Methods & Ethics in Applied Developmental Psyc Flashcards
Research methods
descriptive designs, correlational designs, experimental designs
descriptive designs
Observe and collect data (not predicting, etc)
Goal → despicable variables/experiences in their current state
correlation designs
Determine whether there is a relationship between 2 variables
Do children who differ on variable 1 also differ on variable 2?
Variables are not manipulated
Correlation ≠ causation
Third variables (another thing that may cause both variables)
experimental designs
Able to examine cause-effect relations
Research manipulated the independent variable → participants are randomly assigned to different groups
Do differences in the independent variable cause differences in the dependent variable?
advantages and disadvantages of correlation designs
advantages:
Researchers don’t manipulate anything → measure people as they are (more generalizable to real-life?)
Learn about relationships between variables
disadvantages:
Cannot learn about case & effect
Correlation ≠ causation
advantages and disadvantages of experimental designs
Advantages:
Can learn about cause and effect
Must be able to randomly assign participants to different conditions (not always ethical or physically possible)
Disadvantages:
Can be ethically difficult to conduct
May be less externally valid (generalizable)
research methods for examining development (and definitions)
Longitudinal design: same participants tested repeatedly at different ages
Cross-sectional design: different groups of participants tested at different ages around the same time
Cohort effects with cross sectional?
Generational differences
Cohort effects with longitudinal?
Are findings generalizable beyond the cohort studies? Are changes due to developments with age, or developments with time?
mozart effect
Risk factors associated with and predictive of negative outcomes in development?
Attributes of the child
Ie. preterm birth, early sexual activity
Attributes of the parents/family
Ie. divorce, mental illness
Sociodemographic factors
Ie. poverty, experiences of racism
Life experiences
Ie. maltreatment, war, natural disaster
Toxic stress
Associated with long-term effects → neurological impairments, emotional dysregulation, social difficulties, poorer cognitive/academic skills
How to study resilience/adversities? → Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)
About 70% of adults have experienced 1 ACE in their live
It’s a cumulative risk (experiencing many ACES = cumulative risk that then causes problems)
See the heightend risk for dev outcomes when many ACES are endorsed (typically 4 or more)
Criticisms of ACE
What qualifies as an ACE?
Interactions between ACES?
Ignores the severity and timing of experiences
Fails to acknowledge the role of societal factors
Ignores positive experience that may buffer effects of negative experience in some children
resilience (definition)
The capacity to withstand or recorder from significant disturbances and continue to function or develop in a healthy or normative way
“Beating the odds”
“Bouncing back”
