PHBA8250 Empirically Supported Treatments - research, control and validation Course description

Master-s level knowledge of behavior analysis

Students can:

• describe and discuss criteria for Empirically Supported Treatments
• describe and discuss various ways of conducting assessments of research
• describe and discuss the rationale behind manual-based interventions
• describe and discuss the concepts of treatment integrity and treatment fidelity
• describe and discuss the concepts of efficacy and effectiveness
• describe and discuss the concept of social validity
• place the discussion on evidence-based intervention science in a historical perspective,
• describe and discuss the trend towards ESTs and main arguments against it
• review examples of intervention research with criteria from EST

The course gives an overview of the trend towards evidence-based interventions, and discusses the investigative tools and methodology for establishing treatment efficacy and effectiveness. Manual-based interventions and their relation to basic strategies in applied behavior analysis are discussed. 

The course consists of 1 introductory meeting, and 6 - 12 seminars of 4 x 45 minutes, and time for discussion and a final seminar (4 x 45 minutes). The introductory meeting takes place 2 weeks ahead of the main part of the course. At this meeting, the structure, content and purpose of the course are presented. The students are asked to give short presentations of their Ph.D. projects, and describe how the course is relevant to it. The main purpose of this early session is to help the students to start systematic work with the course readings.

The seminars target central themes from the course readings for discussion and reflection. A high level of student participation is expected. During this time, students will produce several reaction papers (3 - 4 pages double spaced), and a final presentation of one central theme from the course. Themes are assigned by the lecturers.

The final seminar consists of a discussion of the presentations, which are distributed in advance as papers not to exceed 10 pages double spaced, and introduced by each candidate in a short (3 minute) session. Course teachers mediate the discussions.

• All papers approved,
• attendance in at least 80 % of the seminars, and
• approved paper presentation in final seminar.

Portfolio.

Portfolio requirements: 4 reaction papers

All

Pass / Fail

Internal