Scientific thinking in speech and language therapy / Carmel Lum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lum, Carmel.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Speech therapy--Research--Methodology.

Speech therapy.

Science--Methodology.

Science.

Physical Description:

XXII, 259 p. : il. ; 24 cm

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Mahwah, N.J. : L. Erlbaum, c2002.

Summary:

Speech and language pathologists, like all professionals who claim to be scientific in their practice, make a public commitment to operate on the basis of knowledge derived in accordance with sound scientific standards. Yet students in communication disorders are given relatively little grounding in the fundamentals of science; indeed, they often receive implicit encouragement to rely on clinical wisdom. This pathbreaking text introduces the principles of critical scientific thinking as they relate to assessing communication problems, deciding about alternative approaches to intervention, and evaluating outcomes. The author provides many illustrative examples to help readers contextualize the ideas. Her clear presentation will help not only undergraduate and graduate students but also established professionals reason more effectively about what they are doing and why. Though the examples come from speech and language pathology, this illuminating and readable book constitutes a valuable resource for all clinical practitioners.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

A Note to the Reader and Lecturer

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction

Speech and Language Therapy as an Applied Science

Who We Are and What Guides Our Choices in Practice

Research and Science Education of Speech and Language Therapists

Aims of This Book

Note to the Reader

Graduate Reading

Chapter 2: Science and Pseudoscience

Beliefs

Identifying with science

Science and the Speech and Language Therapy Profession

Further Reading

Chapter 3: Arguments

Opinions, Reasoned Judgment, and Facts

Arguments

Why we use arguments

General rules for identifying and constructing good arguments

Types of arguments

The Principle of Falsifiability

Chapter 4: Discovering Knowledge

The Importance of Understanding Science

Science and research

Science, statistics, and technology

What is science?

Nonscientific ways of knowing

The goals of science

The key qualities of science

Research

Principles of scientific research

Scientific research and speech and language therapy

Professional commitment to scientific knowledge

The Culture of Accountability

Distinguishing Between Scientifically Valid and Invalid Therapies

A consequence of introducing untested therapies

The need to evaluate patient response to therapy

Ethics and Research

Kite-Marking Therapy Resources

Chapter 5: Scientific Description and Explanation

Scientific Description

Scientific Explanation

How we explained events in the past

The Evolution of Science from Description to Explanation

Scientific explanation

Deductive versus inductive explanations.

Levels of explanations: reductionism

Correlation Versus Causation

How Speech and Language Therapists Explain What They Know and Do?

Chapter 6: Models, Hypotheses, Theories, and Laws

Models

What must a model have?

Hypotheses

Null and alternative hypotheses

Statistical and theoretical hypotheses

Theories

Laws

Chapter 7: The Scientific Method

The Five Principles of the Scientific Method

Empirical verification

Operational definition

Controlled observation

Statistical generalization

Empirical confirmation

Chapter 8: Chance, Probability, and Sampling

Chance

Probability

Fallacies in probabilistic reasoning

Rules about probability

The role of probability in speech and language therapy practice

Sampling

How investigators deal with very large samples

The reasons for random sampling

Sample size

Statistical significance

Clinical significance

Chapter 9: Describing and Measuring Events

Describing Events

Observer expectancy effects

Participant expectancy effects

Measuring Events

Reliability and validity in measurement

Reliability

Validity

The relationship between reliability and validity

Validity compromised in practice

Chapter 10: Types of Research

Descriptive and Experimental Research

Descriptive research

Experimental research

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative research

The nature of quantitative research

Qualitative research

The nature of qualitative research

Forms of qualitative research

Other meanings of qualitative analysis

Multivarious methods of qualitative research.

Naturalistic observation and qualitative research

Chapter 11: The Scientific Clinician

The Scientist-Clinician Model

How Scientific Practice Is Realized

Treatment

Other Roles of the Scientific Clinician

Evaluating Evaluations

Chapter 12: Efficacy of Interventions

The Multiple Meanings of Efficacy

Why We Need Evidence

Efficacy Research

Prospective versus retrospective efficacy studies

Audits of patient services versus efficacy research

Outcome studies versus efficacy research

Anecdotal reports versus efficacy research

Why we need efficacy research

Effective and successful interventions

Maintenance, generalization, and lapse

Using Groups Versus Individuals in Efficacy Research

Groups, single-case designs, and case reports

Case-series design

Meta-analyses

Changing Behavior in the Clinic

Evaluating Therapy with a Patient

Specifying the nature of the patient's problems

Deciding on a time frame for the evaluation

Selecting the behaviors to be changed

Deciding on control and treatment behaviors and tasks

Deciding on the format of the therapy tasks

Deciding on the content of the therapy task items

Deciding on the staging in therapy

Deciding on the strategy for changing behavior

Deciding which tasks to use to measure performance

Deciding on the length of the baseline phase

Deciding on the number of data measurements

Deciding whether to use probes or continuous measurement

Defining time intervals for reassessment and maintenance

Stating predictions about generalization effects

Developing therapy tasks

Documenting decisions in a therapy plan and getting the patient's response

Designs for Evaluating Therapy in the Clinic

Considerations in single-case designs.

Single-case evaluation in research

Problems Encountered in Evaluating Therapy in the Clinic

Chapter 13: A Clinician's Guide: Evaluating the Evaluations

Part 1: Getting the Most Out of Reading Research

Part 2: Evaluating Surveys

Planning and evaluating a survey

Evaluating survey questions

Part 3: Evaluating Assessment Techniques

Part 4: Evaluating Tests

Part 5: Evaluating Efficacy Studies

Designs for group studies

Quasi-experimental designs

Experimental designs

Types of control groups in group treatment research

Designs for single-case or case-series studies

Types of control tasks in single-case treatment research

Chapter 14: The Art and Science of Intervention

The Art of Therapy

Holism

Holism and functional communication

Holism and rationalizing away rigor in practice

Interventions Guided by Intuition

Sources of Tension and Internal Conflict

Conviction and scientific skepticism

Should therapy be consumer led?

Finding a Way Through the Therapy Wilderness

Patients' Beliefs

Conclusion

Index.

Notes:

Incluye índice

Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-243) and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-282-32655-4

9786612326554

1-4106-1242-2

9781410612427

OCLC:

59007291