caspi et al (2003)

Question 1

what did Caspi et al want to investigate?

Answer 1

why stressful life events seem to lead to depression in some people and not others then whether stressful life events were more likely to lead to depression in people with a certain variation of the 5 - HTT gene

Question 2

5 - HTT gene

Answer 2

a gene linked to the amount of serotonin available in the brain

Question 3

cohort

Answer 3

a group of people with a shared characteristic

Question 4

opportunity sampling

Answer 4

a sampling technique used to select participants from a target group to take part in a research study

Question 5

longitudinal study

Answer 5

the same people are tested over a period of time to investigate changes

Question 6

what variation of the 5 - HTT gene makes you more likely to be depressed after stressful life events?

Answer 6

short version

Question 7

how is there an interaction between nature and nurture?

Answer 7

it links both biological (gene) and social (life events) causes.

Question 8

strengths of caspi et al

Answer 8

there were a lot of people so the study is generalisable

this study could be useful for doctors - it tells them with someone with depression could have different causes for their symptoms

Question 9

weaknesses of caspi et al

Answer 9

might the gene be making people more prone to stressful life events? in that case the cause of depression would be the stressful life events not the gene and life events combined

self report data from questionnaires might not be reliable