Question 1

Which of the following refers to our tendency to act differently when we know someone is watching us?

Accepted Answer

Observer influence refers to how the presence of an observer can influence the behavior of the person being observed. This is also known as the Hawthorne effect.

Question 2

Jack has designed a method of evaluating aggressiveness. He has found that a child who scores high in aggressiveness on one day is likely to score low on aggressiveness another day. This is a problem of:

Accepted Answer

The described problem of inconsistent scores on different days indicates a lack of consistency or reliability in the method of evaluating aggressiveness.

Question 3

Research measures that involve watching children's unprompted behaviour in real-life settings are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observations involve observing children's unprompted behavior in real-life settings, which is exactly what the question is asking for. Structured observations involve creating a specific situation to observe behavior, tasks that sample behavior involve asking the child to perform specific tasks, and self-report measures involve asking the child or parent to report on behavior rather than observing it directly.

Question 4

Which of the following is true of naturalistic observations?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observations involve observing participants in their natural settings or environments. This allows for the behavior of interest to be observed without disrupting it. Therefore, option B is correct. Option A is not necessarily true because researchers may not record all behaviors, only those relevant to the study. Option C is not necessarily true as naturalistic observations can also be used to study common behaviors. Option D is not necessarily true because naturalistic observations do not require private settings.

Question 5

Which of the following measures involves sampling behaviour with a task?

Accepted Answer

Putting a number of objects in front of a child and having the child count them involves sampling behavior with a task, as it requires the child to actively engage in a specific activity to demonstrate their counting ability. The other options involve self-report or observation of behavior without an active task.

Question 6

One drawback of structured observations is that

Accepted Answer

The artificial nature of the setting may create a situation in which individuals behave differently than they would in a natural setting. This creates a limitation in the generalizability of the findings.

Question 7

Which of the following is a strength associated with measures that sample behaviour with tasks?

Accepted Answer

Measures that sample behaviour with tasks are convenient to use because they can be easily administered in a standardized way and can be tailored to specific age ranges or abilities. However, they may not always accurately represent real-life behaviours, which is a limitation.

Question 8

What might a researcher do to avoid a potential observation bias?

Accepted Answer

By establishing behavioral definitions and observational guidelines prior to the observations, the researcher can ensure that they are not influenced by their own biases or expectations during the observation process. This helps to reduce the potential for observation bias. The other options (B, C, and D) are also important, but not as effective in avoiding observation bias as establishing clear guidelines and definitions.

Question 9

*One day you and a friend are talking and your friend states, "Development is the result of the genes that you inherit, and those genes put you on a developmental path that stays the same throughout your life." What can you tell your friend about the issues of nature vs. nurture and continuity vs. discontinuity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of *One day you and a friend are...

Question 10

*Please give two examples where observational learning could be helpful/harmful to a developing child.

Accepted Answer

The answer of *Please give two examples where observational learning...

Question 11

Laible, Panfile, and Makariev (2008) found a weak positive (.31) correlation between mother-child dyad's ability to resolve a conflict in two settings. This means

Accepted Answer

The weak positive correlation (.31) indicates that there is a slight tendency for the dyad's ability to resolve a conflict in one setting to be related to their ability to resolve it in the second setting, but there is a lot of variability in the data and many dyads do not conform to this pattern. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that there is a high likelihood of resolution in both settings or that there is no relationship between the two settings.

Question 12

Pepler, Craig, and Roberts (1998) used __________________ to study prosocial and aggressive behaviour on Toronto's playgrounds.

Accepted Answer

Pepler, Craig, and Roberts (1998) used naturalistic observation to study prosocial and aggressive behaviour on Toronto's playgrounds.

Question 13

Which of the following is a variable?

Accepted Answer

A variable is something that can vary or change. In this case, the number of siblings a child has can vary and is therefore a variable. B is not a variable as it is simply describing a characteristic of a participant. C is referring to the outcome of a study and is not a variable in and of itself. D is referring to a tool used to record information and is not a variable.

Question 14

Which of the following is true of sampling behaviour with tasks?

Accepted Answer

Sampling behaviour with tasks may not always accurately capture the behaviour of interest because the child may alter their behaviour or only display certain behaviours in response to the task.

Question 15

The factors subject to change that a researcher records in an observation are referred to as

Accepted Answer

The factors subject to change that a researcher records in an observation are referred to as variables. Samples and populations refer to groups of people or things being studied, while correlation coefficients are statistical measures used to determine the relationship between variables.

Question 16

The ______ design has been referred to as a "snapshot" taken at one point in time.

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional design involves collecting data from different age groups at the same time, providing a snapshot of development at a particular point in time. Longitudinal design, on the other hand, involves studying the same group of individuals over an extended period of time. Microgenetic design focuses on tracking changes in behavior over short intervals of time, typically used to study processes of change. Longitudinal-sequential design combines elements of both longitudinal and cross-sectional designs to study multiple cohorts over time. Therefore, only cross-sectional design matches the description of a "snapshot" taken at one point in time.

Question 17

Irina wants to study infant language development. She decides to watch 10 babies once a month from birth to two years of age and write down the sounds they make and the words they use. Irina is using

Accepted Answer

Irina is using systematic observation by directly observing the babies and taking notes on their language development. She is not asking for self-reports, using specific tasks to sample behavior, or conducting interviews.

Question 18

An infant comes to the lab to be observed. At first, she is very shy and seems uncomfortable with the researcher, but after a few minutes she doesn't seem to even notice the researcher. What has happened here?

Accepted Answer

The process described is habituation, where the infant becomes accustomed to the researcher's presence and is no longer reactive or responsive to them.

Question 19

Mary chose to assess the quality of infants' relationships with their caregivers by observing infants in a laboratory situation wherein the infants experienced a series of separations from and reunions with their caregivers. What kind of measure did Mary use?

Accepted Answer

Mary used structured observation, which involves observing participants in a controlled setting and recording specific behaviors or reactions.

Question 20

Which of the following statements best describes observer bias?

Accepted Answer

Observer bias refers to the tendency for observers to see what they expect to see or to notice events that fit with their existing beliefs or theories. The other options do not accurately describe observer bias.

Quiz 1: B: The Science of Child Development