Module 2 - Beginnings

• Longitudinal Study Design


  A study design involving following individuals over a long period of time with multiple assessment points

  
  

  ex: kids in a study asked about their social groups at ages 10, 13, and 15 (so over 5 years of their lives)
• Longitudinal Study Design - Pros & Cons

  Pros:

  - Enables researchers to determine whether phenomenon is due to developmental change or something inherent in the individual.

  - Explores what qualities change over time and what qualities remain stable

  
  

  Cons:

  - Longer the study, the more time + resources needed

  - Difficult for people to commit multiple years/decades of their lives to a single study
• Cross-Sectional Study


  A study design that compares different age groups at the same time.

  
  

  Ex: 3 groups of kids and teens at different ages who are asked about their social groups and then compared to each other at that current time.
• Cross-Sectional Study - Pros & Cons

  Pros:

  - More time-efficient

  - Participants less likely to drop out of study

  
  

  Cons:

  - Doesn't adequately observe how children developed

  - Only examines how currently are (since not followed over time)

  - Snapshot moment
• Naturalistic Observation


  - involves observing research subject outside of research setting and in a more natural location

  
  

  ex: Piaget observed his children play at home

  ex: researchers conduct study in school settings

  
  

  pro: assess natural behavior as it occurs

  
  

  con: only can assess observed behavior, no interview to understand context for behavior, subject may alter behavior if observations are noticed
• Case Study


  - involves direct observation of research subjects

  - also involves interviewing participant in great detail

  - VERY DETAILED EXAMINATION of an individual

  
  

  pro: detailed info

  con: subjectivity, generalizability
• Survey/Interview


  - can be administered anonymously (internet, mail, in person)

  - if in person, takes place in 'interview' format

  - surveys ask questions about attitudes, opinions, and the frequencies of certain behaviors

  
  

  pro: efficiency, generalizability

  con: concerns with self report measures (subject may lie, or misremember details)
• Correlational Research


  - researcher interested in knowing how two variables relate together

  - researchers use statistics to indicate degree (how strong the correlation is) and direction (indicates whether positive +/+ or negative/inverse +/-) relationship is.

  
  

  ex: inverse: as one gets older, less temper tantrums

  ex: positive: as one gets older, more friendships made

  
  

  pro: answers key question about the relationship between variables

  con: correlation =/= causation
• Experiments


  - research design in which the researcher tightly controls the setting, participants, and variables in the research study

  - researcher manipulates a factor that is believed to have some influence.

  
  

  ex: treatment study

  > treatment = manipulated variable

  > participants = psychotherapy group, drug treatment group, control group

  > manipulation can be observed in researcher setting up 3-group situation and randomly assigning participants to each group

  
  

  Due to these features ONLY EXPERIMENTAL STUDY can adequately discern whether manipulated variable caused change - no other study design allows this observation because random group assignment AND manipulated variable are absent from other study designs.

  
  

  pro: addresses causation

  con: hawthorne effect (behavior may be artificial if noticed being observed), ethical concerns

  
  

  quasi experiments - manipulating environment setting as if its a lab, to understand as much natural behavior
• Study designs combinations


  - Longitudinal + cross sectional study designs can be combined to great advantage

  - Two types of approaches MUST be chosen in addition to research methods

  
  

  ex: longitudinal experimental design

  ex: cross-sectional survey design
• Jillian's mother is a librarian and her father is a high school English teacher. When Jillian began elementary school, her teacher found her reading fourth-grade level books in the school library. The teacher then encouraged Jillian to read high quality fiction books. By high school, Jillian is one of her school's top English students. What type of genotype-environment interaction might best explain how this occurred?

  
  

  - Active

  - Passive

  - Evocative

  - Evocative
• Dan's parents both perform in the city orchestra. When Dan was three, they bought him his first violin and began giving him music lessons. Dan shows early promise as a musician. What type of genotype-environment interaction best explains Dan's musical prowess?

  
  

  - Active

  - Passive

  - Evocative

  - Passive
• What type of study would best address the following question: Do adults become more em***** with age?

  
  

  - Naturalistic Observation

  - Case Study

  - Survey

  - Correlational Study

  - Experiment

  - Correlational Study
• During involution, a mother's uterus returns to its normal size reducing from an average of _____________ pounds at the end of the pregnancy to _____________ ounces.

  2-3 lbs; 2-3 oz
• In which type of genotype-environment interaction does the child take VERY LITTLE role in personally choosing and seeking out environments that will foster a particular interest?

  
  

  - Active

  - Passive

  - Evocative

  - Passive
• Which research design would best address the following question: Are age and wisdom related to one another?

  
  

  - Naturalistic Observation

  - Case Study

  - Survey

  - Correlational Study

  - Experiment

  - Correlational Study
• True or false? It is rare for social relationships for new parents to change following the birth of a child.

  False

  
  

  - it is common for social relationships to change post delivery
• A researcher follows a group of children over a period of ten years to assess socioemotional development. Which research design is the researcher using?

  
  

  - Cross-sectional

  - Interview

  - Experiment

  - Longitudinal

  - Longitudinal
• A doctor might recommend the use of a/an ____________ drug during childbirth if there is a need to stimulate labor contractions.

