Child Development Ch 2

Front 1

Hypothesis

Back 1

A prediction drawn from a theory.

Front 2

Naturalistic Observation

Back 2

Go into the field, or natural environment, and record the behavior of interest.

Front 3

Structured Observations

Back 3

The investigator sets up a laboratory situation that evokes the behavior of interest so that every participant has an equal opportunity to display the response.

Front 4

Event Sampling

Back 4

The observer records all instances of a particular behavior during a specified time period.

Front 5

Time Sampling

Back 5

The researcher records whether certain behaviors occur during a sample of short intervals.

Front 6

Observer Influence

Back 6

The effects of the observer on the behavior studied.

Front 7

Observer Bias

Back 7

Observers are aware of the purposes of a study, they may see and record what they expect to see rather than what participants actually do.

Front 8

Clinical Interview

Back 8

Researchers use a flexible, conversational style to probe for the participant's point of view.

Front 9

Structured Interview

Back 9

Each individual is asked the same set of questions in the same way.

Front 10

Psychophysiological Methods

Back 10

Measure the relationship between physiological processes and behavior.

Front 11

Clinical, or Case Study, Method

Back 11

Brings together a wide range of information on one child, including interviews, observations, test scores, and sometimes psychological measures. The aim is to obtain as complete a picture as possible of that child's psychological functioning and the experiences that led up to it.

Front 12

Ethnography

Back 12

A descriptive, qualitative technique. It is directed at understanding a culture or distinct social group through participant observation.

Front 13

Reliability

Back 13

The consistency, or repeatability, of measures of behavior.

Front 14

Validity

Back 14

Must accurately measure characteristics that the researcher set out to measure.

Front 15

Internal Validity

Back 15

The degree to which conditions internal to the design of the study permit an accurate test of the researcher's hypothesis or question.

Front 16

External Validity

Back 16

The degree to which their findings generalize to settings and participants outside the original study.

Front 17

Correlation Design

Back 17

Researchers gather information on individuals, generally in natural life circumstances, and make no effort to alter their experiences. Then they look at relationships between participants' characteristics and their behavior or development.

Front 18

Correlational Coefficient

Back 18

A number that describes hot two measures, or variables, are associated with each other.

Front 19

Experimental Design

Back 19

Permits inferences about cause and effect because researchers use an evenhanded procedure to assign people to two or more treatment conditions.

Front 20

Independent Variable

Back 20

The one the investigator expects to cause changes in another variable.

Front 21

Dependent Variable

Back 21

The one the investigator expects to be influenced by the independent variable.

Front 22

Laboratory Experiment

Back 22

An experiment conducted in the laboratory, permitting the maximum possible control over treatment conditions.

Front 23

Confounding Variables

Back 23

So closely associated that their effects on an outcome cannot be distinguished.

Front 24

Random Assignment

Back 24

By using an unbiased procedure, such as drawing numbers out of a hat or flipping a coin, investigators increase the chances that participants' characteristics will be equally distributed across treatment groups.

Front 25

Matching

Back 25

Participants are measured ahead of time on the factor in question. Then participants high and low on that factor are assigned in equal numbers to each treatment condition. In this way, the experimental groups are deliberately matched, or made equivalent, on characteristics that are likely to distort the results.

Front 26

Field Experiments

Back 26

Researchers capitalize on opportunities to randomly assign participants to treatment conditions in natural settings.

Front 27

Natural, or Quasi-, Experiments

Back 27

Comparing treatments that already exist. These studies differ from correlational research only in that groups of people are carefully chosen to ensure that their characteristics are as much alike as possible.

Front 28

Longitudinal Design

Back 28

Participants are studied repeatedly at different ages, and changes are noted as they get older.

Front 29

Biased Sampling

Back 29

The failure to enlist participants who represent the population of interest.

Front 30

Selective Attrition

Back 30

Participants may move away or drop out for other reasons, and the ones who remain are likely to differ in important ways from the ones who do not continue.

Front 31

Practice Effects

Back 31

Improved performance because of better test taking skills and increased familiarity with the test - no because of factors commonly associated with development.

Front 32

Cohort Effects

Back 32

Longitudinal studies examine the development of cohorts - children developing in the same time period who are influenced by particular cultural and historical conditions. Results based on on cohort may not apply to children developing at other times.

Front 33

Cross-Sectional Designs

Back 33

Groups of people differing in age are studied at the same point in time.

Front 34

Sequential Designs

Back 34

They conduct several similar cross-sectional or longitudinal studies (called sequences) at varying times.

Front 35

Microgenetic Design

Back 35

An adaptation of the longitudinal approach, presents children with a novel task and follows their mastery over a series of closely spaced sessions. Within this "microcosm" of development, researchers observe how change occurs.

Front 36

Risks-versus-benefits Ratio

Back 36

Involves weighing the costs to participants in terms of inconvenience and possible psychological or physical injury against the study's value for advancing knowledge and improving conditions of life.

Front 37

Protection From Harm

Back 37

If there are any risks to the safety and welfare of participants that the research does not justify, then preference is always given to the research participants.

Front 38

Informed Consent

Back 38

People's right to have all aspects of a study explained to them that might affect their willingness to participate.

Front 39

Debriefing

Back 39

The researcher provides a full account and justification of the activities.