Key assumptions

Question 1

What are the 4 key assumptions?

Answer 1

1. Change and development is an ongoing process which continues throughout our lifetime
2. Behaviour may be learnt (nurture) or innate (nature)
3. Earlier experiences affect later development
4. Development may happen in pre-determined stages

Question 2

Longitudinal study?

Answer 2

Studying a group of individuals over a long period of time

Question 3

Cross-sectional research?

Answer 3

Taking a group of individuals all at differing ages and compare characteristics between them

Question 4

Subject attrition

Answer 4

May lose some P’s during longitudinal study e.g. may move away

Question 5

Discuss sources of bias in the developmental area

Answer 5

Gender -Kohlberg
Kohlberg based his stages of moral development around male moral reasoning and had an all-male sample. He then inappropriately generalized his findings to women and also claimed women generally reached the lower level of moral development (androcentrism).

But women make moral decisions in a different way than men

Question 6

cultural

Answer 6

cultural- Lee
assume that most human behavior is common to humans but that cultural factors influence the development or display of this behavior.

Making the assumption that behaviors are universal across cultures can lead to one culture being applied inappropriately to another.
Research is culturally biased as Canada is not representative of all western cultures and China is not representative of non-Western cultures.

Question 7

social desirability- chaney

Answer 7

Parents may have not been telling the full truth because of social desirability bias

Question 8

experimenter bias

Answer 8

Expectations of Americans developing quicker so may have been more encouraging towards them. = Higher stages as a result

May have accidentally encouraged the boys to be ‘more able’ lowering internal validity and causing socially desirable answers

Kohlberg changed moral dilemmas to suit cultures. Interpretations of answer may have reflected his own western views (reflect cultural norms over moral development)

Imposed etic= develop a measure in one culture and impose it on others (generalize from one and interpret to another) IMPOSED VIEW ON OTHER CULTURES