Research and Design Methods

Question 1

There are 5 criteria for “good” measurement

Answer 1

Direct relevance Reliability (inter-rater & test-retest) Validity (internal & external)

Question 2

inter-rater reliability

Answer 2

do observers agree?

Question 3

test- retest reliability

Answer 3

consistently get the same result? Same result different day? Different food with same flavor= same result?

Question 4

Methods for gathering data

Answer 4

Interview, naturalistic observation, structured observation

Question 5

Interview (definition, pros, cons)

Answer 5

Definition- Children answer questions asked either in person or on questionnaire
Advantages- Can reveal children’s subjective experiences
Structured interviews are inexpensive means for collecting data on individuals. Clinical interviews allow for following up unexpected comments
Disadvantages- Reports are often biased to reflect favorably on interviewee. Memories of the interviewees are often inaccurate and incomplete. Prediction of future behaviors is often inaccurate

Question 6

Naturalistic Observation (definition, pros, cons)

Answer 6

definition- Activities of children in everyday settings are observed.
advantages- Useful for describing behavior in everyday settings. Helps illuminate social interaction processes.
disadvantages- Difficult to know which aspects of situation are most influential. Limited value for studying infrequent behaviors.

Question 7

Structured observation

Answer 7

definition- Children are brought to laboratory and presented prearranged tasks
advantages- Insures that all children’s behaviors are observed in the same context.
Allows controlled comparisons of children’s behavior in different situations
disadvantages- Context is less natural than in naturalistic observation. Reveals less about subjective experiences than interviews.

Question 8

correlation/ causation

Answer 8

Correlation does not equal causation—only experimental designs can determine causation

Question 9

longitudinal design for examining development

Answer 9

sample the same kids over time. More informative about individual differences, but harder to do over longer periods of time. Takes a very long time.

Question 10

cross-sectional design for examining development

Answer 10

sample groups of kids who are different ages. This is quick and easy but uninformative about stability of individual differences. Its much faster.