Chaney Flashcards
What is the background to chaneys study?
In australia, 1 in 4 children have asthma. Complience with asthma medication is low at 30-70% for all age groups.
To help children measure the correct dosage of asthma medication spacer devices (aerochamber) had been developed. These didnt address the fundermental problem which is that children find the breathing technique hard.
How does this link to behaviourism?
Operant conditioning claims that learning arises from the consequences of our behaviour. We will do actions again if they have the following outcomes
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT- Action leads to us gaining something pleasent
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT- Action leads to us getting rid of something unpleasent
Are asthma inhalers negatively or postively reinforcing? Why?
Negatively reinforcing, they are used to get rid of unpleasant symptons of asthma
What are the aims of chaneys study?
To see if the principels of positive reinforcement could be incorporated into an attatchment spacer device to help train children in how to use their asthma inhaler
What was the new device made called in chaneys study?
The funhaler
If children used the correct breathing technique, a whistle would sound and a disc would spin around
Would use both pos and neg reinforcement
What was the sample used in chaneys study?
32 children from Australia
22 boys and 10 girls
Aged 1 and a half to 6 years
Recruited from 7 GP clinics within a 51km radius of perth
What was the experimental design of chaneys study?
Repeated measures design because the same people tried two different types of inhalers
What was the procedure?
- Parents contacted by phone before being visisted at home. Consent given to complete a questionnaire about their childs current inhaler device
- Parents given a funhaler to use for 2 weeks
- After the 2 weeks, parents given another questionnaire regading the funhaler
Findings of chaneys study?
In terms of behaviour, 50% had achieved the desired four or more breath cycles per delivery with the previous asthma inhaler but using the funhaler 80% achieved this
In terms of attitudes, 10% of parents said they were happy with the childs previous inhaler, 61% of parents said this about the funhaler
Which side of the nature nurture debate does this study link to?
Nurture- the childrens behaviour changed as a result of the new funhaler
What side of freewill-determinism debate does this link to?
Deterministic- childrens asthma usage is dtermined by what inhaler they have at the time
How does chaney link to the behaviourist?
Explains how children are learning behaviours due to operant conditioning
How does this study link to external influences of childrens behaviour?
Explains how the funhaler is changing their medical compliance
How does this study link to the developmental area?
Shows that childrens behaviour can change due to the experience of using a funhaler
Relating to Bandura, how has chaney changed our understanding of external influences on behaviour?
Shown us that behaviour of children can be changed by reinforcement (rather than observing and imitating role models)
