Lecture 1 - Methods Flashcards
What does developmental research seek to do?
- Describe and explain developmental changes
2. Uncover earliest instances of knowledge
Does absence of evidence equal evidence of absence?
Absence of evidence does NOT equal evidence of absence.
E.g. if can’t find competence in 4yr old does not mean competence does not exist just study may not be sensitive enough to identify competence
Issues of conducting developmental research
Capturing developmental change Type design Confounding variables Age appropriate tasks Testing proverbial infants Beware biases Counterbalancing Ethics Social bias
Issues of capturing developmental change and type of design?
Capturing - need to select appropriate age range
Type design - cross sectional or longitudinal
Issues of confounding variables
Extraneous - influences development itself e.g. testing language development
Testing bilingual child not representative of monolingual
Issues of age appropriate tasks
Make sure instructions age appropriate
If comparing 2 groups of different ages, need task be appropriate both age groups
Be a difference in knowledge? Or older children better able cope with demands of task?
Issues of testing preverbal infants and ethics
Preverbal infants - subjective interpretation
Social bias - eagerly try please adults
Ethics - cannot give informed consent, less likely to say they do not want to continue, safe-guarding issues
Competence vs Performance
Competence - conceptual understanding required solve problem
Performance - other cognitive skills required access and express understanding e.g. ability remember key info, focus attention, comprehend question, inhibit bias
Designing a study
Select appropriate:
1. Age range cover development
- Design for data collection e.g. cross-sectional or longitudinal
- Method data collection e.g. observation, interview, experimentation
- Variables to measure
What is a cross-sectional design
Single time point to compare behaviour between different age groups on same task
Advantages of cross-sectional design
Time and cost efficient
Fast and easy method revealing similarities and differences between older and younger children
(mostly practical advantages)
Limitations of cross-sectional designs
Inter individual differences = intraindividual age-related changes
- differences we see between 4yrs and 6yrs generalising development from age 4 to age 6. Do not know this is a valid assumption
Only provide snapshots. Do not tell us about processes development or change
Don’t know how changes emerge
What is a Longitudinal design
Examines and compares abilities/behaviours of particular group children over several time points. Varying time scales across studies.
Test them 1 time point then at a later point test them again on same task
Experimental manipulation of naturally occurring behaviours
Uses of longitudinal designs
Observe change over time within individuals
Examine stability behaviour
Reveal proportion children with particular developmental trajectory
Reveal how early abilities, behaviours or environmental influences related to subsequent abilities/behaviours
Determine temporal primacy of constructs (cause and effect)
Establish which early abilities best predictors later abilities
What are the disadvantages of longitudinal designs
Resource intensive
Subject attrition
Practice effects
Repeated testing may change course of development - not true reflection of normal development
Longer publish paper
Have children dropping out throughout experiment - especially an issue if drop outs represent specific sub-group
