The Dodo Bird Effect

 First, I would like to note that I really enjoyed the material this week. Though it was heavy, it really got me thinking more critically. I appreciate that Dr. Kang taught stats in such a way that emphasized the importance of critical thinking and relying on theory rather than the numbers themselves. One of the articles discusses the idea that the numbers may tell us that something is significant or not, but they cannot explain why. I appreciate that I wasn't taught to just follow the data but to question and analyze the data with theory in mind to better understand why. 

One article discussed the problem when technology is used without consideration of the design or theory behind the study. Sometimes we just present the data without critically thinking or without being informed by theory. For example, there were one or two studies that came out that said criminal risk assessments were racially biased and should no longer be used. The media quickly picked this up as the story was published in popular journals across the world. This led to a big push to abolish risk assessments because they were (apparently) putting minorities in prison at higher rates than non-minorities and keeping them in prison longer. The only problem with this study is that the data didn't support their claims and they had no theoretical backing for making the methodological choices that they did. I can't remember all the in's and out's, but it goes to show how impactful our findings can be so we have the obligation to make sure the findings are correct. I also liked that the article mentioned "de-hyping" our results. We never truly know something so would shouldn't present it like we do.

I really liked that in discussing which theoretical orientation is king, one article discussed the role of the clients. When trying to compare treatments, you are assuming that it is the treatment having different effects and not the client or therapist. Personally, I think who is treating a person may make more of a difference than how (as long as it is nothing crazy). I also think that the client's personality and personal orientation/ perspective play a big role in treatment.  The relationship and commitment between the therapist and the client can make or break treatment, no matter the orientation. Is the therapist confident in their ability? Can the therapist understand and adjust to the client? Does the client understand what the therapist is doing? Do they both feel that they understand each other and can trust each other during the process? How one accomplishes that may be different. I would be interested in studies comparing treatment modalities that also take into account the client's personality or even their own theoretical orientation. 

Grade: 25/25