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PSYC 315 > Intro & Methods > Flashcards

Intro & Methods Flashcards

1
Q

2 goals of developmental psychology

A
  1. to describe
  2. to explain
  3. to apply

  • identify what development looks like; understand what humans at different ages typically do, think, feel, etc.
  • determine what factors contribute to development
  • utilize findings for programs, policies, advice
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2
Q

2 main approaches for studying development

A
  1. stages
  2. domains (e.g. physical, social and emotional, cognitive)

prenatal, infancy, early childhood (3-6), middle childhood (6-11), adolescence (11-18/19), early/emerging adulthood, adulthood

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3
Q

Nature (Rosseau) vs nurture (Locke)

A
  • born as noble savages with innate ideas of good and bad
  • born a blank slate or “tabula rasa”
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4
Q

Current view on nature vs nurture

A

nature and nurture interplay with each other to influence development

e.g. epigenetics (changes in gene expression caused by environment)

  • nature: biological endowment; genes
  • nurture: physical and social environment
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5
Q

Continuous vs discontinuous development

A
  • gradual, quantitative change (e.g. vocabulary)
  • qualitative change through stages (e.g. moral development)

e.g. discontinuous: babies think about right/wrong based on outcome and teens think about it based on intention

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6
Q

3 mechanisms of change

A
  1. biological processes
  2. experiences
  3. timing of experiences

sensitive period: time in which change/learning is optimal to occur

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7
Q

Aspects of context that influence development

A

family, peers, school, community, socioeconomic status, culture, time period

e.g. Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological systems model (illustrates different levels of contexts)

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8
Q

4 methods of data collection

A
  1. self/other-report
  2. naturalistic observation
  3. structured observation
  4. physiological measures
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9
Q

Self/other-report

A
  • surveys and questionnaires
  • interviews
  • focus groups
  • standardized tests
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10
Q

Naturalistic observation

A

observing behavior of interest in its natural setting

e.g. time-sampling, event-sampling

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11
Q

Time-sampling vs event-sampling

naturalistic observation

A
  • time-sampling: record all behaviors during pre-determined time periods
  • event-sampling: record behavior every time event of interest occurs, but not other behaviors
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12
Q

Operational definition

A

a clear and detailed description of how you intend to measure a variable

e.g. helping behaviors

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13
Q

Structured observation

A

researcher sets up a situation to evoke a behavior of interest

allows us to examine behavior in a more controlled setting (i.e. similar across participants)

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14
Q

Physiological measures

A

heart rate, blood pressure, hormone levels, pupil dilation, neuroimaging

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15
Q

4 kinds of neuroimaging

and what they measure

A
  1. EEG/ERP: electrical activity in the brain
  2. MRI: brain structure using magnetic fields
  3. fMRI: blood flow in the brain using magnetic fields
  4. NIRS: measures blood flow in the brain using light

NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) is more effective with smaller heads and heads with less hair

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16
Q

Advantages of naturalistic observation

A
  • can be affordable
  • reflects real-world behavior

children may be less influenced by observer

17
Q

Disadvantages of naturalistic observation

A
  • may be hard to observe rare behaviors
  • observer bias, effects
  • difficult to control
  • little insight into why behavior occurs, or inner experience
18
Q

Advantages of structured observation

A
  • same situation for everyone = more control/equivalence
  • useful for rare behaviors/situations
19
Q

Disadvantages of structured observation

A
  • may not reflect natural behaviors
  • observer bias
  • little insight into why behavior occurs, or inner experience

  • children may be unwilling to engage in tasks
  • ethical concerns about some situations
20
Q

Advantages of self/other-report

A
  • easy to administer
  • can probe inner experience (motivations, emotions, etc.)
21
Q

Disadvantages of self/other-report

A
  • can’t guarantee accuracy
  • may be biased (by interviewer or subject)

  • children may be unable to fill out questionnaires
  • may be shy
  • may have memory difficulties or be easily influenced
22
Q

Advantages of physiological measures

A
  • assess biological underpinnings
  • does not require language/behavior
23
Q

Disadvantages of physiological measures

A
  • can be costly
  • can be difficult to interpret results

  • can be loud/frightening for children
24
Q

2 kinds of research designs

overall structure of research

A
  1. correlational
  2. experimental
25
Q

Correlational design

A

examines the relationship between 2 variables

  • measures both variables (none are assigned/manipulated)
  • do people who differ on variable 1 also systematically differ on variable 2?
26
Q

Correlation coefficient

A

measures the association between 2 variables in terms of:
1. direction (positive or negative)
2. strength (0 to +/-1)

≠ causation!

27
Q

Experimental design

A
  • researcher manipulates independent variable and participants are randomly assigned to different groups
  • examines cause-effect

may be ethically difficult to manipulate/randomly assign

28
Q

2 kinds of research designs for studying age/development

A
  1. cross-sectional
  2. longitudinal
29
Q

Cross-sectional vs longitudinal design

A
  • different groups of participants at different ages measured at the same time
  • same participants measured repeatedly across time at different ages
30
Q

Disadvantages of cross-sectional design

A
  • impossible to tell if differences between groups are due to age or cohorts
  • can’t track individuals development
31
Q

Disadvantages of longitudinal design

A
  • time, cost, drop-outs, generalizability
  • impossible to tell if changes observed between measurements are changes with age or changes in history
32
Q

Challenges with studying age/development

A
  • understanding what causes change
  • measurement equivalence (e.g. aggression in kids vs teens)
  • challenges of the population (e.g. selection, ethics, cooperation)
33
Q

Strengths of the scientific method

science as a way of knowing

A
  • scientific community comments on, critiques, builds upon each others’ work
  • constantly changing and updating = improving knowledge
  • publicly shared knowledge
34
Q

Replication

and replication crisis or growing pains

A

process of repeating a study to determine which results generalize across time/situations/contexts

2010s replication crisis: researchers began to note that many Psychology findings failed to replicate

35
Q

Limitations of the scientific method

A
  • cannot answer all questions
  • assumption that science is the only or best way of knowing
  • embedded within particular historical and cultural contexts
  • biases of scientists can exclude, distort ideas, lead to othering

e.g. indigenous families, kids with disabilities (e.g. autism), neurodivergent kids often left out of research

36
Q

Positionality

A

our positions in society, and in relation to our work, that impact how we perceive the world

e.g. our contexts, identities, access

37
Q

Importance of positionality

A

helps us acknowledge how who and where we are influences our relationship with out learning and content material

38
Q

How is development intertwined with positionality?

A
  • development shapes us into who we are
  • our positionality shapes how we see development, developmental psychology, and research
39
Q

Controversies surrounding positionality

A
  • wanting science to be unbiased or wanting separation between researcher/research
  • unsure of impact
  • feelings of forced disclosure

positionality allows us to acknowledge our biases, not get rid of them!

PSYC 315 (3 decks)

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