Seminar 1 - Research Methods Flashcards
What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?
- Conceptualize a problem to study
- Collect data
- Analyzing data and making meaning of the data
- Drawing conclusions
- Revising research conclusions and theories
What is social learning?
How children imitate what they see.
Definition of Population
The set or group of all people from which a sample is drawn in a research study.
Definition of Sample
A subgroup of a population that participates in a study.
What is the criteria for the sample to be valid?
The sample of people who participate in a research should be representative of the population of interest.
Definition of measurements
The use of reliable and documented methods to systematically test participants.
Measures should be both reliable and valid. What are the definitions of reliability and validity?
Reliability: Consistent results over repeated times.
Validity: Measures the intended behaviors.
What are the 5 ways to measure behavior in a child development research?
Observation
Self-reports
Case Study
Standardized Test
Physiological
Definition of Observation as a way to measure behavior in child development research.
Observations gathered from a 3rd person perspective.
Definition of Self-Reports as a way to measure behavior in child development research.
Individual answers questions and reports about self.
What’s the issue with using self-reports?
People can lie, or they can be biased, so it’s not objective.
Definition of Case Study as a way to measure behavior in child development research.
Extensive information about one individual, generally an individual that has behavior that is outside what is considered typical.
What is the issue with using a case study?
Depends on the case and the individual, so it is hard to generalize to a larger population.
Definition of Standardized Test as a way to measure behavior in child development research.
A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring.
What is the issue with using standardized tests?
It doesn’t predict behavior.
Being stressed to take a test might modify the answers given.
Developed in Western culture, so not applicable to every culture.
Definition of Physiological as a way to measure behavior in child development research.
Measuring physical responses.
What are the 4 research designs?
Correlational studies
Experimental studies
Longitudinal studies
Cross-sectional studies
Describe correlational research.
Research aims to describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or chracteristics.
Characteristics of correlational studies
Association between variables: gathers data on people without changing their experiences
Consider the direction and strength of the relationship between variables
Uses a correlation coefficient
How does a correaltion coefficient work?
It’s a number based on statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between two variables.
From -1 to +1
The closer to -1 or +1 = stronger relationship
What’s the difference between a positive and a negative correlation between variables?
Positive correlation: 1 variable increases, the other increases as well
Negative correlation: 1 variable increases, the other decreases
No correlation: No relationship
What’s the difference bewteen correlation and causation?
Correlation means there’s a relationship between the variables.
Causation means that 1 variable results in the occurrence of the other event.
Can correlation and causation be used interchangeably?
No.
There are too many factors involved in research. Just because 2 variables have a strong correlation does not mean one is causing the other.
Weaknesses of correlational studies
Cannot determine cause and effect.
