THE METHODOLOGY CENTER What is the Methodology Center? What is the Methodology Center's purpose? Who are the scientists and trainees in The Methodology Center? How is The Methodology Center funded? Is The Methodology Center part of an academic department at Penn State? I have heard that Center scientists engage in regular goal setting. Can you tell me more about this? Where is The Methodology Center located? Is all methodological research at Penn State being conducted at The Methodology Center? How long has The Methodology Center been in existence?
WHAT IS METHODOLOGY? What do you mean by "Methodology" and how is it different from Statistics? How is The Methodology Center different from a Statistics department?
PRODUCTSDoes The Methodology Center distribute software?
COLLABORATING AND CONSULTING I am a faculty member or research associate at Penn State, and I am very interested in methodology. Might there be opportunities for collaboration? How can I share what I am doing, and learn more about the kind of research being done at The Methodology Center? I am not a methodologist, but a difficult methodological issue has arisen in my work. I don’t see an obvious solution and I think it might be of interest to a methodological researcher. How can I present the problem to Methodology Center scientists? Does The Methodology Center offer statistical consulting? TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND CLASSESDo people obtain degrees in The Methodology Center? Are students trained there? I am interested in a career in original research in methodology, and I would like to obtain some training in The Methodology Center. Is this possible? Does the Center offer financial support to graduate students and post-docs? Does The Methodology Center offer courses?
THE METHODOLOGY CENTER
What is The Methodology Center? The Methodology Center is a research center that is housed primarily within the College of Health and Human Development at the University Park campus of Penn State. There is also significant involvement by scientists within the college of Science at Penn State, and at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Research conducted at the Center focuses on methodological issues that arise in the social, behavioral and health sciences research, including issues in research design, data analysis, measurement, latent variable models, and cost-effectiveness. <top>
What is The Methodology Center’s purpose?
Scientists in the social, behavioral, and health sciences face numerous methodological issues as they seek to address important research questions. Scientists at The Methodology Center conduct original research aimed at addressing many of these methodological issues. Here are a few examples:
Methodological issue: Many phenomena of interest (e.g. substance use, mood, food intake) are difficult to measure accurately.
Our research: Center scientists are working on improving latent variable models such as latent class and latent transition analysis. These models can be used to estimate and separate out measurement error in data and thereby provide a clearer picture of the phenomenon of interest.
Methodological issue: Some research subjects provide only incomplete data or may drop out of a study before it is completed. This can bias results.
Our research: We conduct research on procedures for handling missing data, such as multiple imputation. These procedures can be used by scientists to adjust for and mitigate or eliminate bias due to missing data.
Methodological issue: In some areas of inquiry there are few tightly controlled experiments, forcing scientists to draw conclusions based on uncontrolled observational studies and ineffectively controlled “broken” experiments.
Our research: Center scientists are engaged in research on methods to improve causal inference based on observational data and data from broken experiments.
Methodological issue: Some phenomena (e.g. mood, drug cravings, marital discord) change over time in complicated ways that are not well represented by standard growth curve models.
Our research: We are developing methods for fitting complex models of growth in intensive longitudinal data (data where there are many observations in time, such as those collected using diary methods, web-based data collection and ecological momentary assessment).
Methodological issue: Standard approaches for building and evaluating multicomponent and adaptive behavioral interventions to prevent and treat disease may not point to the most potent intervention out of a set of alternatives.
Our research: Center scientists are developing ways of designing empirical research that will do a better job of providing information that can be used to build more potent multicomponent and adaptive behavioral interventions.
Methodological issue: It is becoming increasingly important to build behavioral interventions that are cost-effective, and to demonstrate cost-effectiveness convincingly.
Our research: We are developing better approaches for establishing cost-effectiveness of behavioral interventions for prevention and treatment of disease.
