· A research design is a strategy for answering your research question using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about: Your overall Study is a synonym of research. As verbs the difference between study and research is that study is (usually|academic) to revise materials already learned in order to make sure one 11 rows · · The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper, thesis or dissertation. It’s important to spend some time assessing and ... read more
Lutz, A. Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12 4 , — The paper by Lutz and colleagues described what is now known in academia as focused attention and open-monitoring meditation, or FA and OM meditation, and their work has been cited at least more than a thousand times in other papers. By describing meditative practices in such a way, researchers constructed a theoretical framework through which they could subject meditation practitioners to rigorous scientific testing, thus advancing our understanding of the neurophysiology of meditative states. Schlosser, M. Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations.
Although not necessarily groundbreaking, Schlosser and colleagues do present a very interesting approach. The authors analyze how prevalent are the "unpleasant meditation-related experiences in a large international sample of regular meditators" , and associated the incidence of these experiences with personal traits, demographic characteristics, and other personal factors. Other earlier studies on the negative effects of meditation, particularly non-Buddhist Transcendental Meditation, are:. Jacobs, T. Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36 5 , Not many studies focus on long-term meditation retreats. Jacobs et al. Their study was the first "to link meditation and positive psychological change with telomerase activity" Jacobs et al.
Lee, D. Review of the neural oscillations underlying meditation. Being a review, the paper by Lee and colleagues includes definitions of several key concepts in meditation research and a long list of relevant studies. This study is a personal favorite because it deals with a topic I'm very interested in, brainwave activity. Lee et al. mention that our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of the benefits of meditation is still in a nascent phase , and then proceed to a long exposition of how meditation correlates with brainwave activity going from delta all the way up to gamma frequencies. Valerio, A.
Owning Mindfulness: A Bibliometric Analysis of Mindfulness Literature Trends Within and Outside of Buddhist Contexts. Contemporary Buddhism, 17 1 , — I find Adam Valerio's study quite interesting not only because it analyzes mindfulness from an interdisciplinary perspective, but mostly because it discusses how mindfulness has been dissociated from a Buddhist context and transformed into practice and movement in its own right. As Valerio puts it when referencing to Virginia Heffernan's article in The New York Times: "Today, the proliferation of disembedded mindfulness practices—i. Indeed, the mindfulness movement is raging on.
The earliest Western research on meditation that I have been able to find dates back to the s, and I imagine the reason for this to be the fact that the '60s brought a powerful change in cultures around the world, and, among other things, bolstered the imbibing of eastern ideas into the collective consciousness of the West. This assimilation of ideas began in the turn of the 20th century, when the works of Swami Vivekananda, Soyen Shaku, Sri Aurobindo, Krishnamurti, and others arrived to the Western world. By the '60s, popular figures such as Alan Watts, Timothy Leary, Robert Thurman, and Beat Generation authors such as Gary Snyder or Allen Ginsberg were talking openly about eastern philosophies, while The Beatles were traveling to ashrams in India.
Time was ripe, novel influences were taking hold, the scientific community timidly followed suit, and thus research on meditation began. Even so, the cultural revolution of the '60s was not the sole factor accounting for the growing interest of Westerners in the mysticism that was coming from the East. Before the 60s counterculture, there came a reform within Buddhist communities of Asia that transformed their religion and views on meditation. And it is these renewed practices what was adopted by the '60s counterculture. Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and Gary Snyder on the cover of the SF Oracle. Photo by Paul Kagan. The aforementioned reform that revitalized Buddhist meditation is associated with what is now known as the Vipassana Movement on one hand, and Japan's "New Buddhism," on the other.
The former was helmed by Ledi Sayadaw and U Narada in Burma, Phra Acharn Mun Mun Bhuridatta in Thailand, and Anagarika Dharmapala in Sri Lanka; while the latter was led by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Nishida Kitaro, among others Heisig, ; McMahan, ; Sharf, These two events constitute, according to some academics, the main shaping forces behind the form of Buddhism that became popular in the West; a very particular form that came into existence after a complex interplay of historical factors caused Asian proponents to modernize Buddhist ideologies and practices, imbuing them with post-Enlightenment European ideals. What a ride; the European Enlightenment influencing Orthodox Buddhism, and Buddhism then influencing the Beat Generation, all without modern globalization or internet.