  Oxytocic
• Place the following prenatal events in order, from earliest to latest:

  
  

  - Lanugo is nearly gone

  - Heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope

  - Basic Spinal cord begins to develop


  1. Basic spinal cord begins to develop

  2. Heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope

  3. Lanugo is nearly gone
• A/an _________________ is an agent that causes a birth defect.

  Teratogen
• When are a developing baby's organs most susceptible? Be specific.


  During organogenesis?????????

  
  

  During prenatal period when organs are forming (organogenesis)
• What is the term for the prenatal period of organ formation?

  Organogenesis
• Short essay questions should be answered in complete sentences.

  
  

  What are the advantages and disadvantages of naturalistic observations? Describe one advantage and one disadvantage.

  Advantage: observe participant's realistic, natural behavior

  Disadvantage: can only observe behavior, not thoughts

  
  

  **** expand more!@!
• For the following scenarios, identify whether the study's design is cross-sectional or longitudinal.

  
  

  1. Martha's children participated in a study from the time that they were in preschool until they reached middle school.

  
  

  2. A researcher is studying a group of Baby Boomers to see whether, as they age, they become increasingly religious.

  
  

  3. Teenagers in a study are interviewed regarding who are the most popular peers in their grade.

  1. Longitudinal

  2. Longitudinal

  3. Cross-sectional
• Answer the following essay question in complete sentences.

  
  

  Describe in detail the three stages of childbirth as well as the postpartum period. In your answer, be sure to include the following: names for each stage, general length of time for each stage, and key events that occur during each stage.

  1) Early labor and active labor

  * early labor is 8-12 hours, active labor 3-5 hours

  * contractions, cervix dilates, sometimes water breaks

  2) Delivery of baby

  * 20 mins - 2 hours

  * contractions, cervix dilates 10cm, crowning, pushing, baby delivery

  3) Delivery of placenta

  * 5-10 mins

  * contractions, placenta delivery, shaking/shivering

  4) Postpartum

  * 6 weeks

  * biological adjustments: body healing, involution, breastfeeding

  * psychological adjustments: bonding with baby, social relationships readjusted, coordinating schedules with baby, emotionally adjusting

  
  

  -Answers need to name the following:

  1. early labor & active labor (dilation/effacement of cervix)

  2. delivery of baby

  3. delivery of placenta (afterbirth)

  4. postpartum

  - length for each is needed

  1. all phases need to be considered. factored together, most women experience dilation/cervical effacement between 11-20 hours

  2. delivery of baby 20 minutes to 2 hours for most

  3. delivery of placenta 5-30 minutes

  4. post partum approximately 6 weeks, longer for psychological adjustment.

  - key features for each is needed

  1. description of early/active/transition phases, cervix dilation, contractions

  2. contractions, pushing, crowning, delivery of baby

  3. contractions, delivery of placenta, shivering

  4. involution, healing, psychological adjustments, bonding
• Major organs form during the __________ period of prenatal development.

  Embryonic
• Short essay questions should be answered in complete sentences.

  
  

  What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a survey design? Describe one advantage and one disadvantage.

  Advantage: efficiency, obtain a large sample, able to study attitudes/opinions, people generally enjoy self report.

  
  

  Disadvantage: people are not always truthful (may lie) and not always accurate or can unintentionally lie (misremember)
• Zeke's father is a volleyball coach and Zeke grew up wanting to play volleyball. In fifth grade, he asked his father to show him how to play and teach him basic skills. By the time that he reaches junior high, he's skilled enough to make the varsity volleyball team. What type of genotype-environment interaction best explains Zeke's sports success?

  
  

  - Active

  - Passive

  - Evocative

  - Active
• In which type of genotype-environment interaction does the child take the LARGEST role in personally choosing and seeking out environments that will foster a particular interest?

  
  

  - Active

  - Passive

  - Evocative

  - Active
• Short essay questions should be answered in complete sentences.

  
  

  Why might a researcher decide to use a survey as the research method of choice? Give two reasons.

  ??????? include response

  
  

  Answers must include two of the following: obtain a large sample, study additional options, efficiency.
• Delivery of the placenta occurs during stage ____ of childbirth

  3
• Delivery of the baby occurs during stage ____ of childbirth

  2
• Fine hair that covers the top portion of a baby in utero is known as _______.

  lanugo
• An epidural is an example of what type of drug?

  Anesthesia
• When does the Embryonic period begin?

  2 weeks after conception
• During which trimester is a heartbeat detectable using ultrasound?

  First
• Which research design would best address the following question: What do most people in the U.S. feel about the legalization of marijuana?

  
  

  - Naturalistic Observation

  - Case Study

  - Survey

  - Correlational Study

  - Experiment

  - Survey
• The ________ period of prenatal development lasts for approximately seven months.

  fetal
• True or false? Maternal stress is not an example of a teratogen.

  False

  
  

  -stress is an example! can cause blood flow to increase towards moms brain and heart and limbs while less is sent to baby. stress hormones cross placenta and increases fetal heart rate