PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I Session 2 Research methods and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education

2014/2015 – 2016/2017

PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I

Session 2 – Research methods and ethical issues in Developmental Psychology Lecturer: Dr . Joana Salifu Y endork Department of Psychology Contact Information: jyendork@ug.edu.gh

godsonug.wordpress.com/blog

Session Overview

Slide 2

• The issues to be discussed in this course are backed by

research and as a result, it is important to understand relevant research methods and designs that are appropriate for developmental Psychology research. In this session, the focus will be on the various research methods used for collecting data, research designs for studying changes in human development and ethical issues in developmental research.

Session Outline

Slide 3

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Research methods in Developmental Psychology Research
• Research designs in Developmental Psychology Research
• Ethical issues in Developmental Psychology Research

Reading List

Slide 4

• Read Chapter 1 developmental psychology: childhood and

adolescence, Shaffer & Kipp (2014) and Chapter 1 of development through the lifespan, Berk (2006)

T

• pic One

RESEARCH METHODS IN DEVELOPMENT AL

Slide 5

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH

Research methods used in Developmental Psychology research

• Development Psychology use the scientific method
• Scientific method use objective and replicable methods to

gather data for the purpose of testing a theory or hypothesis

• Objective: similar conclusion by different researchers who

examines the data

• Replicability: every time the method is used, it results in

the same data and conclusions

• Scientific method involves a process of generating ideas

and testing them

• The observations from the scientific method is used to

formulate theory and hypothesis

Slide 6

Methods for gathering data

• Self-report methods: Interviews, questionnaires/surveys,

clinical method

• Observation
• Case study
• Ethnography
• Psychophysiological methods

Slide 7

Self-report: interviews & questionnaires

Slide 8

• The researcher ask participants series of questions about aspects of

development

• Questionnaires: questions are on paper and participants are

required to respond in writing

• Interviews: require participants to respond orally to the

iŶǀ estigatoƌ’s Ƌueƌies

• Structured/semi-structured interviews
• Limitations:
• CaŶ’t ďe used ǁ ith ǀ eƌLJ

LJ

• uŶg ĐhildƌeŶ ǁho Đ

aŶŶot ƌ ead oƌ comprehend speech very well

• Social desirability
• Age-related interpretations might be biased
• Conflict among different informants

Self-report: Clinical method

Slide 9

• Participants are presented with a task and then invite a response.
• After the participant responds, the investigator typically asks a

seĐoŶd ƋuestioŶ oƌ iŶtƌoduĐes a Ŷeǁ task to ĐlaƌifLJ the paƌtiĐipaŶt’s

• riginal answer

.

• The follow-up ƋuestioŶ is deteƌŵiŶed ďLJ

the paƌtiĐ ipaŶt’s ƌ espoŶse to the initial question

• Emphasis is place on the uniqueness of each participant
• Good for large data in relatively short time
• Limitations:
• Difficult for comparing participants
• PoteŶtial iŶflueŶĐe of the edž

aŵiŶeƌ’s pƌe-existing theoretical biases

• n follow-up questions asked and the interpretation provided.

Observation

Slide 10

• Naturalistic observation—observing people in their common,

everyday (that is, natural) surroundings

• Suitable for infants and toddlers: since they cant communicate

verbally and also eliminated the bias of parents informants

• Give the true nature of the participants without relying on

their self-report accuracy.

• Limitations:
• Not applicable to every situation such as some behaviors
• ccur so infrequently (eg, heroic rescues) or are so socially

undesirable (eg, criminal acts)

• Simultaneous events that makes it difficult to pinpoint the

causes of a particular action

• Observer influence

Observation

Slide 11

• Structured observation
• Participant is exposed to a setting that might cue the

behavior in question and is then secretly observed (via a hidden camera or through a one-way mirror)

• Ensure that every participant in the sample is exposed to

the same eliciting stimuli and has an equal opportunity to perform the target behavior—circumstances that are not always true in the natural environment

• Limitation: Participants may not behave the same way as

they would in their natural environment

Case study

Slide 12

• Using self-report or observation to compile of detailed

information about an entity, an individual or a group of people

• Limitations:
• Difficult to directly compare participants who have been

asked different questions, taken different tests, and been

• bserved under different circumstances
• Lack generalizability: conclusions drawn from the

experiences of the small number of individuals studied may simply not apply to most people

