Conducting Developmental Research (Questions)

Question

1. In a classic study by Bandura (1965), preschool-age children were individually taken to a research room to watch a film. The film portrayed an adult hitting an inflatable doll with a mallet and throwing objects at the doll. Some of the children viewed the model being rewarded for his actions with candy and soda. Other children viewed the adult being scolded for his actions. Another group of children viewed no consequences for the adult's behavior. Bandura wanted to see if children learned by observing other's actions. After the film, children were relocated to a playroom with many toys including an inflatable doll. Using hidden cameras, Bandura observed how much aggression each child displayed.

Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response.

What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)?

What did Bandura conclude from this research?

2. A group of researchers are interested in the development of delay strategies. A group of 3, 5, and 7-year-old children are individually taken to a research room. On the table is a plate of marshmallows. Children are told they can play with the toys, but should not eat the marshmallow. Children are observed through a one-way mirror to see if they looked at, touched, licked, or ate the marshmallows. Children are given a score for delay of gratification.

What kind of design is used? Explain your response.

What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)?

3. Researchers are interested in parenting and self-esteem. Sixty children between the ages of 8 and 12 years complete a brief questionnaire assessing self-esteem. Children's parents also complete an interview describing their discipline methods. These researchers predict that punitive tactics are associated with levels of self-esteem.

Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response.

What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)?

4. Researchers are interested in the development of emotion management. Three groups of children (3-5-year-old, 5-7-year-old, and 7-9-year-old) played a game in which they were asked to "hide" their emotional expression. Half of the children were asked to "hide" happiness (i.e., told that if you are too happy after winning the basketball game, your best friend on the other team might feel sad) and the other half are asked to "hide" disappointment (i.e., told that you received socks as a birthday gift from your grandparents). Children were videotaped and given an emotion management score. The experimenters predicted that the oldest children would be able to "hide" emotions easily, but that the younger children would find it easier to mask a positive emotion than a negative emotion.

Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response.

What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)?

Answer 1

1. Bandura's Study on Aggression (1965)

1. Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? This is an experiment with independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the type of consequence observed by the children (reward, punishment, or no consequence), and the dependent variable is the level of aggression displayed by the children. Bandura manipulated the independent variable (the type of consequence) to observe its effect on the dependent variable (aggression).
2. What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)? The method used is experimental. The strengths include the ability to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between observing aggressive behavior and displaying aggression. The controlled setting and manipulation of variables allow for precise measurement of the impact of consequences on behavior. The limits include potential lack of generalizability to real-world settings and ethical concerns about exposing children to aggressive behavior.
3. What did Bandura conclude from this research? Bandura concluded that children learn aggressive behaviors through observation. The study demonstrated that children who observed an adult being rewarded for aggression were more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior themselves, while those who saw the adult being punished or receiving no consequences were less likely to show aggression. This supported Bandura's theory of social learning, which posits that behavior can be learned through observation and imitation.

2. Study on Delay Strategies

1. What kind of design is used? Explain your response. The design used is a cross-sectional design. The study observes children of different ages (3, 5, and 7 years old) at one point in time to assess their ability to delay gratification. This design allows researchers to compare the delay strategies of children at different developmental stages.
2. What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)? The method used is observational. The strengths include the ability to directly observe and measure children's behavior in a controlled setting. It provides insight into real-time decision-making and self-control. The limits include potential observer effect and the lack of control over individual differences or external factors that might influence the child's behavior.

3. Study on Parenting and Self-Esteem

1. Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response. This is a correlation study. Researchers are examining the relationship between parenting methods (independent variable) and self-esteem levels (dependent variable) without manipulating variables. The goal is to determine if there is an association between punitive parenting and self-esteem.
2. What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)? The method used is survey/questionnaire and interview. The strengths include the ability to gather data from a large number of participants and the potential to identify patterns or relationships between parenting styles and self-esteem. The limits include the potential for biased responses, self-reporting inaccuracies, and the inability to establish causation.

4. Study on Emotion Management

1. Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response. This is an experiment with independent and dependent variables. The independent variables are the age groups (3-5 years, 5-7 years, 7-9 years) and the type of emotion to be hidden (happiness or disappointment). The dependent variable is the emotion management score. The experiment manipulates age and type of emotion to observe their effects on emotion management.
2. What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)? The method used is experimental with videotaping for observation. The strengths include the ability to manipulate variables and assess their effects on emotion management in a controlled environment. The use of videotaping provides detailed data on children’s behavior. The limits include the potential for artificiality in the experimental setting and the possibility that children may not respond naturally to the artificial constraints of the experiment.