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, a prominent Western monk of the Thai Forest Tradition. In the case of the Vipassana Movement, the historical factors leading to its development include the participation of important figures and institutions. For instance:. Today, the majority of Buddhist meditation practitioners in the West can trace their own practice all the way to one or several of these historical figures. The dissemination of meditation in the West is a fascinating topic, involving complex interconnections between political events around the globe and the modernization of ancient cultural practices. Some may say that this modernization is not free from decontextualization or even politicization. Either way, meditation is here with us now, more popular and accessible day by day.
Meditation's growing popularity is also spurring cultural transformations. While at the beginning it was the '60s counterculture and the rebirth of meditation in the East, the forces that disseminated meditational practices around the globe, it is now the mental health industry and the heirs to the New Age zeitgeist the ones to be behind the push. This trend is not only modifying mainstream media with things like the mindfulness movement, touting diverse meditative practices and a plethora of online classes by hordes of health practitioners, but also influencing the way in which we treat mental health patients, coach high-level corporate officials, or educate personnel involved in international conflict mediation and non-military peacekeeping efforts UNESCO, n.
Things have taken quite an interesting turn, but for now, I'll leave my comments on this turn of events for later posts. Thank you for your very detailed research on meditation, Lou. I have recently found the transformative power of meditation and it has helped me overcome stress and self-doubt. How I lived without meditation for this long, I often wonder. Now that I have, I want to learn everything there is to know about meditation. Click here to check out a sample case study. Correlational studies look for a relationship between two or more variables, or things, that naturally occur in the same environment. Correlational studies cannot tell us anything about cause and effect, only that there is a relationship between two or more things. For example, a study might be designed to determine if there is a relationship between the number of children with autism in a particular community and the month of their birth.
Figure 1 presents a bar graph of a study of number of children with autism and month of birth. The graph illustrates that more children with autism were born in the winter months November, December, and January than in the summer, spring, or fall. Although this graph shows a relationship between cases of autism in one community and month of birth, we cannot make the assumption that a winter birthday causes autism. Perhaps some other variable that we have not considered such as an illness is having an effect on the two variables under study. Click here to check out a sample correlational study. Longitudinal studies can give us information about how people develop over time. These types of studies follow one group of people referred to as a cohort across time, measuring the same behavior multiple times.
For example, we may want to determine if children with autism do better on performance tests in self-contained than in inclusive classrooms. The best research design for answering this question would be to follow one cohort of children with autism that spent time in both environments. As illustrated in the graph, children in this cohort performed better in grades 1 and 4 when they were in inclusive classrooms than in grades 2 and 3 when they were in self-contained environments. Click here to check out a sample longitudinal study.
Experimental studies are controlled so that the researcher manipulates one variable to determine its effect on other variables. Two primary types of experimental studies are used in intervention development and testing: randomized group design and single-case design. The first type includes experimental group designs in which participants are randomly assigned either to receive the intervention the experimental group or to a control group. The control group completes all the same steps as the experimental group, except they do not receive the intervention that is under investigation.
Therefore, if the study is well controlled, it can be concluded that the differences between the experimental and control groups at the end of the study are due to the intervention. A second type of experimental study frequently used in intervention research is single-case design SCD. Many studies involving children with autism, particularly those examining behavioral and educational treatments, use single-case designs. Rather than examining differences across participant groups that do and do not receive an intervention, single-case designs involve individual participants or a small cluster of participants who provide their own control for comparison.
For example, a researcher may be interested in determining whether a new communication intervention tool on tablet devices improves communication skills. Click here to check out a sample experimental study. Clinical trial studies are one specific type of randomized group experimental study. Clinical trial studies are most likely to be conducted in medical or other clinical settings. In both randomized experimental group and clinical trial studies, participants are not informed about their group assignment to guard against participant expectations about intervention or treatment. In addition, in well-designed studies, experimenters are not informed about group assignment either to guard against researcher expectations about intervention or treatment.
