Cite sources as needed.
2.Summarize the articles independently.
-The next paragraphs can be accomplished as simply as summarizing the key points of each
article (can be as easy as one article per paragraph). Who was studied? Where? For how long?
What were the measures? What was the dependent and independent variable? What were the
results? What do the results mean? For example, one paragraph can summarize the methods, and
one paragraph can summarize the findings and conclusion of the article.
3.Synthesize, critique (politely), and conclude.
-There should also be a synthesis of the papers. Take a step back and look at the results, digest
them, and tell a story about the findings. Do all three papers find similar things across three
different methods or are the findings all over the place? Provide a synthesis. You can, and
should, (politely) critique the studies and offer thoughts on future directions, “Although all three
studies found this pattern, they each recruited samples with fewer than 20 participants, each of
which were professional gamers and were disproportionately male and young (under 20 years
old). Future studies should recruit a more diverse sample representative of the broader gaming
community.” Be sure to conclude the strengths and limitations the studies (both individually and
as a group) and provide some avenues for future research.