Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com). The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention reviews. Written in a clear and accessible format, it is the essential manual for all those preparing, maintaining and reading Cochrane reviews. Many of the principles and methods described here are appropriate for systematic reviews applied to other types of research and to systematic reviews of interventions undertaken by others. It is hoped therefore that this book will be invaluable to all those who want to understand the role of systematic reviews, critically appraise published reviews or perform reviews themselves.
Continuity and change have been major concerns of the social and behavioral sciences -- in the study of human development and in the study of processes that unfold in various ways across time. There has been a veritable explosion of techniques for studying change over time which have fundamentally changed how we need to think of and study change. Unfortunately, many of the old precepts and beliefs are still among us. The field of methodology for the study of change is itself ready to change. Recently, there have been many analytic and conceptual developments questioning our cherished beliefs about the study of change. As such, how are individuals to think about issues and correctly analyze change? The chapters in this volume address these issues. Divided into two sections, this book deals with designs that analyze change in multiple subjects, and with change in single subjects and an interacting system. Papers presented in this volume are accessible to scientists who are not methodologists. The character of the papers are more like primers than basic treatises on methodology, written for other methodologists. It is time that people stop thinking in rigid ways about how to study change and be introduced to a range of many possibilities. Change, stability, order and chaos are elusive concepts. The pursuit of the laws of change must be approached in as flexible and creative a fashion as possible. This book should help to lead the way.
Includes established theories and cutting-edge developments. Presents the work of an international group of experts. Presents the nature, origin, implications, an future course of major unresolved issues in the area.
In the short time since the publication of the Handbook of Positive Psychology esearch results on the psychology of human strengths have proliferated. However, no major volume has documented the methods and theory used to achieve these results. Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology fills this need, providing a broad overview of diverse contemporary methods in positive psychology. With contributions from both leading scholars and promising young investigators, the handbook serves to illuminate and, at times, challenge traditional approaches. Incorporating multiple levels of analysis, from biology to culture, the contributors present state-of-the art techniques, including those for estimating variability and change at the level of the individual, identifying reliability of measurements within and across individuals, and separating individual differences in growth from aspects of phenomena that exhibit shorter-term variability over time. The volume covers such topics as wisdom, health, hope, resilience, religion, relationships, emotions, well-being, character strengths, and laughter. It enhances our understanding of the balance between human deficits and strengths and demonstrates their connections to other problems. Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology will be the essential reference for methods in positive psychology.
The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology is the seminal reference in the field of positive psychology, which continues to transcend the boundaries of academia to capture the imagination of the general public. Almost 20 years after the first publication of this groundbreaking reference, this new third edition showcases how positive psychology is thriving in diverse contexts and fields of psychology. Consisting of 68 chapters of the most current theory and research, this updated handbook provides an unparalleled cross-disciplinary look at positive psychology from diverse fields and all branches of psychology, including social, clinical, personality, counseling, health, school, and developmental psychology. Several new chapters are included which highlight the latest research on positive psychology and neuroscience, as well as growing areas for applications of positive psychology.
The Handbook of Research Methods in Developmental Science is a collection of newly written articles that provide an overview of methods and approaches associated with the study of human development. Contains accessible contributions from some of the most renowned developmental scientists in the field. Provides basic information on the strengths and challenges inherent in traditional and complex research design. Discusses successful intervention approaches that have been used to promote intellectual, social, and linguistic development. Includes cutting-edge research that is forging new and exciting directions in developmental research. Provides students and scholars with a working understanding of research approaches and issues in the developmental sciences.
This book is the definitive text in the field of positive psychology, the scientific study of what makes people happy. The handbook's international slate of renowned authors summarizes and synthesizes lifetimes of research, together illustrating what has worked for people across time and cultures. Now in paperback, this second edition provides both the current literature in the field and an outlook on its future.