KSU - HDFS 24012 - chapter 2 notes - Class Notes

Created by: Maria Apostolescu Elite Notetaker

Schools > Kent State University > Human Development > HDFS 24012 > KSU - HDFS 24012 - chapter 2 notes - Class Notes

School: Kent State University

Department: Human Development

Course: Child Development

Professor: Karen Stewart

Term: Fall 2015

Name: chapter 2 notes

Description: chapter 2 notes

Uploaded: 09/28/2015

This preview shows pages 1 - 4 of a 18 page document. to view the rest of the content

Chapter 2 Theory
cohert set of logically related concepts that seeks to organize, explain, and predict data inspire future research and predict its result by generating hypotheses, tentative
explanations, or predictions Hypotheses: possible explanations for phenomena used to predict the outcome of research Basic Theoretical Issues
are children active or reactive in their own development? is development continuous or does it occur in stages? Child Development: Active or Reactive?
Reactive development: children grasp experiences and this input molds them over time Active development: people create experiences and are motivated to learn
about the world around them Mechanistic model: views human development as a series of predictable responses to stimuli people are like machines that react to environmental input predicts human behavior based upon internal and external forces at work
seeks to identify the factors that make people behave as they do Organismic model: views human development as internally initiated by an active organism, and as occurring in a sequence of qualitatively different stages sees children as active, growing organisms people initiate events, do not just react to them
impetus for change is internal environmental influences can speed or slow development Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous?
Mechanistic theorists believe development is continuous occurring in small incremental stages
Quantitative changes: change in number or amount, such as height, weight, or size of vocabulary
development is always governed by the same processes gradual refinement and extension of early skills into later abilities

Organismic theorists believe development has distinct stages Qualitative changes: changes in kind, structure, or organization, such as the change from nonverbal to verbal communication
development at different points in the life span Is fundamentally different in nature
it is a change in kind, structure, or organization, not just in number Stage theories: development is seen as occurring in a series of distinct stages, like stair steps at each stage, what is going on is fundamentally different from what was happening at the previous stage
each stage builds on the previous one and prepares the way for the next PAGE 27 & 28 Microsystem: home, school, neighborhood, peer group, local community Mesosystem: parents friends, religious hierarchy, education system, shopping
center, community, parents workplace Exosystem: economic and political system, dominant beliefs and ideologies
Macrosystem: politics, marriage equality Shifting Balance early theorists favored organismic or stage approaches
today, attention is focused on biological and evolutionary bases of behavior it was found that influences are bidirectional (ppl change their world as it
changes them) Research Methods Quantitative Research: deals with objectively measurable data
Based on scientific method: system of established principles and processes of scientific inquiry identifies a problem to be studied formulates a hypothesis to be tested by research
collects data analyzes the data
forms tentative conclusions disseminates findings Qualitative research: interpretation of nonnumerical data, such as subjective
experiences, feelings, or beliefs

focuses on the how and why behavior informs both how they collect data as well as its interpretation Sampling Sample: group of participants chosen to represent the entire population under
study should adequately represent the population under study Type used by quantitative researchers:
random selection selection of a sample in such a way that each person in a population has an
equal and independent chance of being chosen Type used by qualitative researchers: focused selection
participants are chosen for their ability to communicate the nature of a certain experience Basic Research Designs
Case Study: study of a single subject, such as a individual or family offers useful indepth information Ethnographic study: Indepth study of a culture, which uses a combination of
methods including participant observation uses a combination of methods, including informal, unstructured interviewing
and participant observation participant observation: observer lives with the people or participates in the
activity being observed Correlation Study: intended to discover whether a statistical relationship between variables exists
variables: phenomena that changes or vary among people or can be varied for purposes of research
correlations are expressed in terms of direction and magnitude 2 variables are related positively if they: increase or decrease together 2 variables have a negative, or inverse correlation if:
one increases and the other decreases

Correlations are reported as numbers ranging from +1.0 to 1.0 Experiment: rigorously controlled, replicable procedure in which the researcher
manipulates variables to assess the effect of one on the other Experimental group: Group receiving the treatment under study Control group: group of people, similar to those in the experimental group who do not receive the treatment under study If the experimenter wants to compare the effects of different treatments, overall
sample may be divided into treatment groups To ensure objectivity, some experiments use doubleblind procedures neither participants nor experimenters know who is receiving the treatment
and who is instead receiving an inert placebo Independent Variable: condition over which the experimenter has direct control Dependent Variable: condition that may or may not change as a result of
changes in the independent variable Random Assignment: assignment of participants in an experiment to groups in such a way that each person has an equal chance of being placed in any group Laboratory Experiments: participants are brought to a laboratory, where they
experience conditions manipulated by the experimenter Field Experiment: controlled study conducted in an everyday setting  Laboratory and Field experiments differ in 2 important respects: degree of control: exerted by the experimenter
degree to which findings can be generalized beyond the study situation Natural Experiment: compares people who have been accidentally assigned to separate groups by circumstances of life Collaborative Research
Metaanalysis: provides a systematic overview of the research on a topic through statistical analysis of the combined findings of multiple studies
used for controversial findings an attempt to reconcile disparities across a large number of studies
designs and methodologies of the studies may be inconsistent

This is the end of the preview. Please to view the rest of the content