Developmental Psychology (Psych 350)Professor McDermottWelcome Scholars!• Today’s class topic - Research MethodsResearch Methods: Key Points• There are multiple methods of data collection suitable for studying development• Children do not have the same capacities as adults, thus, we must be careful in how go about studying their development• Because children are not the same as adults, getting a grasp of their level of understanding research participation can be complicatedMethods of Collecting DataExample: Studying attachment 1) Case Studies (Freud)2) Naturalistic Observations (Bowlby)3) Structured Observations (Ainsworth)4) Cross-cultural studies (Ainsworth)5) Correlational studies (Ainsworth)6) Longitudinal studies (Sroufe)7) ExperimentsResearch with Children• Can children give informed consent?• Informed consent: voluntary agreement of an individual to participate in research after being given a description of study details • Sufficient knowledge of the study• Understand risks & benefits• Assent: expressed willingness to participate in a study from a child (or person) – may not understand all the details but has a global understanding of the proposed researchAssent & Informed Consent in Children• Abramovitch & colleagues (1991)– Children 5 to 12 years of age were given typical study information• Participation was voluntary• Stop at any time• Results would be confidentialAssent & Informed Consent in Children• Abramovitch & colleagues (1991)– Prior to starting the study kids were interviewed about their understanding of the consent information• Few children under 12 years old understood the meaning of ‘confidentiality’• Despite what researcher said many believed their results would be available to others, especially parents• Many children believed there would be negative consequences if they discontinued participationWhat are the implications for the field of developmental psychology? Or beyond psychology? (consent to medical treatment or testify in legal cases?)How do we know when they are telling the truth?Tawlar Experiments• Children (7-10 years old) rehearsed stories with their parents – both lies & truth• Random stories chosen and shown to adults– Some with little detail & some with alot• Who could pick out the lies?Tawlar Experiments• No one!• Biases revealed– Girls are thought to be more truthful than boys– Older kids are believed more than younger kids BUT in fact, older kids lie more than younger ones!– Introverts are thought to be less trustworthy but they lie less!Detecting Lies• In adults there are cues that are helpful to identifying liars– Voice pitch– Pupil dilation– Eye tracking– Lack of sensory details in their stories– Chronological story tellingNOT HELPFUL IN KIDS –NORMAL VARIATIONS IN THESE CUESTawlar Experiments• Even trained experts, police offices & customs officials, only score at chance on Tawlar’sexperiments of detecting lies in children• EVEN PARENTS DON’T DO GREAT, even when predicting whether their own child will lie– The Peeking Game• Guess three times what the toy is and you’ll win a prize• First two easy, then trick them with the third and give them time to peek• Only 30% of 3year olds peek on this game, but 80% of four year olds do!Why do we need to be careful in assent/consent with children and research if four year olds already know how to lie?Have a good