Unit 1 Flashcards
“breast-fed infants will differ from formula-fed infants on frequency of ear infections” is an example of
Two-tailed hypothesis
“breast-fed infants will have fewer ear infections than formula-fed infants” is an example of
One-tailed hypothesis
Operational definitions
measurable behaviors used, for the purposes of that experiment, to define some concept/variable
Regression analysis
statistical technique that examines the relationship between a dependent/response variable and multiple independent/explanatory variables; is based on correlation
Subject variables
any traits/variables that an individual brings to the experiment (ex: sex, birth order)
Confounding variables
Variables that, b/c of poor research design or insufficient control, may alter results (Z)
Repeated Measure Design is aka
Within-subject design
Why is longitudinal research non-representative?
a. Self-selection of those willing to participate
b. Selective attrition
c. Only a single age group might be studied, leading to a cross-generational problem
Cohort effects
results due to social or historical backgrounds of subjects in each cohort, not to age/development
Development involves both
Growth and decay
Counterbalancing
a type of experimental design (in the within-subject design) in which all possible orders of presenting the variables are included to eliminate practice and fatigue
Field experiment
applies the scientific method to experimentally examine an intervention in the real world (naturally occurring environments) rather than in the laboratory
Maturation
Part of the “innate goodness” view: a genetically determined unfolding of growth and development (innate abilities)
Psychoanalytic theory
Development is primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion
Cognitive theories
Emphasize conscious thought
Cognitive developmental theory
Piaget
Behavioral and Social Cognitive theory
We can study scientifically only what can be directly observed and measured
Ethological theory
Behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods
Ecological theory
Emphasizes environmental factors (Bronfenbrenner)
Ecletic theoretical orientation
Selects from each theory the best features
Adaptive behavior
behavior that promotes an organism’s survival in the natural habitat
Emphasizes the importance of adaptation, reproduction, and survival of the fittest in shaping behavior
Evolutionary psychology
Natural selection favors behaviors that increase
reproductive success
The human genome
the complete set of developmental info for creating proteins that initiate the making of a human organism