Developmental Study - Chaney et al

Question 1

What is the background of this study?

Answer 1

The Skinner Box

Question 2

What was the positive reinforcement in the Skinner box?

Answer 2

Food

Question 3

What was the negative reinforcement in the Skinner box?

Answer 3

Stop shock

Question 4

What is asthma?

Answer 4

A chronic condition that affects about 1 in 10 people. Even though there are treatments, some people use their inhaler wrong (particularly children)

Question 5

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 5

When a behaviour is encouraged by reward. Eg. giving a child a sweet for being polite

Question 6

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 6

When a behaviour is encouraged by removing unpleasant stimulus eg. lifting a ban on the TV because a child has completed their homework

Question 7

What is the aim of the study?

Answer 7

To see if operant conditioning could be used encourage children to want to use their inhaler and when they do; use it correctly

Question 8

What is the research method?

Answer 8

Field experiment and self-report because it takes place in their own environment (home)

Question 9

What was the experimental design?

Answer 9

Repeated measures

Question 10

What was the sample?

Answer 10

32 children (22 boys and 10 girls) from Australia aged between 1.5 and 6 years (75% of the children were over 3) - on average, they have had asthma for 2 years - they were using the Aerochamber inhaler or the Breath-a-Tech inhaler

Question 11

How was the sample obtained?

Answer 11

They were recruited on a random basis from seven paediatrician or GP clinics - within 51km radius of Perth, Western Australia

Question 12

What was the IV?

Answer 12

Whether the child is using the Funhaler or the normal device

Question 13

What was the DVs?

Answer 13

The questionnaires which were designed to measure the children’s behaviour (frequency that the child Tok the medicine and any problems had with delivery of medicine) and the attitudes of the parents and the children towards medication

Question 14

What was the positive reinforcement on the Funhaler?

Answer 14

Whistle and spinner

Question 15

What was the negative reinforcement on the Funhaler?

Answer 15

Asthma symptoms

Question 16

What was the initial data collected?

Answer 16

Questions about current inhaler, measure correct adherence, current frequency of medication, problems with medication, attitudes towards medication

Question 17

What was the data collected during the study itself?

Answer 17

Parents given Funhaler to sue with instructions, and parents were contacted randomly and asked if they had used the Funhaler the previous day

Question 18

What did the children do during the study?

Answer 18

Used Funhaler instead of normal inhaler

Question 19

What was the final data collected?

Answer 19

Questionnaire to measure adherence, how frequently the child was medicated and parent and child attitudes to Funhaler

Question 20

What was the conclusions?

Answer 20

The Funhaler led to increase in usage and correct usage (4 breaths per cycle). Parents also were less likely to give up and result to a nebuliser

Question 21

What ethics were upheld?

Answer 21

No harm and we can assume there was a debrief

Question 22

Why was it better to use a repeated measures design?

Answer 22

All the children got the benefit of using the Funhaler rather than just some

Question 23

Internal reliability point

Answer 23

Same questionnaire, length of time using Funhaler was the same, Funhaler was the same for all children

Question 24

External reliability points

Answer 24

Only 32 children involved - raises questions about how consistent the effect was

Question 25

Internal Validity points

Answer 25

Socially desirable rather than true responses are possible (parents don’t want to admit that they are giving their children the inhaler incorrectly) and improved use could also be the result of novelty of the Funhaler

Question 26

External Validity points

Answer 26

Difficult to apply to all cultures and the other age ranged, and children use the inhaler at home so this increases the ecological validity

Question 27

Ethnocentrism points

Answer 27

All children were from Australia, will children from all cultures fringe the design of the Funhaler appealing?

Question 28

How does the study link to usefulness?

Answer 28

Education, parenting, health sector vs limited ages, countries other illness

Question 29

What is the link to Ind/Sit debate?

Answer 29

Indivuduall differences in child/parent attitudes towards inhaler but sit of the inhaler influencing behaviour

Question 30

What is the link to the Nat/Nur debate?

Answer 30

Children natured into using the Funhaler

Question 31

What is the link to the Free/Det debate?

Answer 31

Usage determined by the inhaler

Question 32

What is the link to Reduc/Holism debate?

Answer 32

Maybe ignoring parenting style