Lecture 2 - Designs For Studying Social Development

Question 1

What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development?

Answer 1

Continuous development is development that remains stable over time whereas discontinuous development is development that occurs over a series of abrupt changes

Question 2

What are cohort effects?

Answer 2

The particular set of historical and cultural conditions that affect individuals born in the same time period

Question 3

What are the four types of experimental design?

Answer 3

Laboratory experiments, field experiments, natural/quasi experiments and interventions (like longitudinal field experiments)

Question 4

What is the case study approach?

Answer 4

A longitudinal investigation of a single individual or small groups of individuals

Question 5

What are the three main ways to study change over time?

Answer 5

Cross sectional designs, longitudinal designs and sequential designs

Question 6

What is the cross sectional design?

Answer 6

Participants who differ in age are studied at the same time

Question 7

What is the longitudinal design?

Answer 7

The same group of participants are observed repeatedly over a period of time

Question 8

What is the sequential design?

Answer 8

Participants from different age groups are studied repeatedly over a period of time and new samples of different aged children are added to the sample over time

Question 9

What are the three types of effect that can be observed in change over time?

Answer 9

Age effects, cohort effects and time of measurement

Question 10

What are age effects?

Answer 10

Developmental changes associated with age

Question 11

What is the time of measurement effect?

Answer 11

Changes in the broader environment that occur at the times of data collection

Question 12

In sample selection, what is the national survey approach?

Answer 12

Researchers select a large, nationally representative sample

Question 13

In sample selection, what is involved in a meta analysis?

Answer 13

The results from multiple studies are combined and the estimate that is produced from combining the results is called the effect size

Question 14

What are children’s self reports?

Answer 14

Information that is provided by the child, typically by answering questions administered by the researcher

Question 15

What are the three types of behaviour observation?

Answer 15

Specimen records, event sampling and time sampling

Question 16

What is a specimen record?

Answer 16

If researchers are interested in a broad range of behaviours then they may use this method to describe everything the child or parent does in a specific period of time such as an hour or an afternoon

Question 17

What is event sampling?

Answer 17

An observation that captures only those incidents in which a specific event occurs

Question 18

What is time sampling?

Answer 18

An observation in which the researcher records a set of predetermined behaviours that occur during a specific time period

Question 19

What is ethnography?

Answer 19

Involves intense observations and interviews to gather data about the beliefs, practices and behaviours of an individual in a particular context or culture

Question 20

Name 4 of the ethical concerns when researching children

Answer 20

Right to withdraw, protection from harm, confidentiality and the right to beneficial treatment