Studying Child Development Flashcards
Challenges of data collection with children
Ethics (tiring, stressful)
Behaviours
Who’s involved (family?)
Case study design
In-depth analysis of individual, group, or event – often exceptional
Investigate new behaviours/principals
Qualitative & quantitative data collection
Challenge or strengthen existing theory
Elicit new hypotheses/future research
No generalisability
Can’t ascribe causality
Interpretations may be subjective
Cross-sectional study design
Compare children of different ages
Different children measured
Can’t study change
Study average difference. Measure on one occasion ONLY
Longitudinal study design
Follow individuals over time
‘Cohort study’ - sample share key characteristic
‘Microgenetic’ – close study of change
Challenges?
Cost, time, drop-out/bias, ongoing ethics
But…
Help pick apart cause/effect in development
Can follow individual trajectories
Discover things that no other study design can
Twin study designs
Estimate role of genes & environment All twins share womb, many also share environment Adopted twins? Similarity more likely to be genetic Differences more likely to be environment From similarities/differences estimate contributions of: Genetic Predispositions Shared environment Unique environment
Experiments study design
Babies/non-verbal: Manipulate stimuli, assess response via natural behaviours
Non-nutritive sucking
Sucking rate/pattern; interest, preference, boredom
Preferential looking (infant cognition)
Infants prefer novel to familiar
Habituation Paradigm; test discrimination of stimuli
Behavioural labs/experiments
Famous examples - Watson, Bandura, Ainsworth
Data collection methods & adaptations
Diaries Observations Questionnaires Experiments Objective biological measurement Interviews/Focus Groups
Darwin diaries of son ~1840:
Introduced systematic methods to study of development
Motivated others to research child development
Speculationreplaced by observation
Two types of observations when assessing babies and children
Naturalistic Observations
Ecological validity
Confounding
Controlled Observations
Artificial
Control
Eye tracking - a direction measurment for assessing babies & children
Reflection of infrared light from pupil and iris
Generates image - fixation points and visual path
Pupil dilation (arousal, attention, cognitive load)
Preferential Looking
Non-nutritive sucking
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
a direction measurment for assessing babies & children
Structural MRI Detailed slices build 3D image Functional MRI (fMRI) High blood concentration = Activity High concentrations “light up”
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
a direction measurment for assessing babies & children
Net of 128 or 256 electrodes Electromagnetic activity at brain surface Stimuli evoke cortical response Declines over subsequent milliseconds Assess attention at the cortex
QUESTIONNAIRES pros and cons
Inexpensive, simple, quick
Large amounts of data from large samples
Standardised – easier to analyse
But… Lack depth Reliant on written & verbal skills and self/proxy report Potential selection bias Hard work to design well
