SAC Study Flashcards
State the aim of the study.
The aim of this study is to test Piaget’s Theory of cognitive development in young children between the ages of 2 and 12.
What are the two key concepts being studied?
The pre-operational stage and the concrete stage of development.
Identify the independent variable.
The IV is the different age groups of the children, with one being older and one being younger. Their results may be different.
Identify the Dependent variable.
Whether they perceive the glass to have different amounts of liquid or they recognise that the water amount doesn’t change.
What is the hypothesis?
Children in the concrete stage of development will be able to recognise that liquid poured from one shape glass to another is the same volume, whereas a child of the pre-operational stage will think it is different.
What is a generalisation that can be made?
That all children in the pre-operational stage cannot understand water volume consistency and children in the concrete stage can, even though only a small sample was tested.
How was the sample selected?
The sample was selected by each student choosing one child from both the concrete and pre-operational stages. The results of the 84 participants were combined.
List the materials.
- Two clear glasses of the same width, height and volume,
- One taller, thinner clear glass,
- A jug of water,
- Pen and paper for results.
When going through the procedure what question do you ask first?
a) Is there more in one glass or is the amount in each the same?
b) Is there more water in this one, or is the amount the same?
A.
State two extraneous variables.
Children may be more intelligent than others. Unsupervised students could have encouraged the child to give the desired answer.
How is confidentiality used?
Participants stayed anonymous when the results were combined. No names, appearance or relation to the student were included to keep the identity of the child private.
Were the participants voluntary? Why?
Yes, as the children were not forced to participate if they did not wish to “play the game.”
Was informed consent granted?
Depending on the experimenter of each set of children, not all would have followed this participant right. Because children are under 18 years of age, parental consent is a must.
What are some criticisms of the study?
- Children can be underestimated on their ability to understand language.
- Only a small amount of children participated.
Limitations?
- Definite ages; students only had certain children to participate instead of a varied option.
- Piaget’s Theory can be argued against.
