Practical investigation and key question - learning theories

Question 1

What is the title of the key question?

Answer 1

Is the influence of role models and celebrities something that caused anorexia?

Question 2

What is anorexia?

Answer 2

An eating disorder, they may be excessively thin but still see themselves as underweight
Size O is chest-stomach-hip 84-64-89cm, equivalent to UK size 4, average UK female size 16
Photo manipulation involves altering photos once they have been taken due to insecurities

Question 3

Application of key question

Answer 3

Operant conditioning - positive reinforcement occurs when people lose weight, they are complimented. Positive punishment occurs as people are criticised if they gain weight and compliments stop.
Social learning theory - Explains role model and celebrity influence. Models get rewarded for being skinny, so young girls are influenced by these models
Classical conditioning - Men and women may come to associate thinness with “glamour and beauty”; both get the same approval and admiration

Question 4

What is the title of the practical?

Answer 4

A quantitative and qualitative investigation into aggressive behaviour of 4 year old children

Question 5

What is the aim of the practical ?

Answer 5

To observe if there is a gender difference in children’s aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour

Question 6

What are the hypotheses of the practical?

Answer 6

Null hypothesis - There will be no difference in physical / verbal aggression between males and females aged 4. If there is, its due to chance
One tailed hypothesis - 4 year old boys will be more physically and verbally aggressive than 4 year old girls

Question 7

What is the procedure of the practical?

Answer 7

-Watched an episode of “the secret life of 4 year olds” and observed aggressive / non-aggressive behaviour. We decided on categories of each type of behaviour to ensure we were tallying the same thing. We also made sure we took qualitative notes on behaviour we were observing.
-I collected data on my own and compared results with the rest of the class to increase inter-rater reliability
-We analysed the data and carried out a chi-squared test in order to deduce results

Question 8

What are the findings of the practical?

Answer 8

Boys had 19 aggressive behaviours and 16 non-aggressive behaviours tallied
Girls had 13 aggressive behaviours and 31 non-aggressive behaviours tallied

Question 9

Evaluation of practical

Answer 9

-Strength is checking answers with the rest of the class increases inter-rater reliability of the study. The programme was also on TV so we were able to rewind in order to check whether or not that behaviour occured. However, interpretations of categories may be different between peers in the class so procedure is unstandardised therefore lowering reliability
-Weakness is the practical lacks generalisability because the age is specific to 4 year olds and the sample size is too small to be representative of the wider population.
-Another strength is the procedure was ethical because the show was on channel 4, so we can assume that all ethical guidelines were adhered to
-Another weakness is validity might be lowered because children were aware of cameras around them so may have acted in a socially desirable manner, hindering results