A researcher is designing a study to examine whether "talk therapy" (psychotherapy) can help people suffering from depression, as an add-on to taking medication. Finances and logistics limit her to having one control group, so she has to choose the best (not necessarily the perfect) control. She will have access to 60 people who have been diagnosed with depression, are have been taking medication for depression for at least 3 months, but who report lingering depression systems. She will randomly assign them to treatment and control. Half will remain on their current medication and engage in 3 psychotherapy sessions a week for 12 weeks, each for 50 minutes. All will see the same therapist and receive the same form of psychotherapy. They will complete a depression inventory at the beginning and end of the treatment condition. Rank the following possible control conditions, from best choice to worst choice (that is, 1= best, 3= worst)
a) The control group would be told that they had been assigned to an activity group during the same 12 weeks as the treatment group is undergoing psychotherapy. During this time they would engage in recreational activities, but no therapy.They would complete the same depression inventory at the beginning and end as the treatment group.
b) The control group would be told that they had been placed on a waiting list for psychotherapy, and would be eligible to start as soon as openings are available. None would be assigned to therapy during the 12 weeks. They would complete the same depression inventory as the treatment group at the beginning and end of the 12 weeks.
c) The control group would be asked to refrain from their medications during the same 12 weeks as the treatment group is undergoing psychotherapy. They would be assigned to a 12 week group therapy session facilitated by a fellow depression sufferer during the same weeks as the treatment condition.They would complete the same depression inventory at the beginning and end as the treatment group.
To rank the possible control conditions from best to worst, we need to consider which control group would best isolate the effects of "talk therapy" (psychotherapy) on people suffering from depression who are already taking medication.
1) The best choice would be option b) - The control group would be placed on a waiting list for psychotherapy and would not receive any therapy during the 12 weeks. They would complete the same depression inventory as the treatment group at the beginning and end of the 12 weeks. This control condition allows for a clear comparison between the effects of psychotherapy and no therapy, which is crucial to evaluating the efficacy of psychotherapy as an add-on to medication.
2) The next best choice would be option a) - The control group would engage in recreational activities during the 12 weeks, but not receive any therapy. They would complete the same depression inventory as the treatment group at the beginning and end. While this control condition does not completely isolate the effects of psychotherapy, it still provides a comparison between engaging in recreational activities and receiving psychotherapy.
3) The worst choice would be option c) - The control group would be asked to refrain from their medications during the 12 weeks and would participate in group therapy sessions facilitated by a fellow depression sufferer. They would complete the same depression inventory as the treatment group at the beginning and end. This control condition introduces confounding variables by altering medication regimens and including group therapy, making it difficult to establish the specific effects of psychotherapy as an add-on to medication.
It is important to note that while these rankings are based on the limited options given, none of them are perfect control conditions. A better control group would ideally involve individuals who receive a placebo treatment or no additional intervention while continuing their medication. However, given the constraints of the study design, option b) would provide the most valid comparison between talk therapy and no therapy.