Question 1

What is a major disadvantage of cross-sectional research?

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional research does not follow individuals over time, so it does not provide evidence about development at the individual level. Instead, it looks at differences between individuals of different ages or stages of development at a single point in time. This can limit the understanding of how individuals change and develop over time.

Question 2

A sequential design __________.

Accepted Answer

A sequential design allows for researchers to examine whether cohort effects are at play, as it involves multiple cross-sectional samples taken at different points in time. It also allows for longitudinal comparisons between these samples.

Question 3

Researchers randomly assigned adolescents to either a single-grade classroom or a mixed-grade classroom. This is an example of a __________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a field experiment because researchers are manipulating an independent variable (type of classroom) in a real-world setting to observe its effect on an outcome.

Question 4

In a cross-sectional design, researchers study __________.

Accepted Answer

In a cross-sectional design, different groups of participants of various ages are studied at the same point in time. This design allows for a quick and efficient comparison of different age groups, but it cannot provide information about how individuals change over time.

Question 5

In his research study, Dr. Johnson gives participants false feedback about their performance. Consequently, Dr. Johnson should use __________ after the research session is over.

Accepted Answer

Debriefing is the process of explaining the true nature and purpose of the study to the participants after the research session is over. In this case, it is important for Dr. Johnson to inform participants that they have been given false feedback in order to prevent any negative emotional or psychological effects. Debriefing also provides an opportunity for participants to ask questions and express any concerns they may have.

Question 6

What is one problem with longitudinal research?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal research can be affected by participant attrition, where participants may move away or drop out, which can influence the representativeness of the sample and the validity of the results.

Question 7

When children are research participants, __________.

Accepted Answer

When children are research participants, it is important to obtain informed consent of their parents as well as others who act on their behalf. This is because children are considered vulnerable and may not have the capacity to fully understand the risks and benefits of participating in research. Additionally, it is essential to inform the parents and the children about the results of the research and respect their right to withdraw from the study at any time. The other options are incorrect as investigators should not seek opinions about the harmful effects of research, children have the right to conceal their identity, and it is necessary to inform them and their parents of the research results.

Question 8

Ethical standards permit deception in research studies if __________.

Accepted Answer

Ethical standards require that researchers obtain informed consent from participants and avoid any form of deception. However, there may be situations where deception is necessary, such as in studies involving sensitive or confidential information that cannot be obtained through direct questioning. In such cases, the researchers must obtain approval from institutional review boards (IRBs) that oversee research ethics to ensure that the benefits of the research outweigh any potential harm or discomfort for participants. Researchers must also debrief participants after the study, explaining the true purpose of the research and addressing any concerns they may have about the deception used. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

Question 9

Longitudinal research can identify common patterns as well as individual differences in development because the investigator __________.

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal research tracks the performance of each person over time, which allows the investigator to identify common patterns as well as individual differences in development.

Question 10

Dr. McBride wants to know if a teacher's use of encouragement in the classroom affects the children's self-esteem. To assign children to treatment conditions, Dr. McBride should __________.

Accepted Answer

To ensure that the assignment of children to treatment conditions is random and unbiased, Dr. McBride should draw the children's names out of a hat. This will prevent any potential confounding variables, such as test scores or personality traits, from affecting the results of the study.

Question 11

In field experiments, researchers __________.

Accepted Answer

In field experiments, researchers assign participants randomly to treatment conditions in natural settings. This allows for some control over the study while still observing natural behavior in the environment. B is incorrect because researchers can manipulate treatment conditions, but they are limited in their ability to do so compared to laboratory experiments. A and D are incorrect because researchers do not selectively assign participants to treatment conditions nor do they necessarily have stronger control over the treatment than in the laboratory.

Question 12

Professor Higgins is concerned about the findings of a longitudinal study on childhood depression that she conducted between 1985 and 2015 in New York because many of the participants witnessed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Professor Higgins is concerned about __________ effects.

Accepted Answer

The concern Professor Higgins has regarding the participants of her longitudinal study witnessing the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center suggests that she is worried about the cohort effects. Cohort effects refer to the influence of a particular historical or social event on the development of a particular group of individuals who share a common experience, such as those who witnessed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Question 13

Like longitudinal research, cross-sectional studies can be threatened by __________.

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional studies involve comparing different groups of people at one point in time. However, these groups may differ in terms of age or other demographic factors, leading to cohort effects where differences observed may be due to generational differences rather than actual changes over time.

Question 14

What is one strength of the cross-sectional design?

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional design avoids issues related to dropout or practice effects because it assesses different subjects at one point in time, rather than following the same subjects over a period where such effects could influence the results.

Question 15

Today, research that combines an experimental strategy with __________ approach is becoming increasingly common.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Today, research that combines an experimental strategy...

Question 16

Bernadette, a participant in a longitudinal study, became quite familiar with the test over time and, as a result, her performance improved. This limitation of longitudinal research is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

Practice effects refer to the way that participants' performance on a particular test may improve simply because they have taken the test multiple times over the course of a longitudinal study. This can limit the accuracy of the study's results by making it difficult to know whether any changes in test scores are due to the intervention being studied or simply due to practice effects. Biased sampling refers to a situation where the sample of participants in a longitudinal study is not representative of the larger population, while random assignment refers to the practice of randomly assigning participants to different groups in a study. Cohort effects refer to the specific impact of being born in a certain time period on a person's development and experiences, which may differ across generations.

Question 17

In a(n) __________ design, participants are studied repeatedly at different ages, and changes are noted as they get older.

Accepted Answer

A longitudinal design follows the same group of participants over time and observes changes as they grow older. This is different from a cross-sectional design, which looks at different groups of people at different ages, and an experimental design, which manipulates specific variables to see their effect on behavior. A correlational design examines the relationship between two or more variables.

Question 18

By using __________ assignment of participants to treatment conditions, investigators increase the chances that participants' characteristics will be equally distributed across treatment groups.

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is the best method to ensure that participants' characteristics are equally distributed across treatment groups because it eliminates any potential biases in the assignment process. Sequential assignment, systematic assignment, and correlational assignment do not provide the same level of control over participant characteristics.

Question 19

To overcome some of the limitations of traditional developmental designs, investigators sometimes use __________ designs, in which they conduct several similar cross-sectional or longitudinal studies.

Accepted Answer

Sequential designs involve conducting multiple cross-sectional or longitudinal studies, allowing researchers to analyze changes over time while avoiding some of the limitations of traditional designs (such as cohort effects in cross-sectional designs or selective attrition in longitudinal designs). Experimental, correlational, and quasi-experimental designs do not necessarily involve multiple studies or the same participants over time.

Question 20

A major strength of the longitudinal design is that researchers can __________.

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal design allows researchers to track participants over time and observe changes in behavior, development, or relationships between variables. By collecting data at multiple points in time, researchers can examine how early behaviors relate to later behaviors, and identify predictors of developmental outcomes.

Quiz 1: History, Theory, and Research Strategies