Longitudinal designs: Predictors and outcomes

Question 1

What are the 4 goals of developmental research?

Answer 1

Description, Explanation, Prediction, Application

Question 2

Why do we have a prediction as a goal in developmental research?

Answer 2

It often precedes the goal of explanation as we need to identify patterns in order to make causal relations

Question 3

What type of research is often used for prediction but not all studies of that research have prediction as the goal?

Answer 3

Correlational

Question 4

What is the most appropriate design method for goals of prediciton?

Answer 4

Longitudinal

Question 5

What are 3 common predictor outcomes often mistaken as causal?

Answer 5

Age, gender and attachment

Question 6

When is multiple regression most commonly used?

Answer 6

When multiple variables are being measures at the same time

Question 7

When should you NOT use multiple regression and why?

Answer 7

Longitudinal data - violates the assumption of independence

Question 8

What did Alloway and Alloway (2010) investigate that included multiple regression analysis?

Answer 8

The predictive roles of working memory and IQ on academic achievement

Question 9

What did Alloway and Alloway do after the initial regression analysis?

Answer 9

Hierarchical regression to see which cognitive abilities shared unique variance with the two measures of academic achievement

Question 10

What is dominance analysis?

Answer 10

Considers all the R2 values for all possible subset models
i.e sees which predictor variable contributes the most

Question 11

What is an alternative way of analysing longitudinal data?

Answer 11

Mixed effects/multi-level models

Question 12

Why is mixed effect modelling better for longitudinal designs?

Answer 12

Assumes each individual will have their own unique pattern of change and stability over time

Question 13

Why is it called mixed effects modelling?

Answer 13

It uses both fixed (population) and random (individual) effects

Question 14

What did peter et al (2019) investigate that involved mixed-effects modelling?

Answer 14

Predicted language growth through either speed of processing or vocabulary size

Question 15

How did Peter et al (2019) undergo mixed-effects modelling? what was the result?

Answer 15

Process: Plotted a line for each individual - individual effect
Divided between fast and slow processors - population effect
Result:
- Slow processors have a lower level of expressive language but their trajectories were similar to the fast processors

Question 16

What’s another example of a study that used Mixed-effects modelling?

Answer 16

Dadvand et al

Question 17

What is survival analysis?

Answer 17

Family of techniques where you see how long it takes for something to happen or stop happening
In particular, if a set of variables influence this survival time

Question 18

What did Chen and Kandel (1998) study in their survival analysis? what was found?

Answer 18

predictors in the cessation of marijuana use
Most important = pregnancy
Best predictors of longer-term use; start early, frequent use, using other controlled drugs

Question 19

What did Friso-van de bos (2020) measure to predict academic achievement?

Answer 19

Working memory and inhibitory control

Question 20

What were the findings from Friso-van de bos’ (2020) study on WM and IC to predict Academic achievement

Answer 20

Testing order affected performance on visuospatial WM
Children performed better in individual setting rather than classroom
Verbal WM (but not VS WM) was a strong predictor of academic achievement in the classroom setting but not the individual setting
Attentional capacities reported were affected by the setting

Question 21

What are limitations of Friso-van de bos’ (2020) study? What could they do to improve?

Answer 21

They used multiple regression analysis so could used mixed effects - did justify as used dominance analysis
Teacher self report - parent report as well?
Better cog inhibition task that is less demanding such as day/night task

Question 22

What are the limitations of Friso-van de bos’ (2020) study? What could they do to improve?

Answer 22

They used multiple regression analysis so could used mixed effects - did justify as used dominance analysis
Teacher self report - parent report as well?
Better cog inhibition task that is less demanding such as day/night task

Question 23

What was Tamis-LaMonda (2001) investigating?

Answer 23

Whether maternal responsiveness predicted language milestones in children

Question 24

What was the result of Tamis-LaMonda’s (2001) study?

Answer 24

Maternal responsiveness was predictive of all language milestones
Vocalisations alone not predictive - intention must be embedded and supportive social environment
Mother’s responses to vocalisations at 9 months was predictive of 4/5 language milestones

Question 25

What is a limitation of Tamis-LaMonda’s (2001) study?

Answer 25

• Only small sample of observation = 2 10 minute sessions
• Limited generalizability

Question 26

What did Foley et al (2022) investigate?

Answer 26

If parental mind-mindedness predicted mother, father and infant conversational turns

Question 27

What was the result from Foley et al’s (2022)

Question 28

What did Survival Analysis from Tamis-LaMonda’s study show? (2001)

Answer 28

Those grouped with high maternal responsiveness, their infants reached first imitation and first word first before the low maternal responsiveness group