8.4.2 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

• What type of therapy is often compared in RCTs for reducing anxiety symptoms?

  CBT
• Steps in the methodology of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

  1️⃣ Participant Selection

  2️⃣ Random Assignment

  3️⃣ Blinding

  4️⃣ Intervention

  5️⃣ Outcome Measurement
• Random assignment in RCTs minimizes bias
• Match the advantage of RCTs with its description:

  High Validity ↔️ Rigorous design ensures reliability

  Minimizes Bias ↔️ Random allocation and blinding reduce subjectivity

  Identifies Causality ↔️ Establishes cause-and-effect relationships

  Generalizable Results ↔️ Representative samples apply to wider populations
• What does blinding reduce in RCTs?

  Subjective influences
• Highly controlled RCT environments may lack ecological validity
• A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is used to assess the effectiveness of a specific intervention
• In an RCT, participants are randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group.
• Blinding in RCTs helps minimize bias by keeping participants and/or researchers unaware of group assignments.
• Why are RCTs crucial in health psychology?

  Evaluating treatments and lifestyle changes
• One objective of RCTs is to determine if a treatment achieves its intended goals in improving mental and physical health
• RCTs can identify causal relationships by reducing the influence of confounding factors.
• Steps involved in the methodology of RCTs

  1️⃣ Participant Selection

  2️⃣ Random Assignment

  3️⃣ Blinding

  4️⃣ Intervention

  5️⃣ Outcome Measurement
• Blinding in RCTs reduces the risk of performance bias.
• What is the purpose of administering the treatment in an RCT?

  Testing its efficacy
• An RCT evaluates an intervention's effectiveness
• RCTs evaluate intervention effectiveness by determining if a treatment achieves its intended health goals
• What type of relationships do RCTs aim to identify?

  Causal relationships
• In RCTs, participants are chosen based on specific eligibility criteria
• Blinding in RCTs reduces performance bias.
• What is measured during the outcome measurement step in an RCT?

  Health outcomes
• What is the primary goal of blinding in RCTs?

  Minimize bias
• In RCTs, health outcomes are compared between groups to determine the intervention's effectiveness
• Participant selection in RCTs ensures the study population is relevant.
• Why is random assignment used in RCTs?

  Minimize bias
• In an RCT for diabetes management, glucose levels are measured to assess diet effectiveness
• High validity is an advantage of RCTs due to their rigorous design.
• What type of relationship do RCTs help identify between an intervention and its outcomes?

  Causal relationship
• RCTs can determine the effectiveness of a new medication by comparing it to a placebo group.
• What is a major limitation of RCTs regarding feasibility?

  High cost
• RCTs often require extended timeframes to observe long-term effects
• RCTs may lack ecological validity due to their highly controlled environments.
• What ethical concern arises from withholding beneficial treatments in RCTs?

  Random allocation
• Maintaining participant adherence is a challenge in long-term RCTs.
• What is the primary purpose of a control group in an RCT?

  Serve as a baseline
• In RCTs, blinding keeps participants and/or researchers unaware of group assignments
• RCTs in health psychology identify causal relationships between interventions and health outcomes.
• What is an example of an RCT in health psychology using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?

  Reducing anxiety symptoms
• Steps in the methodology of RCTs

  1️⃣ Participant Selection

  2️⃣ Random Assignment

  3️⃣ Blinding

  4️⃣ Intervention

  5️⃣ Outcome Measurement
• Informed consent ensures participants are fully aware of the study's purpose and risks.