~Developmental Research Methods

Question 1

Often, ___ is what promotes interest in what we’re studying things like developmental psych

Answer 1

Causality

Question 2

Why is the Third-Variable Problem a big issue with interpreting correlational research?

Answer 2

Because kids are going to differ on all sorts of different dimensions that we can’t possibly measure all in a single study

Question 3

What is a good way to rule out third variables in an experiment?

Answer 3

Random Assignment

Question 4

What is the Independent Variable?

Answer 4

The manipulated variable

Question 5

What is the Dependent Variable?

Answer 5

The variable in which the effects are observed in

Question 6

How do we get around ethical and practical problems that prevent Experimental Design?

Answer 6

We want to find converging evidence from correlational research as well as evidence from other fields that builds up our case. Molecular biology can come into use here

Question 7

___ is the hallmark of a true experiment because that’s what helps to wash out all the third variables

Answer 7

Random Assignment

Question 8

___ experiments are situations where you cannot practically use random assignment

Answer 8

Quality/Natural

Question 9

What research designs are aimed at looking at differences in some kind of variable at different ages/points of development?

Answer 9

Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal, & Sequential

Question 10

What kinds of research can be done using Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal, & Sequential design?

Answer 10

Correlational or Experimental Research

Question 11

Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional studies can yield very ___ results

Answer 11

Different

Question 12

What is a Microgenetic Study?

Answer 12

In a microgenetic study, you are looking at kids who you think are on the precipice of some kind of change, like picking up a new strategy or skill, and you want to catch it in action, see the process from going to the earlier skill to a more developed skill. You’re studying the same kid repeatedly, but the timescale is on order of hours, days or weeks

Question 13

What is a Longitudinal Design?

Answer 13

Longitudinal Designs follow the same group of individuals, studying them repeatedly over time (months; years; decades)

Question 14

What are the benefits of Longitudinal Design?

Answer 14

• Identify common patterns & individual differences; Can help you see if anything in your data helps to predict what trajectory an individual is going to show.
• Examine links between earlier and later events; How earlier events or skills predict later ones.
• Captures actual, individual development

Question 15

What are the drawbacks of Longitudinal Design?

Answer 15

• Biased samples (need to be willing to sign up)
• Selective attrition (e.g., those who find study difficult); Common for there to be drop-outs
• Practice Effects
• Involve a single Cohort

Question 16

What does Attrition mean?

Answer 16

Attrition means participants dropping out of study before it’s finished

Question 17

What does Selective Attrition mean?

Answer 17

Selective attrition is if the drop-out is not random

Question 18

What is the problem with Selective Attrition happening in Longitudinal Design?

Answer 18

If they are dropping out because they are finding it too hard, you lose the valuable data of what the picture really is. And it’s skewing the data.

Question 19

What are Practice Effects?

Answer 19

If you’re measuring the same thing using the same task over and over, the subject may have gotten used to it, and their score may go up, when the skill hasn’t actually increased

Question 20

What is a Cohort?

Answer 20

A cohort is defined as people who are of the same age and come from a similar background (culturally and socially)

Question 21

What is the problem with a single Cohort being looked at in Longitudinal Design?

Answer 21

If you’re only studying one cohort, it’s not guaranteed whether your findings will apply to people 50 years from now. This is mainly a concern when looking at social norms, beliefs and behaviours. Less of an issue when studying basic brain development or basic cognition.

Question 22

What is an example of a Cohort?

Answer 22

Pandemic babies are now looked at as their own cohort

Question 23

What is a Cross-Sectional Design?

Answer 23

Cross-Sectional Designs study people of differing ages at a single point in time. Participants are only tested once

Question 24

What are the benefits of using a Cross-Sectional Design?

Answer 24

• Logistically efficient (quick and relatively cheap to run)
• No issues with practice effects or attrition
• Allows initial exploration of a question to be conducted

Question 25

What are the drawbacks of using a Cross-Sectional Design?

Answer 25

• Doesn’t measure individuals’ development over time

- Cohort effects may partially (or fully) explain findings

Question 26

What are the Cohort Effect problems in Cross-Sectional Design?

Answer 26

• Cohort effects may partially (or fully) explain findings
• May keep us from seeing any true age-related effects
• Particularly relevant if studying across a really wide age range.
• If we have cohort effects, we might say that “age-related change is confounded with the cohorts of our participants” those two things are inextricably mixed together, making it hard to interpret the findings.

Question 27

What are Sequential Designs?

Answer 27

Sequential Designs combine the features of Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Designs, following several cohorts over time.

Question 28

What are the benefits of Sequential Designs?

Answer 28

• Allows us to get around a lot of the problems associated with Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal designs.
• Compare participants of the same age from different cohorts
• Allows you to look for a potential impact of cohort effects, and use that to better interpret findings

Question 29

What is a Descriptive Claim?

Answer 29

The goal is to simply describe or characterize a phenomenon

Question 30

What is an example of a Descriptive Claim?

Answer 30

“Children show two types of aggression: Proactive and reactive.”

Question 31

What is an Associative Claim?

Answer 31

The goal is to understand the relationships between phenomena

Question 32

What is an example of an Associative Claim?

Answer 32

“The more kids play violent video games, the more aggressive they are.”

Question 33

What is a Causal Claim?

Answer 33

The goal is to understand cause-and-effect. High standard of evidence

Question 34

What are some Causal phrases?

Answer 34

Causes/leads to
prevents/facilitates
increases/decreases
affects/impacts
protects against reduces/enhances
improves/benefits

Question 35

What is the Sample?

Answer 35

The specific group of children that you collect data from

Question 36

What is the Population?

Answer 36

The entire group you want to draw conclusions about

Question 37

When interpreting research, we should only generalize findings to the ___ reflected in our ___

Answer 37

population // sample