Chapter 3 Developmental Research

Question 1

Dependent Variable

Answer 1

What you are measuring (not changing)

Question 2

Independant Variable

Answer 2

What you are manipulating (changing)

-Age cannot be manipulated

Question 3

Quasi-Experiment

Answer 3

compare groups using predetermined characteristics (Between groups variation)

Question 4

Descriptive Research Designs

Answer 4

Looks at age related differences, not ruling out historical or social factors

Question 5

3 variables that might impact descriptive research design scores

Answer 5

• Age Effects- Differences in scores caused by underlying processes related to chronological age
• Cohort Effects - Differences in scores caused by experiences and circumstances unique to a generation
• Time of Measurement Effects - Differences related to time of testing
  Effects can be confounded

Question 6

Confounds

Answer 6

When something is confounded it means that it is hard to separate variable effects

Question 7

Longitudinal Design

Answer 7

Same individuals being tested or observed repeatedly

Question 8

Prospective Study

Longitudinal Design

Answer 8

(Special Type of Longitudinal Design)
Waiting for something to happen
-observes/ tests over long period of time of people before they are predicted to develop a disease or experience a particular life event
example- widowhood, watching married couples until they become widowed)
Confounds- age and time

Question 9

Problems of Longitudinal designs

Answer 9

Costly, practice effects, changes in tests over time, takes a lot of time
- cannot make causal statements (only using one cohort)

Question 10

Selective Attrition

Answer 10

A problem of longitudinal designs

• people who drop out or die are different (loosing participants)
• systematic bias (research can be controlled by the researcher)

Question 11

Terminal Decline

Answer 11

A problem of longitudinal designs
- gradually loosing cognitive abilities closer to death
could play a role as well

Question 12

Fixes of Longitudinal Design Problems

Answer 12

-Determine if you have non-random sampling , random drop out
- Compare attriters to non-attriters
(people who have lost the ability to speak vs people who can speak)
- Converging Evidence leads to confidence

Question 13

Cross- Sectional Designs

Answer 13

Testing people of different ages at the same time
This is one of the more common designs
It it time and cost efficient
Age related differences

Question 14

Problems of Cross-Sectional Designs

Answer 14

Cohorts and age (you might be studying the effects of age, not the difference between cohorts without knowing)
-Selective survival - aging
- What should the age groups be?
- Cohort Reaction - cohorts reaction to test mechanisms
for example- older generations are generally less tech savy then younger generations

Question 15

Sequential Designs

Answer 15

Different combinations of cross- sectional or longitudinal studies
Famous study about Schaie (retirement is mandatory from 65-70 for many fields)
Tease Apart “effects” - test separate cohorts (Goal)

Question 16

Simple Correlational Designs

Answer 16

Correlation coefficient “r”
- studies strength and direction of relationship between two variable
ranges from -1 to +1
no causality

Question 17

Multivariate Correlational Designs

Answer 17

• relationship between more than two variable (this is the key difference between multivariate and simple correlational designs)
• might be able to examine causality, change over time, tease apart effects of different variables

Question 18

Research Method - Laboratory Studies

Answer 18

Systematic

Follows Standard Procedures

Question 19

Research Method - Qualitative Studies

Answer 19

studies complex relationships

Question 20

Research Method - Archival Research

Answer 20

using existing resources to extract evidence from

Question 21

Research Method - Surveys

Answer 21

Large N is better
Relatively easy
Can be bias
less flexible
response rate can be a factor

Question 22

Research Method - Epidemiological Studies

Answer 22

The frequency of particular diseases in population

Question 23

Research Method - Focus Groups

Answer 23

May lead to more research, spreading ideas, communicating

Question 24

Research Method - Meta-analysis

Answer 24

Statistical Procedure- combines findings from many separate studies.

Question 25

Measurement Issues - Reliability

Answer 25

Reliability is the consistency of

Question 26

Measurement Issues - Reliability

Answer 26

Reliability is the consistency of findings

1. Test - retest
2. Internal Consistency - consistent results In surveys within questions that are on related topics
3. Inter-rater reliability - observing

Question 27

Measurement Issues - Validity

Answer 27

Validity is the accuracy of the findings

1. content
2. criterion
3. construct
4. Ecological Validity- is it relevant to the real world.

Question 28

Ethical Issues

Answer 28

1. Informed Consent/ Assent
2. Debriefing
3. Suggesting Resources (counselling for example)
4. right to withdraw
5. confidentiality of data