Ethnography

Slide 13

• For understanding the effects of culture on

developing children and adolescents

• Data collected is typically diverse and extensive
• Rich understanding of the cultures traditions and

values

• Limitations:
• HighlLJ

suďjeĐtiǀ e ŵethod ďeĐause ƌ eseaƌ Đheƌs’ oǁŶ cultural values and theoretical biases can cause them to misinterpret what they have experienced

• Lacks generalizability

Psychophysiological method

Slide 14

• Measure the relationship between physiological responses

and behavior— to explore the biological underpinnings of Đhildƌ eŶ’s peƌ Đeptual, Đ

• gŶitiǀ e, aŶd eŵotioŶal ƌ

espoŶses

• Useful for interpreting the mental and emotional experiences
• f infants and toddlers who are unable to report such events
• Limitations
• Though very useful, they are not perfect indicators of

psychological states.

• Changes in physiological responses often reflect mood swings,

fatigue, hunger, or even negative reactions to the physiological recording equipment, rather than a change in the iŶfaŶt’s atteŶtioŶ to a stiŵulus oƌ eŵotioŶal ƌ eaĐtioŶs to it

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• pic Two

RESEARCH DESIGNS IN DEVELOPMENT AL

Slide 15

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH

Designs for detecting relationships

• Correlational
• Experimental
• Cross-cultural

Slide 16

Correlational design

Slide 17

• The investigator gathers information to determine

whether two or more variables of interest are meaningfully related.

• No attempts are made to structure or to manipulate the

paƌtiĐ ipaŶts’ eŶǀiƌ

• ŶŵeŶt iŶ aŶLJ

ǁ aLJ

• The presence (or absence) of a relationship between

variables can be determined by examining the data with a statistical procedure that yields a correlation coefficient (direction, strength)

• Limitation: cannot determine causal relationships due to

the influence of extraneous variables

Experimental design

Slide 18

• Allows the assessment of the cause-and-effect relationship that

may exist between two variables

• Eg. Watching violent movies causes aggressive inclinations in

children.

• True experiment and quasi-experiment
• Lab experiment: participants are brought to the lab, expose to

different treatments (Independent Variable, IV) and record their responses to these treatments as data (Dependent Variable, DV)

• Confounding variables: are controlled through random assignment
• Limitations:
• Laboratory: tightly controlled laboratory environment that is often

artificial

• Conclusions drawn do not always apply to the real world.

Experimental design

Slide 19

• Field experiment: experiment in the natural setting,

ŵostlLJ ǁ i thout paƌtiĐ ipaŶts’ kŶoǁledge

• Quasi experiment: used for situations where

experimental design cant be applied or for ethical reason,

• IV cannot be controlled and no random assignment
• Pre-existing groups are used.
• Eg. The effect of traumatic experiences (June 3rd

flood) on well-being.

Cross-cultural design

Slide 20

• Cross-cultural studies: participants from different

cultural or sub-cultural backgrounds are observed, tested, and compared on one or more aspects of development.

• Helps to determine cultural differences or similarities

in development

Designs for studying development across time

Slide 21

• Cross-sectional design
• Longitudinal design
• Sequential design

Cross-sectional design

Slide 22

• Different age cohorts are studied at the same point in

time

• Age-related changes in development
• Data can be collected from children of different ages over

a short time

• Limitations:
• Cohort effects: changes might not be due to age or

development but other cultural or historical factors

• Unable to inform about the development of individuals

because each person is observed at only one point in time

Longitudinal design

Slide 23

• The same participants are observed repeatedly over a

period of time.

• Identify normative developmental trends and processes

by looking for commonalities

• Tracking of several participants over time will help

investigators to understand individual differences in development

• Limitations:
• Can be very costly and time-consuming;
• Practice effects (familiarity with test items) can also

threaten the validity of longitudinal studies;

• Problem with selective attrition

Sequential design

Slide 24

• Participants in different ages are studied over time
• Draw the strength of both cross-sectional and

longitudinal designs

• Allows researchers to make both longitudinal and

cross-sectional comparisons in the same study

• Often more efficient than standard longitudinal

designs

T

• pic Three

ETHICAL ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT AL

Slide 25

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH

Ethical issues in development research

Slide 26

• Rights of research participants
• Must meet standards of the research ethics

committees

• Protection from mental and physical harm
• Informed consent from parents and legal guardians

and informed assent from children

• Confidentiality
• Debriefing (after the study discuss purpose of

research and method used)

• Deception (is used, ensure deception with no harm)

Sample Questions

Slide 27

• Differentiate between research methods and

research designs used in Developmental Psychology research.

• Describe three research methods used in

Developmental Psychology research.

• Describe three designs used for studying

development across time