Paper 2 - Chaney et al on Funhaler

Question 1

What is the funhaler ?

Answer 1

It is a paediatric device that makes it easier for young children to take asthma medication by improving compliance of young children as the funhaler is fun and functional. It is based on operant conditioning, positive reinforcement. The spacer device contains a spinning disk and a whistle which is activated by the child breathing in the funhaler and therefore taking their medication. All components are designed with bright colours to make it look like a toy.

Question 2

What is the aim of this study ?

Answer 2

Chaney wanted to compare an inhaler against a funhaler and see whether positive reinforcement increases compliance within children with asthma.

Question 3

What type of study is this ?

Answer 3

A field experiment - conducted in the children’s homes in Australia

Question 4

Describe the sample

Answer 4

22 males and 10 females
age range 1.5 - 6 years old.
average duration of asthma is 2.2 years
repeated measures design
opportunity sampling for people within a 51Km radius of the clinic

Question 5

What is the IV ?

Answer 5

Use of a standard inhaler or a funhaler when giving asthma medication to young children

Question 6

What is the DV ?

Answer 6

Level of adherence to prescribed medical regime measures by a self report questionnaire and a phone call from parents

Question 7

Describe the procedure

Answer 7

parents of the children completed a questionnaire on compliance levels to their children’s current medical device.
Parents were then shown the funhaler and given it to use with their children over 2 weeks, to be used under adult supervision.
The amount of usage was assesed by a random phone call once during the study to ask the parent if their child had used the funhaler the day before.
Parents were visited at the end of the 2 weeks and given a second questionnaire.

Question 8

What did the questionnaires include ?

Answer 8

The items on each questionnaire were equal but different - they were matched and validated by a psychologist.
They consisted mainly of yes/no questions or fixed choice questions
They measured attitudes about the use of a spacer device, including behaviour, problems with the medication and compliance

Question 9

Describe the results of this study

Answer 9

When surveyed at random, 38% more parents found to have medicated their child the previous day using the funhaler compared to the regular inhaler.
60% more children took the dosage correctly when using the funhaler compared to the regular inhaler.
22/32 parents were ‘always successful in medicating their child’ with the funnhaler, compared to 3/32 parents with the regular inhaler.
Overall, the funhaler improved parental child compliance

Question 10

Describe the conclusions

Answer 10

The improved adherence combined with the effective delivery characteristics suggests that the funhaler is more useful in medicating young children.
positive reinforcement is an affective way of changing behaviour in children.
The functional device has health improvements

Question 11

Evaluate the method used

Answer 11

The use of field experiment means that ecological validity is high due to the every day life environment.
Extraneous variables are not controlled as there will be many distractions in the home, this reduces validity and reliability of the study.
Self report may cause the social desirability effect which decreases validity.
repeated measures design means there’s no participant variables, however, it allows for order effects

Question 12

Evaluate the data used

Answer 12

The self report collected quantitative data using fixed questions. These lack detail as there’s a predetermined answer and it suggests there are simple answers to the questions. Also, parents may interpret the questions differently.
The data is objective and easy to draw conclusions from

Question 13

Evaluate the ethics of this study

Answer 13

Indirect informed consent as the children cannot give consent themselves.
The children didn’t know they were in a study so they were deceived, however, the health benefits to the children may justify this.

Question 14

Evaluate the validity

Answer 14

Order effects and extraneous variables are not controlled
This study is not over a long period so the effect of positive reinforcement may wear off.
Self report may cause social desirability or the questions may confuse the parent

Question 15

Evaluate the reliability

Answer 15

The house is not a controlled environment, the closed questions and instructions are replicable and standardised.
the questions may be perceived differently

Question 16

Evaluate the sample

Answer 16

Sampling bias as theres 22 boys and only 10 girls, opportunity sampling means its unrepresentative and so does the size of the sample
pps are motivated and less likely to drop out

Question 17

evaluate the ethnocentrism

Answer 17

only Australians within a 51km radius of the clinic
results cannot be generalised

Question 18

Where does this study stand within relation to psychology as a science ?

Answer 18

It used standardised procedures such as the questionnaires and the instructions. however has little control over extraneous variables and order effects reducing the validity and reliability of the study

Question 19

Where does this study stand within relation to nature/nurture debate and the individual/situational ?

Answer 19

nurture/situational - (operant conditioning) positive reinforcements in our environment change our behaviour

Question 20

Where does this study stand within relation to freewill/determinism debate ?

Answer 20

determinism- denies we have freewill as behaviour is shaped by reinforcements (operant conditioning)

Question 21

Where does this study stand within learning types theory ?

Answer 21

instructional learning through using reinforcements