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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Development is: |
-Life-long process -Multi-directional -Involves both gains & losses -Life-long plasticity |
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Development shaped by: |
-Cultural context -Historical context |
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Developmental controversy |
Nature: genes Nurture: environment |
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The Scientific Method |
(Theories), Hypothesis, (research) Operationalize, Measure, Evaluate, Replicate/Revise/Report (HOMER) |
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Critical Features of Experimental Method |
-Manipulation of independent variable -Random assignment of individuals to treatment conditions -Experimental control |
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Quasi-Experiment |
No random assignment |
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Elements of an Experiment |
-Manipulation of 1 variable -Under controlled conditions -Resulting changes in another variable can be observed *Detection of cause-and-effect relationships |
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Independent Variable |
Things that we control (manipulate, change, thing that affects other variables) |
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Dependent Variable |
What is measured (affected by the manipulation) |
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Control Group |
Similar to the experimental group except that it has not been exposed to treatment |
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Random Assignment helps: |
-Two groups be alike in all respects -Increase the likelihood that sample is representative of population |
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Limits of Experimental Research |
-Complex, real-world issues are not easily studied in lab -Lab studies may have problems in external validity -Based on assumption of similarity in participants |
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Descriptive/Correlation Methods |
-Behavioral Observations (naturalistic, structured (lab)) -Self-reports (interviews, questionnaires, tests) |
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Behavioral observation methods |
Watching people & carefully recording what they do or say |
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Naturalistic Observation |
-People are observed as they behave spontaneously in some real-life situation Advantage: See behavior in natural setting "ecological validity" Disadvantage: Behaviors occur in private setting, watching them may make them behave differently |
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Structured Observation |
-Researcher creates a settling that is likely to evoke the behavior of interest Advantage: Allows researchers to observe behaviors that may otherwise be difficult to study Disadvantage: May have many artificial aspects |
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Self-Report |
-People's answers to questions about the topic of interest. Written or oral. Advantages: Convenient & efficient, direct, large samples Disadvantages: Inaccurate, may not remember past events accurately, response bias, answer what is socially acceptable |
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Case Study or Clinical Method |
-Brings together wide range of info on 1 person (interviews, observation, test scores). Aim to obtain detailed & comprehensive picture of an individual's psychological functioning & the experiences that led up to it |
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Case Study or Clinical Method: advantage/disadvantage |
Advantages: provides rich & descriptive insights into the process of development Disadvantages: Very small sample so findings cannot be applied to individuals other than participant |
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Correlational Method: Benefits & problems |
-Studies people that have already had different experiences -Nature assigns the groups (may not be similar) -No control of extraneous variables -Only suggests causation -Can study issues that experiments cannot -May be applied to data collected in natural settings |
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Correlational Method |
Correlations can determine association between data from experiments of surveys Correlation coefficient (r) -1 0 + 1 |
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Negative Correlations |
High values of one variable are associated with low values of other variable |
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Positive Correlations |
High values of one variable are associated with high values of the other variable |
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In development research, interested in: |
-Age effects -Cohort effects -Time of measurement effects |
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Age effects |
-How does some trait or behavior change from time 1 to time 2 as a result of getting older -Changes that occur due to age |
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Cohort effects |
-The effects of being born in a particular historical context -Changes occur due to differences in society for a given generation -Disadvantage for the cross-sectional design |
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Time of measurement effects |
-The effects of historical events & trends occurring when the data are collected -Disadvantage for longitudinal design |
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Developmental Research Designs |
-Cross-sectional -Longitudinal -Cross-sequential |
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Cross-sectional |
-2 or more cohorts or age groups studied -1 time of testing -Studying age differences in a population at any one time |
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Longitudinal |
-1 cohort or age group studied -More than 1 time of testing -Studying changes across time (age) in one cohort |
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Cross-sectional: advantages/disadvantages |
A: Fast, relatively inexpensive, easy. Can collect all data at 1 point in time. Tells us how people of different ages differ D: Alt. explanations. Cohort & age effects entangled. No info about rates of change or how people actually develop as they age |
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Longitudinal: advantages/disadvantages |
A: Can identify avg patterns of development & individual differences; only way to answer certain questions about stability/instability of behavior D: Cost, attrition, practice effects, time of measurement effects |
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Cross-Sequential |
-Captures the best of both the longitudinal & cross-sectional while overcoming many limitations -Consists of 2 or more cross-sectional studies that are conducted at 2 or more pts in time -Describes age differences & age changes |
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Cross-Sequential: advantages/disadvantages |
A: Can look at individual rates of development & age differences. Look at which of these age trends are truly developmental in nature & which are due to cohort effects D: Very complex, costly, time consuming |
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Issues in Developmental Studies |
-Random Sampling -Protecting the rights of research participants (risk to benefit balance) -Researcher responsibilities (ensure participation is voluntary, confidential, harmless. Informed consent, debriefing) |