The Develop mental area Flashcards
What does it mean to be on the ‘nature’ side of the ‘nature nurture debate’?
A person who sees genetic, biological factors as the explanation for thinking and behaviour.
What does it mean to be on the ‘nurture’ side of the ‘nature nurture debate’?
A person who sees behaviour as learned or acquired through experiences in the environment.
What does it mean to be an interactionist?
A person who accepts that both nature and nurture factors are interconnected and human behaviour is a product of both.
What is the Social Learning Theory?
A behaviourist theory developed by Bandura which suggests that children learn a behaviour through passive observation of role models and then they imitate this behaviour.
Matched Pairs Design?
Participants in each group are matched on certain variables eg. age, gender, level of intelligence. In this case, they were matches on pre-existing levels of aggression.
Transmission of Aggression?
Where aggressive behaviour is ‘passed on’ to another individual i.e. the individual observing will imitate that aggression.
What is inter-rater reliability?
This is used in observations where observers check and agree the categories and coding systems of the behaviours they are going to observe beforehand.
What is the Split Half method?
Internal reliability could be tested by using the split half method. For example half the items in a test can be divided randomly in to two halves, partA of a test. If the test is reliable people’s scores in each half should be similar. There should be a correlation between the two scores.
What is Face validity?
This involves the examining the content of the best to see if it looks like it measures what it’s supposed to measure. e.g. looking at an intelligence test ti see if it measures general intelligence or just a specific type of intelligence.
What is construct validity?
Refers to whether the test method can be used to support the underlying theoretical constructs concerning the variables it is supposed to be measuring. e.g. Piaget’s test of his theory of cognitive development.
What is concurrent validity?
This involves comparing a new method or test with an already established one that claims to measure the same variable. A positive correlation should be gained between the two test results. i.e. comparing new personality test results with an older one or new intelligence test against an older one.
What is criterion validity?
This is where a test is done on a known group with certain criteria and characteristics, known as group criterion. e.g. testing a new test on neuroticism on a known group of neurotics.
What is population validity?
Refers to the extent to which an effect can be generalised from the sample studied to the population from which they were selected and also to other populations.
What is ecological validity?
Refers to whether a test or method measures a behaviour that is representative of naturally occurring behaviours. Is the research true to real life?
What is a Test-rested method?
External reliability can be checked by using a test re-test method. The results should correlate positively if they are to be deemed reliable.
