outcome research

a systematic investigation of the effectiveness of a type or technique of intervention (e.g., a new form of psychotherapy for treating depression) or of the comparative effectiveness of different intervention types or techniques (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy vs. drug therapy for depression). In other words, outcome research focuses on determining whether participants benefit from receiving an intervention. Compare process research.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

center–surround antagonism

a characteristic of the receptive fields of many visual and somatosensory neurons in which stimulation in the center of the receptive field evokes opposite responses to stimulation in the periphery. Thus, some neurons depolarize with center stimulation and hyperpolarize when the same stimulus appears in the surrounding region of the receptive field, whereas other neurons have the opposite pattern of responses. Center–surround antagonism greatly increases the sensitivity of the nervous system to contrast. See also off response; on response; simple cell.