U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Methodological Problems of Treatment Research, Especially in the Area of Social Therapy

NCJ Number
94094
Editor(s)
E Kube, H U Stoerzer, S Brugger
Date Published
1983
Length
487 pages
Annotation
The effect of methodological problems on the outcome of correctional programs is evaluated in eight original papers.
Abstract
Formative and summative evaluative methodologies are distinguished. The need for internal, external, statistical, and construct validity of all correctional methodologies is emphasized. Foundations of behavioral research and methodology in the social sciences are reviewed. Experimenter effects are considered to have a profound influence on treatment outcome. General impediments to the effective use of psychological diagnosis in criminology are outlined, and proposals are offered for new research designs. The discussions are addressed to sociologists, psychologists, educators, social workers, and criminologists. Footnotes and references are included.