Developmental area: Chaney

Question 1

What percentage of people with asthma comply with medical advice and use their inhaler? (as suggested by research)

Answer 1

A range from 30-70%

Question 2

What is compliance?

Answer 2

Following medical instructions/advice

Question 3

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Learning through consequences which may include rewards or punishments

Question 4

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 4

Providing a positive outcome for behaviour (rewards) that are more likely to be repeated in the future

Question 5

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 5

When a behaviour is encouraged by removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus

Question 6

Give an example of negative reinforcement

Answer 6

Using sun cream to avoid getting sun burnt

Question 7

What were the two aims of Chaney’s study?

Answer 7

To see if the use of the funhaler increases compliance rates in children and to see if quality of use (correct technique) is improved with funhaler

Question 8

What research method did Chaney use?

Answer 8

Field experiment and self report

Question 9

What evidence is there from Chaney’s study that it was a field experiment and a self report?

Answer 9

Questionnaires/phone interviews were conducted in the child’s own home

Question 10

How big was the sample used in Chaney’s study?

Answer 10

32 children

Question 11

Describe the age range of the sample used in Chaney’s study

Answer 11

1.5 - 6 years with a median of 3.2 years

75% were over the age of 3

Question 12

What was the composition of males and females were there?

Answer 12

22 boys and 10 girls

Question 13

What was the average duration of having asthma?

Answer 13

2.2 years

Question 14

How was the sample obtained?

Answer 14

They were recruited on a random basis from seven paediatrician or GP clinics

Question 15

Within what radius of where were the GP clinics?

Answer 15

51 km radius of Perth, Western Australia

Question 16

What was the IV in Chaney’s study?

Answer 16

Fun haler or normal aero chamber device

Question 17

What were the DV’s in Chaney’s study?

Answer 17

The children’s behaviour (specifically how frequently the children took their medication) and the attitudes of the parent and adherence to the medicine

Question 18

How are the key features of the Fun haler used as positive reinforcement?

Answer 18

The toy ball spins more and the whistle is louder when the Fun haler is used correctly

Question 19

How are the key features of the Fun haler used as negative reinforcement?

Answer 19

Correct use leads to fewer symptoms/breathlessness

Question 20

What was the initial data collected in Chaney’s study?

Answer 20

Questionnaires were given to the parents to find out about their current inhaler (behaviour and attitudes)

Question 21

How did Chaney reduce demand characteristics when the parents had the initial questionnaire?

Answer 21

By not telling the parents about the Fun haler

Question 22

What did all parents have to sign with the initial questionnaire?

Answer 22

A consent form

Question 23

Over what period of time was the data collected during the study itself?

Answer 23

2 weeks

Question 24

During the study itself what were the parents given?

Answer 24

Fun haler and instructed that they had to use it with their child

Question 25

How would the parents be contacted to see if the Fun haler had been used the previous day?

Answer 25

They would be contacted at random

Question 26

What did the children do during the time where data was being collected for the study itself?

Answer 26

Children would use the fun haler, a steady breath would activate a spinning disk and whistle

Question 27

What was used for young children with the Fun haler?

Answer 27

A face mask

Question 28

After the 2 weeks what were the parents given?

Answer 28

Another questionnaire to access their behaviour and attitudes towards the Fun haler

Question 29

What percentage of children had used their inhaler/fun haler the day before?

Answer 29

59%/81%

Question 30

What percentage of children achieved 4 or more breath cycles per delivery? (inhaler/fun haler)

Answer 30

50%/80%

Question 31

What percentage of parents always successfully medicated their child? (inhaler/fun haler)

Answer 31

10%/73%

Question 32

What percentage of the parents had a dislike towards the medication? (inhaler/fun haler)

Answer 32

16%/0%

Question 33

Outline the conclusions about the use of the Fun haler

Answer 33

From questionnaires, it would appear that Fun haler led to an increase in use and correct use. Parents also tended to be less likely to give up and resort to a nebuliser

Question 34

What is a strength of the sample used in Chaney’s study?

Answer 34

It is age appropriate for the target population as the funhaler wouldn’t appeal to people much older

Question 35

What is a weakness of Chaney’s sample?

Answer 35

Narrow age range restricts the generalisability

Question 36

What is a strength of using self report in Chaney’s study?

Answer 36

Questionnaires easy to administer to gather thoughts and feelings of the parents on the fun haler

Question 37

What is a weakness of using self report in Chaney’s study?

Answer 37

Some parents may not have given honest answers about their inhaler due to SDB

Question 38

What is a strength of using closed questions in Chaney’s study?

Answer 38

Easy to compare and analyse

Question 39

What is a weakness of using closed questions in Chaney’s study?

Answer 39

It doesn’t tell us why there were differences in attitudes and behaviours with the funhaler

Question 40

What is a strength of Chaney’s study being a field experiment?

Answer 40

Having the research be carried out in a natural setting gives the study high EV

Question 41

What is a weakness of Chaney’s study being a field experiment?

Answer 41

It’s not a usual every day activity for parents to be completing questionnaires and therefore reduces EV

Question 42

What is a strength of using a repeated measures design in Chaney’s study?

Answer 42

Controlling participant variables as the children used both the inhaler and the fun haler

Question 43

What is a weakness of using a repeated measures design in Chaney’s study?

Answer 43

The parents could work out the aim of the study and therefore demand characteristics could be an issue

Question 44

Why did Chaney choose not to counterbalance the participants?

Answer 44

Because use of the fun haler may have led to an increase in use of the normal inhaler a week later and taking away the fun haler may have caused some ethical issues (e.g. distress)

Question 45

Why, in terms of ethics, was it better for Chaney to use a repeated measures design rather than an independent measures design?

Answer 45

So no P’s missed out on beneficial effects of Fun haler

Question 46

Was the procedure controlled, standardised and replicable? (internal reliability)

Answer 46

Same questionnaire, same funhaler - same design given with same instructions

Question 47

Was the sample large enough to suggest a consistent effect? (external reliability)

Answer 47

32 children - not a very big sample to suggest consistency

Question 48

Was the study an accurate test of compliance with medical advice? (internal validity)

Answer 48

We can not be sure how efficient parents were at using the inhaler so difficult to control extraneous variables

Question 49

Could Chaney’s findings be applied to other cultures?

Answer 49

We can’t assume that children from non-australian cultures would respond to the funhaler in the same way