Developmental Studies Flashcards
What are the two studies in the developmental area
Bandura et al (1961)
Chaney et al (2004)
Define the social learning theory
Learning behaviours through other people, through observation and imitation
What is the behaviourist perspective
They believe that every observable behaviour and action you do is all dependent on nurture
What previous research, before Bandura, was there for children imitating behaviour
Children will readily imitate behaviour demonstrated by an adult model if the model remains present
What was the aim of the Bandura study
- To demonstrate that learning can occur through mere observation of a model and that imitation of learned behaviour can occur in the absence of that model
What were the 4 hypothesis in the Bandura study
- Children shown aggressive models will imitate more of their behaviour compared to those shown non-aggressive or no model
- Children shown non-aggressive or no mode will show significantly less aggression
- Boys will show significantly more imitated aggression that girls
- Children will imitate same sex model behaviour to a greater degree that opposite sex behaviour
which of these was Bandura's study: Field/Laboratory Independent/repeated/matched pairs Quantitative/qualitative Primary/secondary Interview/observation
Field/Laboratory. —> laboratory
Independent/repeated/matched pairs. —>independent and matched pairs
Quantitative/qualitative. —>quantitative (inter scorer)
Primary/secondary. —>primary
Interview/observation. —>observation
In the Bandura study what were the independent variables
- Whether the child witnessed an aggressive or a non-aggressive adult model in the first phase of the experiment (control group was not exposed to an adult model
- Sex of the model (male/female)
- Sex of the child (boy/girl)
In the Bandura study, what was the dependent variable
-Amount of imitative behaviour and aggression shown by the child in phase 3
what was the sample in the Bandura study
- 72 children (36 boys 36 girls)
- Aged 37-69 months (mean = 52 months)
- Stanford university nursery school
briefly describe phase 1 of the Bandura study
1) Children in the experimental conditions were taken to a room to play with potato prints and stickers for 10 minutes
2) The aggressive model began by assembling a tinker toy set but after about a minute turned to a bobo doll and spent the remainder of the phase physically and verbally aggressing the toy using a standardised procedure
3) The non-aggressive model started by assembling the tinker toys in a calm, quiet manner, totally ignoring the bobo doll
4) The control group did not participate in phase 1
briefly describe phase 2 of the Bandura study
1) All the children were individually taken to an anteroom and subjected to mild aggression arousal
2) Initially they were allowed to play with some very attractive toys, but after about 2 minutes the experimenter took the toys away and said they were reserved for other children
3) However, they could play with the toys in the next room
briefly describe phase 3 of the Bandura study
1) The children were then individually taken to the 3rd room which contained both aggressive and non-aggressive toys: 3ft bobo doll, a mallet, dart guns, tea set, cars, dolls
2) The children were observed through a one-way mirror for 20 minutes, whilst observers recorded behaviour (inter scorer)
3) Categories the children’s behaviour included:
-imitative aggression (physical, verbal and non-aggressive speech)
-partially aggressive imitation
-non-aggressive imitation (physical and verbal)
non-aggressive behaviour
In Bandura’s study, what were their findings on the children in the aggressive condition
- Children in the aggressive condition showed significantly more imitated aggression that those in non-aggressive/control condition
- Children in the aggressive condition showed more partial aggression compared to non aggressive/ control groups
In Bandura’s study, what were the finding on the children in the non-aggressive group
Children in the non-aggressive group showed very little aggression
In Bandura’s study what were their findings on the different genders (Boys VS Girls)
Boys imitated males more and girls imitated females more (verbal aggression)
What were the conclusions in the Bandura study
- Children will imitate aggressive/ non-aggressive behaviours displayed by adult models even if the model is not present
- Children can learn behaviours through observation and imitation
- Boys and girls are likely to learn verbal aggression from same sex adults
Bandura - Internal validity
- Children might have just been aggressive because the bobo doll is designed for aggressive play - we don’t know if children would have imitated aggression with a non-aggressive toy
- Evidence that the participants were responding to demand characteristics (one child asked “where’s the doll I have to hit now?”) might only show aggression because they think they’re supposed to
Bandura - External validity
population
ecological
Population - Yale university nursery children probably are more intelligent than average, so we cant assume all children would learn in the same way (low)
Ecological - Lab is not like real-life play children will play differently that they would play at home (low)
Bandura - Internal reliability
- Made lots of efforts to standardise the procedure e.g. told models to perform the same aggressive acts, left children to play/watch the model for the same amount of time
- But they couldn’t have completely controlled the behaviour of the different models - it will have been slightly different
Bandura - External reliability
- variation of study in 1965 found same high levels of imitation
- Could be replicated very easily (lab, standardised)
How did Bandura comply with the informed consent guideline
Gained from parents - appropriate because the child participants w9oudn’t have been able to understand
How did Bandura comply with the right to withdraw guideline
Children are unlikely to understand the right to withdraw, could have become distressed (although reports say they played happily)
How did Bandura comply with the competence guideline
the people who had direct contact with the children had the appropriate background checks etc.
How did Bandura comply with the protection of participants guideline
Children weren’t entirely protected as some of them were taught to be aggressive - this is not socially responsible (but we don’t know if this effect was long-term)
How did Bandura comply with the deception guideline
Children were actively deceived when told the nice toys were being saved for the good children… and passively deceived as they didn’t understand and they were being studied
What debates does the Bandura study relate to
Nurture = (social learning theory) learned by observing and imitating the behaviour
Situational = The situation that they’re put in, could make them aggressive (bobo doll) and the environment. was there a bobo doll? did we observe an aggressive model?
