PS 214: Methods in Developmental Psychology PDF

Esther Mercado Garrido [email protected]  Normative development – To Describe: based on typical patterns observation Ideographic development – individual differences To Explain: addresses the...

Esther Mercado Garrido [email protected]  Normative development – To Describe: based on typical patterns observation Ideographic development – individual differences To Explain: addresses the “why” of development To Optimize: to help people develop in positive directions Use of objective and replicable methods to gather data Objective: Everyone who examines the data will come to the same conclusions Replicable: Every time that the method is used, it results in the same data and conclusions The scientific method, then, is a valuable safeguard that helps to protect the scientific community and society at large against flawed reasoning (Machado & Silva, 2007). Generating Ideas and Testing them by making research observations Theory: Set of concepts and propositions to describe and explain various patterns of behaviour. Hypotheses: Specific predictions  We must measure the aspect of development we aim to study Regardless of the type, measures should be: RELIABLE: Consistent over time and observers VALID: It measures what is supposed to be measuring SELF-REPORT Interviews/questionnaires METHODOLOGIES: Clinical method.  Self-report methodologies Interviews/Questionnaires Structured: Same questions in the same order Allows comparison of responses Strengths: Gathering large amounts of data Confidentiality improves accuracy Limitations: Depends on ability to read/comprehend speech Issues of honesty, accuracy, social desirability Interpretation of questions  E.g. Diary Study The clinical method Present a task or a stimulus, invite a response Follow with a tailored question or task clarifying the response Flexible approach considering each participant to be unique Strengths Large amounts of data collected in relatively brief periods Flexibility Limitations Comparison of responses difficult (i.e., when different line of questioning used across participants) Subjective interpretation of data  Do you know what a lie is? —It’s when you say what isn’t true. —Is 2 + 2 = 5 a lie? —Yes, it’s a lie. —Why? —Because it isn’t right. —Did the boy who said 2 + 2 = 5 know it wasn’t right or did he make a mistake? —He made a mistake. —Then if he made a mistake, did he tell a lie or not? —Yes, he told a lie Piaget Observational Methodologies Naturalistic observation – observing in common (natural) settings Strengths: –Easily applied to infants (no verbal skills needed) –Shows behaviour in everyday life without relying on self-report accuracy Limitations –Rare or socially undesirable behaviours may not occur –Difficult to isolate cause of action or developmental trend –Observer presence may influence behaviour  Mesman et al. (2018) Gusii in rural Kenya represent a particularly interesting community for the study of sensitivity, as they have previously been described as not showing sensitive care This study focuses on the observation of sensitivity in seven families with a 7- to 23-monthold infant, with extensive naturalistic video observations (ca. 2–4 h per infant) in a multiple caregiver setting, and potential co-existing harsh parenting practices. - How to observe unlikely behaviours? Structured observations Conducted in the laboratory Exposed to a setting Observed surreptitiously Strength – all participants exposed to same environment Limitations – results may not represent real life  Case study: a detailed portrait of a single individual’s development; case studies can also describe groups (group case study, e.g. Bamberg et al, 2014). Strength Depth of information Limitations Difficult to compare subjects Lack of generalizability (results may not apply to others)  Ethnography: collect data by living within the cultural community for an extended period Strengths: understanding cultural contexts and impacts on development Limitations: subjective, may not be generalizable  Psychophysiological methods: examine relationship between physiological responses and aspects of development Heart Rate – compared to baseline, decrease may indicate interest EEG/ERPs – brain wave activity, showing arousal states; stimulus detection Limitations What aspect of stimulus caught attention? Change in physiology may be hunger, fatigue, or reaction to equipment, not the stimuli.  RESEARCH DESIGNS: –Correlational Design –Experimental Design –Cross-cultural Design  The Correlational Design Two or more variables meaningfully related (e.g., media exposure and behaviour) Correlation coefficient (r) –Value, +1.00 to -1.00, indicates strength –Sign indicates direction » Positive (+) both variables increase »Negative (-) one variable increases, other decreases  The Correlational Design Correlational studies do not show causation. –Causal direction of relationship is unknown –Relationship could be due to a third, unmeasured variable  The Experimental Design: Concepts Investigator introduces a change and then measures the effect of that change in an effort to establish cause-effect relationship Independent Variable: the aspect of the environment that an experimenter modifies or manipulates in order to measure its impact on behaviour. Dependent Variable: the aspect of behaviour that is measured in an experiment and assumed to be under the control of the independent variable. Confounding Variable: some factor other than the independent variable that, if not controlled by the experimenter, could explain any differences across treatment conditions in participants’ performance on the dependent variable. Experimental Control: steps taken by an experimenter to ensure that all extraneous factors that could influence the dependent variable are roughly equivalent in each experimental condition, and to ensure that observed changes in the dependent variable were indeed caused by the manipulation of the independent variable.  The Experimental Design The Laboratory Experiment: an experiment taking place in a laboratory setting. –Enhances potential for rigorous control The Field Experiment: an experiment taking place in a naturalistic setting –Enhances ecological validity The Natural (or Quasi-) Experiment: measuring the impact of a naturally occurring event –Independent variable (e.g., deprivation) cannot be manipulated –Participants are not randomly assigned  Cross-Cultural Designs Participants from different cultures or subcultures are observed, tested, and compared on aspects of development. –Studies people of different nationalities, but also groups within the same nation –Guards against overgeneralization of research findings  The Cross-Sectional Design People of different ages are studied at the same point in time Cohort – group of the same age, exposed to similar cultural environments and historical events  The Longitudinal Design Same participants are observed repeatedly over a period of time –Can assess stability of attributes (e.g., personality) –Can identify normative developmental trends –Can help understand individual differences in development  The Longitudinal Design Limitations –Costly and time-consuming –Practice effects – improvement due to familiarity with test or interview (e.g., our work on adult intelligence below) –Selective attrition – participants remaining in the study may not be a representative sample –Cross-generational problem – due to changes in environment, conclusions may be limited to those who were growing up while the study was in progress  Chapter 1 in your core text book (Shaffer and Kipp) Papers on CANVAS