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Randomized Clinical Trials in Psychotherapy Outcome Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Edward Erwin
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Abstract

This paper discusses several philosophical problems with the use of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in psychotherapy outcome research. The problems include: the impermanence problem, the identification problem, and idiographic problems. The paper concludes with an assessment of the overall case for and against the use of RCTs in psychotherapy outcome research.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 73 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 135 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

I would like to thank Barbara Held, Harvey Siegel, Peter Lewis, and two referees for helpful comments.

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