These are a few examples of the kind of research topics being studied at The Methodology Center. You can learn more by browsing our web site. <top> Who are the scientists and trainees in The Methodology Center? The Center is an interdisciplinary environment. Scientists have backgrounds in Economics, Education, Engineering, Health Policy, Human Development, Sociology, Statistics, Pharmacy, Psychology, and Public Health. Scientists and trainees in The Methodology Center are affiliated with Penn State, the University of Michigan, or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Two scientists who were formerly at Penn State have remained closely involved in The Methodology Center. They are (1) Susan A. Murphy, H. E. Professor of Statistics and Research Professor, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, and (2) E. Michael Foster, Professor of Maternal and Child Health, Health Policy and Administration, and Biostatistics at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Each is one of the Principal Investigators of our P50 Center Grant, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. All of the scientists and trainees in The Methodology Center are listed here. <top> How is The Methodology Center funded? Research at The Methodology Center is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (primarily the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Mental Health) and the National Science Foundation. The Center also receives yearly support from the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. We are very grateful to our extramural and intramural funders and continually strive to maintain the high level of scientific productivity they have a right to expect. <top>
Is The Methodology Center part of an academic department at Penn State? We are a free-standing, interdisciplinary research center within the College of Health and Human Development. We are not part of any single academic department. <top> I have heard that Center scientists engage in regular goal setting. Can you tell me more about this? The Center has been conducting the goal setting exercise for nearly ten years. Ten times per year all Center scientists, including faculty, research associates, post-docs, and grad students, get together for a business meeting. One of the activities at this meeting is goal setting. This exercise is meant to help scientists prioritize and advance their research. Each goal typically is a concrete milestone that the scientist anticipates completing by the next meeting. (An example might be to draft the introduction section of a manuscript that is being prepared for submission to a scientific journal.) At the business meeting, each person individually reviews the goal that was set at the previous meeting and indicates whether or not the goal was met. If the goal was met, the individual receives a homemade cookie (usually made by Dr. Collins or Dr. Lanza) and accolades from the group, and sets a new goal to be reviewed at the next meeting. If the goal was not met, it is carried over to the next meeting, and the individual is not eligible for a cookie. If a goal is not met by the second meeting, the group discusses it briefly to help the individual revise the goal, usually by breaking it down into smaller and more manageable pieces. The atmosphere at the goal setting exercise is positive and upbeat. After the goal setting is concluded, the name of everyone who met his or her goal is entered into a small lottery. Two names are drawn. One winner has the privilege of choosing which type of cookie will be made for the next meeting, and the other is given any remaining cookies. <top> Where is The Methodology Center located? We are in space that is one block away from campus at 204 E. Calder Way, State College, PA, 16801 (the building is located on the corner of Pugh Street and Calder Way). The building is on some campus maps as CALDER SQUARE II. <top> Is all methodological research at Penn State being conducted at The Methodology Center? Definitely not! There is excellent methodological research being conducted in many other centers and departments at Penn State. <top> How long has The Methodology Center been in existence? The Center has been in existence since 1989. Previous directors were Dr. John Nesselroade (now at University of Virginia) and Dr. Alexander von Eye (now at Michigan State University). Dr. Linda M. Collins has been Director since 1994. <top>
WHAT IS METHODOLOGY? What do you mean by “Methodology” and how is it different from Statistics? By Methodology we mean every quantitative aspect of research methods. This includes data analysis and research design, which are usually included within the rubric of Statistics, but also areas such as measurement, latent variable models, and cost-effectiveness analysis which are not always considered part of the Statistics domain. <top> How is The Methodology Center different from a Statistics department? We are different from most Statistics departments in several ways. First, we are interdisciplinary. Statistics has an important presence in the Center, but there are other disciplines too, such as Economics, Education, Engineering, Health Policy, Human Development, Sociology, Statistics, Pharmacy, Psychology, and Public Health. If you look at our publication list, you will see that there is a lot of cross-disciplinary collaboration. We meet as a group nearly 30 times per year to discuss research, so even scientists who are not directly collaborating influence each other’s work. Second, our methodological work is always responsive to and directly informed by methodological problems faced by real “in the trenches” social, behavioral, and health scientists. As you can see by looking at our publication list, we frequently collaborate with these scientists on methodological and substantive research. Note that this applies even to more theoretical work done by Center scientists. Third, we focus on methodology for applications in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. In most Statistics departments other application areas are represented, such as environmental, spatial and engineering statistics. We frequently borrow from these other areas within statistics but we do not work on applications for these domains. Fourth, although we publish in Statistics journals such as Journal of the American Statistical Association and Annals of Statistics (in fact, Center scientist Susan Murphy is co-Editor of the Annals), we also disseminate our work by publishing in methodological journals aimed at social, behavioral, and health sciences audiences (e.g. Psychological Methods, Statistics in Medicine) and in more content-oriented journals (e.g. Prevention Science, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Neuropsychopharmacology). <top> PRODUCTSDoes The Methodology Center distribute software? Yes! All software developed and distributed by the Center is freely available from our web site. See our Downloads (login required) page for current products and more information. Currently available software includes PROC LCA & PROC LTA, SAS procedures for latent class and latent transition analysis, and NORM (login required), a free-standing windows application for conducting multiple imputation of missing data. We also have developed a Web applet for conducting sample size calculations for SMART trials. <top>
COLLABORATING AND CONSULTING I am a faculty member or research associate at Penn State, and I am very interested in methodology. Might there be opportunities for collaboration? How can I share what I am doing, and learn more about the kind of research being done at The Methodology Center?