Individual = There were individual differences e.g. some children were less/ more aggressive that expected, gender differences in physical/ verbal/ overall aggression
=could also explain later individual differences in levels of aggression
Determinism = Behaviourism psychologists believe our behaviour (including aggression) is shaped by our environment, that is not within our control
How many children in Australia get asthma
1 in 4 children in Australia get asthma
What is the key theme of the Chaney study
External influences on children’s behaviour
what was the aim of the Chaney study
-To show that the use of a novel asthma spacer device the “Funhaler” which incorporates toys, can provide positive reinforcement, which leads to improved adherence in young asthmatics
what was the Chaney study: Laboratory experiment/Field experiment Qualitative/Quantitative Primary/Secondary Independent measures/Repeated measures
Laboratory/Field —> Field
Qualitative/Quantitative —> Qualitative
Primary/Secondary —> Primary
Independent/Repeated —> Repeated measures
what was the independent variable in the Chaney study and how was it operationalized
the type of inhaler used:
1) Whether the child used a standard/small volume spacer device
2) Whether the child used a funhaler
what was the dependent variable in the Chaney study and how was it operationalized
how much medication/if taken:
The amount of adherence to the prescribed medical regime
what was one of the control measures in the Chaney study
Spoke to the same parent for the questionnaire/interview
What was the sample in the Chaney study:
how many?
gender?
age?
32 Children
22 male, 10 female
age range = 1.5 - 6 years
(mean age = 3.2 years)
In the Chaney study what was the target population
Children using inhalers
what sampling method was used to choose the sample in the Chaney study
Opportunity sampling
Briefly describe the procedure for the Chaney study
1) Firstly, a comparison was made between the original aerosol output of the breath a tech (normal) and funhaler (no significant observations were made as it doesn’t compromise drug delivery).
2) Participants were approached at home to be interviewed on their current use of their inhaler (breath a tech)
3) They were then given the funhaler for 2 weeks and reported over the phone to see if they used the funhaler the previous day.
4) After sequential use of the breath a tech and funhaler, they were visited again by the researcher and interviewed and completed matched questionnaires
5) Data collected from the self-report related to how easy each device was to use. During the study each parent was called at random to find out whether they had attempted to medicate their child the day before
In the Chaney study, how were the funhaler’s made appealing to the children
- Spinners and whistles, in a separate branch to the standard inhalation circuit, so it wouldn’t cause contamination or interference of drug delivery.
- The design themselves ensures sufficient medication to the child and through the inhaler
- The design attempts for the children to have a deep breathing pattern in order to gain more medication (and spin the toy faster/louder)
- The children won’t find taking their medication boring because they have the incentive toys to attract them tot heir medication
What were some of the findings from the Chaney study
- 38% more parents were found to have medicated their child the previous day when using the funhaler, compared to their existing breath a tech.
- 60% more children took the recommended 4 or more cycles per aerosol delivery
- Significantly more parents reported they were ‘always’ successful in medicating their child using the funhaler
What conclusions did Chaney get from his study
- Funhaler may be useful for management of young asthmatics because of improved design combined with satisfactory delivery characteristics
- The use of the funhaler could possible be translated to improved measures of clinical outcome
- Clinical incentives like the funhaler may improve health of children
- More research is recommended in the long-term efficiency of this treatment
define learning
A process by which a reasonably permanent change in behaviour occurs as a result of past experiences
what is classical conditioning:
Key word
Experiment done to show classical conditioning
key word = association
Experiment = Pavlov and his dogs
1)His dogs have a unconditioned response (drooling) to the unconditioned stimuli (food)
2) The stimuli of the bell was introduced so every time the dog was given food, the bell was rung
3) Repetition during conditioning
4) His dogs have a conditioned response (drooling) to the conditioned stimuli (bell)
What is operant conditioning:
key word
Experiment done to show operant conditioning
key word = reinforcement
Experiment = Skinner and his rats/pigeons
Skinner found that when he put a pigeon/rat in his ‘skinner box’, hey would very quickly learn to press the lever repeatedly to get food. Pressing the lever was reinforced by the food.
define positive reinforcement
When you receive something pleasant as a consequence of your actions. It is supposed to make you repeat/ continue your behaviour
define negative reinforcement
When something unpleasant is removed as a consequence of your actions. It is supposed to make you repeat/continue your behaviour
define punishment
When there is an unpleasant consequence to your actions. it is supposed to change/stop your behaviour
what are the strengths of the behaviourist perspective
- Strong explanatory power - conditioning can be used to explain lots of behaviour and some behaviour is very difficult to explain without referring to conditioning
- Many practical applications are suggested by behaviourism - operant conditioning is used a lot in schools, the legal system, by parents etc.
what are the weaknesses of the behaviourist perspective
-Only studies observable behaviour.
its quite simplistic explanation, ignores cognitive processes that affect our behaviour e.g. do we decide to imitate or not?
Reductionism - tries to explain behaviour just on the basis of one simple learning process
can be considered to be dehumanising because it assumes we learn in the same way animals do (but really we’re more complex cognitively and emotionally)
