Developmental Psych Final Exam

• Reliability

  refers to the consistency of test results obtained in a single session or over time (evaluating IQ tests)
• Test-Retest Reliability


  refers to the consistency of test results obtained over time (obtained over two different testing sessions separated by a month)
• Procedure to evaluate test-retest reliability

  • Step One: a group of people are given an IQ test
  • Step Two: the same group of people take the same IQ test at a later point in time
  • Step Three: a correlation is computed from the test scores obtained at each testing attempt
• Validity


  examines whether a test measures what it is supposed to or designed to measure. IQ test are designed to measure mental ability and how people perform on test of mental ability (mental ability)
• Predictive Validity


  refers to the ability of a test to predict outcomes at a later point and time. the outcomes are typically educational achievement or occupational achievement
• Procedure to evaluate Predictive Validity

  • Step One: a group of people take an IQ test
  • Step Two: the group of people are measured on a later outcome typically a month later (educational could be GPA, occupational could be supervisor rating)
  • Step Three: a correlation is computed between the IQ scores and the later outcome (Ex: the IQ score obtained in step one and the GPA in step two)
• Group Bias


  measures whether a test functioned differently for different groups of people (different groups would include different ethnicities and races)
• Item Bias


  occurs when items on a test are harder for one group than another group, even when the individuals in both groups have the same overall ability level measured by IQ
• Procedure to evaluate Item Bias

  • Step One: minority and majority members take the same IQ test
  • Step Two: minority and majority members with the same IQ sore are compared on each item, to see if they have the same level of performance on each item
  • Step Three: you make a determination about item bias and whether it exists. if there is no difference in performance on the items for minority majority subjects, then there is no item bias. if there is a difference in performance in the items for minority majority subjects, then there is item bias
• Predictive Bias


  occurs when a test predicts outcomes differently for one group compared to another group. even when the individuals in each group have the same ability level
• Procedure to evaluate Predictive Bias

  • Step One: minority majority subjects take the same IQ test
  • Step Two: minority majority subjects with the same IQ score are compared on a later outcome (can be academic achievement: GPA)
  • Step Three: make a determination about predictive bias and whether it exists. if minority and majority subjects with the same IQ score achieve the same outcome, then there is NO predictive bias. if minority majority subjects with the same IQ score show different outcomes later on, then there is predictive bias.
• Parenting


  refers to the behaviors that parents use to control and regulate their children’s activities (Ex: curfews, rewards for doing chores, no cooking without parent supervision)
• Warmth


  measures the degree to which parents are sensitive and responsive to their kids needs (dimension of parenting)
• Control


  measures the degree to which parents attempt to regulate and control their kids behavior (dimension of parenting)
• Parenting Styles (Diana Baurmind)

  1. Authoritative (high warmth, high control)
  2. Authoritarian (low warmth, high control)
  3. Permissive (high warmth, low control)
  4. Uninvolved (low warmth, low control)
• Authoritative Parenting

  high warmth, high control; these parents use induction to explain their rules and discipline. reinforcement to increase desirable behaviors from their kids and punishment to decrease undesirable behaviors in their kids. their children tend to be securely attached, popular, get good grades, and are less likely to have mental health issues
• Authoritarian Parenting

  low warmth, high control; these parents frequently punish their kids for bad behavior and rarely reinforce their kids for good behavior. they rarely explain to their kids why their rules are in place and why they discipline the way that they do. their kids tend to be more aggressive than kids of other parents. the kids are imitating aggression that was modeled to them by the parents.
• Permissive Parenting


  high warmth, low control; these parents show a lot of affection, but avoid making demands or setting limits on their kids (let them do as they please). their children are more likely to show problems with impulse control particularly in public places, because they haven’t been taught to regulate their behavior at home so they do not regulate their behavior in public
• Uninvolved Parenting


  low warmth, low control; these parents do not attempt to control their kids‘ behaviors and let the kids do what they please. includes rejecting and neglecting subtypes. their kids have the worst outcomes and are less likely to be securely attached and less likely to be rated as popular. they often do poorly in school and are more likely to have mental health problems
• Peers


  refer to the friends or classmates of the kids who are often in elementary or middle school
• Popular Children


  kids in a classroom who are liked by many of their peers and are disliked by few, if any, of their peers. they are more likely to be securely attached and likely to be identified as leaders among their peers
• Rejected Children


  kids in a classroom who are disliked by many of their peers and are liked by few, if any, of their peers. they are usually the targets of teasing or belittling. they are less likely to be securely attached and identified as leaders among their peers. they are also more likely to have mental health disorders such as depression
• Sociometric methods


  methods used to measure social characteristic in kids
• Peer Nomination Inventory (PNI)


  measures popularity based on whether kids are liked or disliked by their peers. there are 4 categories that include popular, rejected, neglected, and controversial
• Popular


  kids in a classroom who are liked by many of their peers and disliked by few, if any, of their peers
• Rejected


  kids in a classroom who are disliked by many of their peers and liked by few, if any of their peers (more likely to be male than female)
• Neglected


  kids in a classroom who are neither liked nor disliked by their peers (invisible kids)
• Controversial


  kids in a classroom who are rated as being liked by some of their peers and disliked by other peers. these kids have strong allies that like them and enemies who dislike them (not stable over time)
• Factors related to popularity


  birth order, first name, facial attractiveness
• Birth Order


  refers to the order in which kids are born into a family
• First Names


  research examines how common a first name is for a particular birth cohort and how it relates to popularity
• Facial Attractiveness


  measures the degree to which an individual is rated attractive by their peers
• Adolescence


  refers to a transitional period in development between childhood and adulthood, when individuals acquire the ability to reproduce
• When does adolescence begin?


  puberty marks the beginning of adolescence which is typically between 12-14 years (females begin before males)
• Puberty


  refers to a series of biological events that are associated with the ability to reproduce (hormonal changes and physical changes)
• Hormonal Changes include…


  estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone
• Estrogen 


  increases sharply in females and is associated with the appearance in female sexual characteristics; increase in breast and hip size
• Testosterone


  increases sharply in males and is associated with the appearance of male sexual characteristics; appearance of facial hair and increases in muscle mass
• Growth Hormone


  increases sharply in both males and females and is associated with sharp increases in height and weight
• Physical Changes include…


  growth spurts and sexual characteristics (primary and secondary)