Study Guide Unit 1 Research Methods Genetics chapters 1 2 1 Independent IV and dependent variables DV a What is the definition of each Independent Variable IV Variable expected to influence another variable Dependent Variable DV Variable on which influence is expected to occur VARIABLE THAT CHANGES b In examples be able to identify which is the IV and which is the DV Does child abuse cause children to become aggressive o IV Whether or not the child is abused o DV the degree of agression 2 Correlational C vs Experimental studies E a Define each C Measure degree to which scores on IV are related to scores on DV E Measure what happens to DV as a result of manipulating IV b In examples be able to identify which is C and which is E Example 1 Researchers wanted to see if having frequent sex contributed to better physical health o Correlational unless you randomly assigned people into 2 groups and then manipulated what they were assigned to do c In examples be able to identify which answer option is the best conclusion based on the data presented In other words be able to figure out what you can conclude and what are the limitations to what you can conclude If it s correlational one cannot CAUSE the other they could have a strong correlation but you never know if IV impacted DV or opposite or if there was a third factor If its experimental must be randomly assigned and manipulated If its tested and works you can say one caused the other 3 Because all studies have some limitations to what you can conclude can we ever be reasonably sure of anything Explain why or why not Once tested again and again THROUGH DIFFERENT STUDIES and you get the same results eliminating chance You can be sure of your results 4 Laboratory L versus Field F Studies a Define each Situation setting in which each study is conducted Lab setting of interest Field any other setting b In examples be able to identify which is L and which is F EX 1 Randomly assign YOU to 2 note taking groups to determine which works better for my course o Lab 1 EX 2 Examine notes you choose to take and related it to your grades o Field c What is the implication of whether the study is L versus F Results from lab might not generalize to situation setting of interest d Be sure you don t confuse experimental studies with lab studies 5 Does observing in the field necessarily alter people s behavior What can researchers do to minimize the degree to which observing in the field alters people s behavior Yes but giving them time to get used to you helps If you can observe them without them seeing you could also help Studies can combine lab and field do IV in lab field and see DV in field lab 6 Selecting participants a When selecting a sample of children to study what is your goal To get a sample of children who are representative of the population of interest b What is the implication of studying a biased sample of children Results might not generalize to population of interest c Be able to differentiate the implications of studying a biased sample from the implications of other aspects of the study such as using correlational methods Can you say your manipulation training etc caused the DV If your sample is biased repeated and works can you say its generalized to work 7 Research Design Issue 4 Determining which aspect of the IV is related to the DV a Explain the placebo effect If you go to the doctor and he says take this because it should make you better your probably going to feel better b In examples know the difference between making statements that your treatment caused improvement versus making statements about what aspect s of your treatment caused it to be effective If you randomly assign to groups one group does better improves than the other than you can say it worked but do you know why it worked If you give placebo so it takes away placebo effect than yes you can say it worked Even if one can say IV causes DV one may need studies to find why or how the IV causes the DV 2 8 Studying age related changes a Define Longitudinal L and Cross Sectional C S studies Longitudinal Study one group of people over a long amount of time Cross sectional Compare different groups of children that differ in age b Explain cohort effects Generational Experiences c In examples be able to identify when something other than chronological age CA is responsible for the findings such as cohort effects the effects of year of testing etc Ex Does general problem solving decline as adults age Increase from 25 30 then plateud to 40 then declined beyond that Differences in education poorer education for older cohorts d Explain the limitations of L studies Disadvantages takes more time repeated testing can lead to familiarity confounds chronological age and year of testing e Explain the limitations of C S studies Disadvantages cant show how individuals change cohort effects differ in age and generational experience f When C S and L studies yield different results explain what you can do to resolve the conflict Explain how that resolves the conflict Use Sequential studies combines the two taking away the possibility for CA cohort effects to cause problems TRUST conclusions when longitudinal and cross sectional give same results 9 In chapter 1 there is a section on methods of gathering data about children and 3 general types of methods are discussed Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of these 3 types of methods 1 Children s Self report a self report is information that a person provides about himself or herself typically by answering a set of questions devised by a researcher Soliciting such info from a child presents special problems children especially younger ones are apt to be less attentive slower to respond and have more trouble understanding the questions that researchers ask some info such as how a child feels about an experience or another person are difficult to obtain in any other way 2 Reports by family members teachers and peers advantages these reports are generally based on many observations made over time in a variety of situations even if parents and siblings are not totally accurate in their reporting perceptions expectations beliefs and interpretations of events and behavior may be just as important as what we can only assume is objective reality disadvantageous because human memory is not completely reliable people are more motivated to remember themselves in the best light possible so parents often remember themselves as more
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