Child Development Chapter 3

Front 1

Scientific method

Back 1

The process of formulating and testing hypothesis in a vigorous and objective manner

Front 2

Basic research

Back 2

Research that has the primary goal of adding to our body of knowledge rather than having immediate direct application

Front 3

Applied research

Back 3

Research that has the primary goal of solving problems or improving The Human Condition

Front 4

Hypothesis

Back 4

A prediction often based on theoretical ideas and observations, that is tested by the scientific method

Front 5

Operationalize

Back 5

To find a concept in a way that allows it to be measured

Ex. Aggression can take many different forms, such as verbal, physical and relational aggression.

Front 6

Variable

Back 6

A characteristic that can be measured and that can have different values

Front 7

Reliability

Back 7

The ability of a measure to produce consistent results

Front 8

Validity

Back 8

The ability of a research tool to accurately measure what it purports to measure

Front 9

Generalize

Back 9

To draw inferences from the findings of research on a specific example about a larger group or population

Front 10

Population

Back 10

A set that includes everyone in a category for individuals that researchers are interested in studying

Ex. All toddlers. All teens with learning disabilities

Front 11

Representative sample

Back 11

A group of participants in a research study who have individual characteristics in the same distribution that exists in the population

Front 12

Anecdotal evidence

Back 12

Evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony

Front 13

Observer Bias

Back 13

The tendency for an observer to notice and report events that the observer is expecting to see

Front 14

Checklist

Back 14

A prepared list of behaviors, characteristics, or judgments observers used to assess a child's development

Front 15

Survey

Back 15

Data collection technique that asks respondents to answer a common set of questions

Front 16

Questionnaire

Back 16

A written form of a survey

Front 17

Interview

Back 17

A data collection technique in which an interviewer poses questions to a respondent

Front 18

Social desirability

Back 18

Response bias that is the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others

Front 19

Clinical interview

Back 19

An interview strategy in which the interviewer can deviate from a standard set of questions to gather additional information

Front 20

Standardized test

Back 20

A test that is administered and scored in a standard or consistent way for all examinees

Front 21

Norms

Back 21

The average or typical performance of an individual of a given age on a test

Front 22

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Back 22

Measures electrical activity in the brain

Front 23

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Back 23

Measures blood flow in the brain to show which parts of the brain are active

Front 24

Event-related potentials (ERP)

Back 24

Measure the brain's electrical response to meaningful sensory stimuli

Front 25

Archival Records

Back 25

Data collected on an earlier date that are used for research purposes

Front 26

Case study

Back 26

An in-depth study of a single individual or small group of individuals which uses multiple methods of study

Front 27

Ethnography

Back 27

A qualitative research technique in which a researcher lives with a group of people as a participant observer, taking part in the group's everyday life while observing and interviewing people in the group

Front 28

Experimental research design

Back 28

A research design in which an experimental group is administered a treatment and the outcome is compared with a control group that does not receive the treatment

Front 29

Experimental group

Back 29

The group in an experiment that gets the special treatment that is of interest to the researcher

Front 30

Control group

Back 30

The group in an experiment that does not get the special treatment and provides a baseline against which the experimental group can be compared

Front 31

Random assignment

Back 31

Assigning participants of the experimental and control groups by chance so that the groups will not systematically differ from each other

Front 32

Independent variable

Back 32

The variable in an experiment that the researcher manipulates

Front 33

Dependent variable

Back 33

The outcome of interest to the researcher that is measured at the end of an experiment

Front 34

Natural or "quasi" experiment

Back 34

Research in which the members of the groups are selected because they represent different "treatment" conditions

Front 35

Correlational research design

Back 35

Research design that measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two or more variables that are not created by the experimenter

Front 36

Positive correlation

Back 36

Correlation on which increases in one variable are associated with increases in another variable

Front 37

Negative correlation

Back 37

A correlation in which increases in one variable are associated with decreases in another variable

Front 38

Longitudinal design

Back 38

A research design that follows one group of individuals and gathers data from them at several points in time

Front 39

Attrition

Back 39

The loss of participants over the course of a longitudinal study

Front 40

Sample bias

Back 40

Changes in the makeup of the sample in a longitudinal or sequential study that makes the sample less representative overtime

Front 41

Cross-sectional design

Back 41

A research design that uses multiple groups of participants who represent the age span of interest to the researcher

Front 42

Cohort effect

Back 42

Differences between groups in a cross-sectional or sequential study that are attributable to the fact that the participants have had different life experiences

Front 43

Sequential design

Back 43

A research design that uses multiple groups of participants and followed them over a period of time, with the beginning age of each group being the ending age of another group

Front 44

Microgenetic design

Back 44

A research design that involves frequent observations of participants during the time of change or transition.

Small moment to moment changes that leard to larger developmental change

Front 45

Effect size

Back 45

A statistical measure of how large the difference is between groups being compared

Front 46

Meta-analysis

Back 46

Statistical procedure that combines data from different studies to determine whether there is a consistent pattern of findings across studies