Methods & issues in child development Flashcards
Describe the four basic steps of scientific method
- Choose a question to be answered
- Formulate a hypothesis regarding the question
- Develop a method for testing the hypothesis
- Use the data acquired to draw a conclusion regarding the hypothesis (accept or reject hypothesis)
Describe a cross-sectional research design
A study where children of different ages are observed at a single point in time
Describe a longitudinal research design
A study where more than one observation of the same group of children is made at different points in their development
Describe a microgenetic research design
A method that examines change as it occurs and involves individual children being tested repeatedly, typically over a short period of time so that the density of observations is high compared with the typical longitudinal study
Describe a cohort
A group of people who were raised in the same environment or who share certain demographic characteristics e.g. height, intelligence
what are the main methods for gathering data in child development
interviews and observations
Define a structured interview and how it is useful
Asking identical questions of many children
Obtains quick and straightforward answers
Define a clinical interview and how it is useful
Begin with prepared questions, but follow child’s lead
Obtain in-depth information about an individual child
What are the pros of using interviews to gather data
yield in-depth data
Yield data quickly
Convenient - can be used to study most behaviours
What are the cons of using interviews to gather data
Children’s answers may be invalid because children forget or give biased responses
What are the pros of naturalistic observations
Can yield detailed info about children’s everyday lives, behaviours
Observations can lead to the production of theories of child development
What are the cons of naturalistic observations
Problems of generalisation
Behaviours may occur only rarely in everyday interactions, making them hard to study
Observer bias and influence
Hard to know which factors are influencing behaviour
Define baby biographies
Observing babies as they behave in real-life situations
Define time sampling
An individuals behaviour at frequent intervals of time is recorded
Describe the pros of time sampling
An individuals behaviour at frequent intervals of time is recorded
Describe the cons of time sampling
Missing of behaviours
Define event/continuous smpling
Recording what happens during a particular event
Define a structured observation
Researcher creates setting (typically in a lab) that is likely to bring out behaviour of interest
Observes behaviour and relates it to other factors (e.g. age, personality)
Describe the pros of a structured observation
Ensures that all children are observed in the same context
Can observe behaviours otherwise rare or difficult to study
Describe the cons of a structured observation
Structured setting may distort the behaviour
Observer bias and influence
Describe the clinical method of observation
Natural behaviour is observed and then the individual’s environment is changed in order to understand better the behaviour of interest
What are the pros and cons of correlational studies
Pros: Determine whether variables are related
Cons: Does not address cause and effect, third - variable problem (a third variable determines both of the other variables)
What are the two critical aspects of experimental design
Random assignment - each child has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the groups
Experimental control - all children are treated identically EXCEPT for the one factor (experience) that the researcher is interested in.
What are the pros of experimental design
Allows causal inferences
Allows experimental control over exact experiences children recieve
What are the cons of experimental design
Experimental situations may be artificial, ecological validity is not always given
Cannot be used to study many variables and behaviours of interest, e.g., age, sex, temperament, wealth –> these can only be studied using correlational methods