That is, if participants expect to get better because they know they are receiving treatment, they may actually get better; similarly, if researchers expect an intervention to be successful, they may perceive it as so, regardless of whether or not the treatment is actually effective! This uninformed state is what researchers refer to as being blind to the conditions of the experiment. When both participants and experimenters are uninformed, it is referred to as a double-blind study, and is a means of ensuring objective results. Click here to check out a sample clinical trials study. Reading and interpreting research can be a difficult task.
However, with perseverance and practice, you can learn to comfortably navigate scientific writing for the purposes of making informed treatment decisions for your child. This section is written to give you a basic understanding of the scientific model underlying research studies. How to Deal with Grief in Uncertain Times as an Autistic Person. Autism Acceptance as a Late-Diagnosed Parent. Prior to receiving a diagnosis of autism, I struggled with feelings of discomfort and awkwardness. I truly felt like an actor on a stage…. Autism Within the Criminal Justice System.
Read the latest issue of the Oaracle. By: Organization for Autism Research. Categories: Blog , Featured Blog. There are five basic types of research studies, each designed to answer different kinds of questions. The five types of studies are discussed below. Case studies look at a single subject e. Case studies are typically used in research that describes the development of an individual, group, or situation over a period of time in order to provide a detailed account of what is occurring within its real-life context. Click here to check out a sample case study. Correlational studies look for a relationship between two or more variables, or things, that naturally occur in the same environment. Correlational studies cannot tell us anything about cause and effect, only that there is a relationship between two or more things.
For example, a study might be designed to determine if there is a relationship between the number of children with autism in a particular community and the month of their birth. Figure 1 presents a bar graph of a study of number of children with autism and month of birth. The graph illustrates that more children with autism were born in the winter months November, December, and January than in the summer, spring, or fall. Although this graph shows a relationship between cases of autism in one community and month of birth, we cannot make the assumption that a winter birthday causes autism. Perhaps some other variable that we have not considered such as an illness is having an effect on the two variables under study. Click here to check out a sample correlational study.
Longitudinal studies can give us information about how people develop over time. These types of studies follow one group of people referred to as a cohort across time, measuring the same behavior multiple times. For example, we may want to determine if children with autism do better on performance tests in self-contained than in inclusive classrooms. The best research design for answering this question would be to follow one cohort of children with autism that spent time in both environments. As illustrated in the graph, children in this cohort performed better in grades 1 and 4 when they were in inclusive classrooms than in grades 2 and 3 when they were in self-contained environments. Click here to check out a sample longitudinal study. Experimental studies are controlled so that the researcher manipulates one variable to determine its effect on other variables.
Two primary types of experimental studies are used in intervention development and testing: randomized group design and single-case design. The first type includes experimental group designs in which participants are randomly assigned either to receive the intervention the experimental group or to a control group. The control group completes all the same steps as the experimental group, except they do not receive the intervention that is under investigation. Therefore, if the study is well controlled, it can be concluded that the differences between the experimental and control groups at the end of the study are due to the intervention. A second type of experimental study frequently used in intervention research is single-case design SCD.
Many studies involving children with autism, particularly those examining behavioral and educational treatments, use single-case designs. Rather than examining differences across participant groups that do and do not receive an intervention, single-case designs involve individual participants or a small cluster of participants who provide their own control for comparison. For example, a researcher may be interested in determining whether a new communication intervention tool on tablet devices improves communication skills.
Click here to check out a sample experimental study. Clinical trial studies are one specific type of randomized group experimental study. Clinical trial studies are most likely to be conducted in medical or other clinical settings. In both randomized experimental group and clinical trial studies, participants are not informed about their group assignment to guard against participant expectations about intervention or treatment. In addition, in well-designed studies, experimenters are not informed about group assignment either to guard against researcher expectations about intervention or treatment. That is, if participants expect to get better because they know they are receiving treatment, they may actually get better; similarly, if researchers expect an intervention to be successful, they may perceive it as so, regardless of whether or not the treatment is actually effective!
