Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio

: 1) Is indiscriminate friendliness a symptom of disordered attachment in institutionalised children? A review of the literature; 2) An evaluation of a group for caregivers; 3)An experimental investigation into young people’s ability to use metaphors within therapy.

Abstract

Background: Metaphors are commonly used within clinical settings to communicate concepts to young people. Whilst theories of how metaphors work have been proposed, alongside ideas to implement metaphors effectively, there has been little research as to whether metaphors impact upon memory and understanding, in comparison to basic language.

Aims: The current study aims to assess whether metaphorical explanations leads to improved memory and understanding for psychological concepts.

Method: 25 participants took part in the study (10 boys and 15 girls). Individuals who were on the waiting list for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) were given the opportunity to watch a video which explained the main concepts of CBT. Half of the participants watched a video with metaphorical explanations (Metaphor group); the other half watched a video using basic language (Psychoeducation group). The participants answered questions immediately after the video and then four weeks later, on psychopathology, memory and understanding measures.

Results: Tests were carried out to determine any differences between the two groups. There were no significant differences on all variables tested (memory, understanding, intention to change) immediately or after four weeks. Correlational data, looking at the link between age and understanding/memory between the two groups found that older individuals were more likely to understand and remember the content of the Psychoeducation video. Whilst this correlation did not differ significantly from the Metaphors group, there were no such trends for individuals exposed to a metaphorical understanding.

Conclusions: Metaphors do not appear to enhance memory and understanding of young people, in comparison to basic language. However, it seems they are equally understood by younger and older children, therefore making them an accessible way of communicating complicated concepts. Definitive conclusions cannot be made due to the small sample size, so there is a call for further research in this area.

Date of Award	10 Sept 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Paul Salkovskis (Supervisor), Claire Lomax (Supervisor) & Ailsa Russell (Supervisor)