We always love to make the acquaintance of kindred spirits who are interested in methodological research. There are many potential opportunities for research collaborations with scientists in our Center. A great way to learn more about current research in The Methodology Center is to attend our brown bag sessions. These are held most Thursdays during the academic year from noon – 1:30 pm in the Center’s large conference room (see current calendar), and are open to the University community. The brown bags range from informal presentations of current research to brainstorming about research problems to more formal colloquia. There is always a lot of discussion. Feel free to bring a lunch, and plan to take part in the discussion! Another way to find out about our research is to explore our web site. In addition to general information, there are links to many of our published articles and technical reports, and free downloadable software (login required). If you see a line of research you are particularly interested in, set up a time to meet with the investigator so that you can learn more about each other. We are always interested in what other methodological researchers around campus are doing. If you would like to present at a brown bag session, contact Dr. Bethany Bray at
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. <top> I am not a methodologist, but a difficult methodological issue has arisen in my work. I don’t see an obvious solution and I think it might be of interest to a methodological researcher. How can I present the problem to Methodology Center scientists?
We welcome substantive scientists who are facing unusual methodological issues to make an informal presentation in our weekly brown bag, particularly if they are open to possible collaboration with a methodologist in our Center. The brown bag sessions are held most Thursdays during the academic year from noon – 1:30 pm in the Center’s large conference room (see current calendar), and are open to the University community. Any other members of your research team would be welcome to attend and take part in the discussion. In the past, fruitful collaborations have emerged from similar presentations. If you would like to present in the brown bag, contact Dr. Bethany Bray at
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to discuss the topic you have in mind. <top> Does The Methodology Center offer statistical consulting?
Excellent statistical consultation is available from two sources at Penn State: the College of Health and Human Development’s Methodology Consultation Center (814-865-1448) and the Statistical Consultation Center (814-863-0281) operated by Penn State’s Statistics Department. The Methodology Center does not offer ad hoc statistical consulting. <top>
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND CLASSES
Do people obtain degrees in The Methodology Center? Are students trained there? The Methodology Center does not confer degrees because we are a research center, not an academic department. However, students from a variety of academic departments and numerous post-docs have obtained valuable training in the Center. For more information, see the next question. <top> I am interested in a career in original research in methodology, and I would like to obtain some training in The Methodology Center. Is this possible?
There are a lot of possibilities, at several different levels of training!
If you are thinking about applying to graduate school, take a look at the People section and the Research Areas sections of the web site to see if your interests are a good fit with any of the scientists in the Center. If so, contact the scientist and get more information! We value graduate students in the Center and are always looking for up-and-coming scientists interested in methodology. As mentioned in the previous question, the Methodology Center does not confer degrees. If you decide to come to Penn State to work with a scientist in the Center as a graduate student, you will need to apply and be accepted in an academic department like Human Development and Family Studies, Statistics, Health Policy and Administration, or Biobehavioral Health. The scientist that you choose to talk with can help you decide on a department that best fits your research interests and career goals, and we encourage you to investigate your opportunities for a graduate career here at Penn State.
If you are a graduate student at Penn State, the University of Michigan, or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, contact a Center scientist at your institution to discuss training opportunities. Also, any student at Penn State is welcome to attend our weekly brown bag session. These are held most Thursdays during the academic year from noon – 1:30 pm in the Center’s large conference room (see current calendar). Attending these sessions is a great way to learn more about the research going on in The Methodology Center and meet the scientists. In addition, The Methodology Center and the Prevention Research Center at Penn State offer several pre-doctoral fellowships each year (funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse) for Penn State students with interests in both prevention and methodology. More information is available here. If you are finishing graduate school and are interested in a post-doc focused on methodological research, please contact any of our scientists to discuss the possibility of working with them. We are very committed to training future methodologists, and are always happy to meet potential candidates. In addition, The Methodology Center and the Prevention Research Center at Penn State offer several post-doctoral fellowships funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These positions offer the opportunity for joint training in prevention and methodology. More information is available here. <top> Does the Center offer financial support to graduate students and post-docs? The Center does offer support to qualified graduate students and post-docs. To be eligible, a student or post-doc must currently be involved in the research of a Center scientist, or have made arrangements to become involved in the research of a Center scientist. (Please see the question above for additional details if you are a prospective graduate student.)
In addition, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded Penn State an interdisciplinary training program for scientists seeking to integrate statistical methodology and prevention. The Prevention and Methodology Training (PAMT) program is a partnership between The Methodology Center and the Prevention Research Center. PAMT funds several post-docs, as well as a number of graduate students from various departments. More information on PAMT is available here. <top> Does The Methodology Center offer courses? The answer to this question depends on whether you are referring to courses for credit toward an academic degree, or non-credit workshops and continuing education courses. The Center partners with academic departments such as Human Development & Family Studies, Health Policy & Administration and Biobehavioral Health to offer courses for credit. We recently began organizing a suite of three one-credit methodology courses every Spring semester. These are relatively advanced graduate courses; topics covered in 2007 include latent class and latent transition analysis and missing data. More information is available here.
We offer a yearly Summer Institute on Longitudinal Methods funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This is a three-day hands-on workshop. At the moment this is the only workshop or continuing education activity that the Center organizes regularly. We expect to start offering occasional workshops and other continuing education efforts in the coming year or two, and plan to provide videos containing introductions to some of our research areas on the Internet. Watch our web site for announcements. <top>
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