This uninformed state is what researchers refer to as being blind to the conditions of the experiment. When both participants and experimenters are uninformed, it is referred to as a double-blind study, and is a means of ensuring objective results. Click here to check out a sample clinical trials study. Reading and interpreting research can be a difficult task. However, with perseverance and practice, you can learn to comfortably navigate scientific writing for the purposes of making informed treatment decisions for your child. This section is written to give you a basic understanding of the scientific model underlying research studies. How to Deal with Grief in Uncertain Times as an Autistic Person.
Autism Acceptance as a Late-Diagnosed Parent. Prior to receiving a diagnosis of autism, I struggled with feelings of discomfort and awkwardness. I truly felt like an actor on a stage…. Autism Within the Criminal Justice System. OAR sat down with Haley Moss to get her perspective on safety, criminal justice, and autism. Haley Moss is an attorney, author, advocate, artist,…. Resources RUN FOR AUTISM Login. Five Basic Types of Research Studies March 09, By: Organization for Autism Research Categories: Blog , Featured Blog. Case Studies Case studies look at a single subject e.
The advantage of a case study is that it allows the researcher to gather a lot of information about one person or one case. The disadvantage of a case study is that the information gathered about one person or a small group of people cannot readily be applied or generalized to other people or other cases in other situations or other settings and, therefore, may be of limited use. Correlational Studies Correlational studies look for a relationship between two or more variables, or things, that naturally occur in the same environment.
The advantage of correlational studies is that a lot of information about a large number of people can be gathered at one point in time. The disadvantage of correlational studies is that it is not possible to control other factors outside of the study that might influence the research. Longitudinal Studies Longitudinal studies can give us information about how people develop over time. In Figure 2 , this design is presented with a line graph. The advantage of longitudinal studies is that they allow researchers to pinpoint times during development when changes occur. The disadvantage of longitudinal studies is that it takes a long time to complete them. Note that in the example in Figure 2, the study took four years to complete.
Experimental Studies Experimental studies are controlled so that the researcher manipulates one variable to determine its effect on other variables. The advantage of randomized experimental studies is that the research design allows researchers to examine cause-and-effect relationships. The disadvantage of a randomized experimental study is that the results cannot always be generalized to the real world. Clinical Trial Studies Clinical trial studies are one specific type of randomized group experimental study. The advantage of clinical trial studies is that they can determine the effectiveness of an intervention. This is because the intervention is compared with a placebo or control condition.
The disadvantage of clinical trial studies is the same as for randomized experimental studies; that is, the results of the study cannot always be generalized to a real-life setting. November 2, Blog, Families, Featured Blog, Self-Advocates, Uncategorized. Autism Acceptance as a Late-Diagnosed Parent Prior to receiving a diagnosis of autism, I struggled with feelings of discomfort and awkwardness. October 19, Blog, Families, Featured Blog, Self-Advocates. Autism Within the Criminal Justice System OAR sat down with Haley Moss to get her perspective on safety, criminal justice, and autism. October 12, Blog, Featured Blog, Self-Advocates. First Name Required. Last Name Required. Email Required. Sign Up.
Study is a synonym of research. As verbs the difference between study and research is that study is (usually|academic) to revise materials already learned in order to make sure one 11 rows · · The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper, thesis or dissertation. It’s important to spend some time assessing and · A research design is a strategy for answering your research question using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about: Your overall ... read more
For example, we may want to determine if children with autism do better on performance tests in self-contained than in inclusive classrooms. Sample is selected using random methods Mainly used in quantitative research Allows you to make strong statistical inferences about the population. What is operationalization? These studies follow large groups of people over a long period of time. Email Required. The first type includes experimental group designs in which participants are randomly assigned either to receive the intervention the experimental group or to a control group.
Collecting a sample of texts e. Within both qualitative and quantitative approaches, there are several types of research design to choose from, research study on. Statistical inference teaches us how to learn from data, whereas identification analysis explains what we can research study on from it. There are five basic types of research studies, each designed to answer different kinds of questions. Is this article helpful? What do I need to include in my research design?