MIXED LINEAR MODELING OF TREATMENT/INTERVENTION STUDIES

Contents
The course deals with modern approaches for modeling treatment effects in multi-wave treatment/intervention studies. The course highlights key dilemmas and data analytic decisions from a user perspective.

Objectives
To provide a learning situation where participants gain experience with data management, key analytic decisions, and proper interpretations of results from longitudinal treatment/intervention studies.

Ects
Completed course provides 2 ects

Learning requirements
Expected learning outcomes for participants include:
• Knowledge about main approaches to treatment/intervention studies, including underlying data assumptions, and practical implementation of these approaches.
• Skills to manage data in suitable form for longitudinal analysis.
• Skills to produce an analysis plan that correspond to relevant research questions
• Skills to interpret results from analysis of treatment studies
• Rudimentary skills in conducting longitudinal data analysis on multi-wave data

Required prerequisites
Completion of Norwegian degrees as a psychologist (or equivalent education) and entry into a PhD program.

Description of learning materials and media
A list of recommended literature will be circulated prior to the workshop series.
A number of software tools (SPSS, STATA, R MPLUS) will be demonstrated during the workshops, but the assumption is that participants use SPSS as their primary working platform. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptop to replicate demonstrations etc.

Teaching semester
Fall 2009 (8 and 22 October, 5 and 26 November)

Language and instruction
English

Teaching methods
The course will be structured as a series of four conceptually related workshops, each covering a topical area.

Session 1: Thursday 08 Oct 10.15-15.00
Data management and data quality assurance in treatment/intervention studies.

Session 2: Thursday 22 Oct 10.15-15.00
Mixed-linear models of treatment/intervention effects

Session 3: Thursday 05 Nov 10.15-15.00
Multilevel model of change in treatment/intervention studies

Session 4: Thursday 26 Nov 10.15-15.00
The complete workflow of longitudinal data analysis: Case studies

The workshops include analysis of didactic data sets, but participants are encouraged to bring in their own datasets to workshops

Tutorial registration
The candidates need to sign up for the course 30 days in advance. The maximum number of participants is 15.

Compulsory activities
Participants need to attend 3 out of 4 workshops.

Course literature
No mandatory literature, but a list of recommended literature will be provided.

Evaluation
Evaluation of attendance at seminar meetings and completed reading of course materials

Assessment/Examination
Group-based production and presentation of a brief analysis plan on a relevant data set.

Lecturer and course coordinator
Associate Professor Torbjørn Torsheim (torbjoern.torsheim@psych.uib.no)

Contact persons
Higher executive officer Mai Hege Stokke (mai.stokke@psysp.uib.no)