Question 1

Cohort effects can be a problem in ________ studies.

Accepted Answer

Cohort effects refer to the differences in attitudes, behaviors, and experiences between people of different age groups, which can affect research outcomes. Cross-sectional studies involve comparing different groups at the same point in time, which can be influenced by cohort effects. Similarly, longitudinal studies involve following a group over time, which can also be affected by cohort effects. Therefore, both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies can be affected by cohort effects.

Question 2

Which of the following is a disadvantage of longitudinal studies?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal studies can create "test-wise" subjects, who become acclimated to the testing process and may not behave as they would in their normal environment, leading to potential distortions of the data collected. The other options listed (B, C, and D) are not disadvantages of longitudinal studies.

Question 3

A strength of experimental studies is that

Accepted Answer

Experimental studies involve manipulating an independent variable and measuring the effect on a dependent variable, allowing for conclusions about cause and effect. This is a strength of experimental studies as it allows researchers to establish a causal relationship between variables, which is not possible with other types of studies such as correlational studies.

Question 4

A weakness of experimental studies is that

Accepted Answer

While experimental studies can establish cause and effect relationships, one weakness is that they may not be representative of real-life behaviour. The controlled conditions in a laboratory setting may not accurately reflect the complexities of real-world situations. Option A is incorrect as experimental studies are specifically used to determine cause and effect. Option C is incorrect as experimental studies are conducted in a laboratory setting. Option D may not always be true, as the cost of experimental studies can vary depending on the research design and equipment needed.

Question 5

A microgenetic study would best be described as

Accepted Answer

A microgenetic study is a type of longitudinal study that involves observing behavior or development at very short intervals, often daily or even hourly, over a relatively brief period of time, usually a few weeks or months. The aim of microgenetic studies is to capture the moment-to-moment changes in behavior or development as they occur, rather than looking at the changes over a longer time period. Therefore, it is not a cross-sectional study, which involves comparing different groups at a single point in time.

Question 6

Professor Gordon is studying the effects of peer relationships on emotional well-being in Canadian children. She collects information from a sample of 900 Grade 3 children. Although she has a lot of information about these particular 900 children, what does she need to do in order to draw conclusions about Canadian Grade 3 children?

Accepted Answer

In order to draw conclusions about Canadian Grade 3 children, Professor Gordon needs to use inferential statistics to make inferences about the population based on the sample data she collected. She does not need to interview every Grade 3 child in Canada, as this would be impractical and unnecessary. While discussing her findings with researchers in other countries may be helpful for gaining a broader perspective, it is not necessary for drawing conclusions about Canadian Grade 3 children. Proving her null hypothesis is a part of the statistical analysis, but it alone does not allow her to draw conclusions about the population of Canadian Grade 3 children. Therefore, calculating inferential statistics is the best choice for drawing conclusions about the population.

Question 7

The variable in an experiment that is observed to see if it changes when another variable is manipulated is called the

Accepted Answer

The variable that is observed to see if it changes when another variable is manipulated is called the dependent variable. This is because it "depends" on the independent variable, which is the variable being manipulated or changed.

Question 8

Marcio studies developmental changes in intelligence by testing one group of subjects when they are 4, 8, 12, and 16 years of age. What kind of design is Marcio using?

Accepted Answer

Marcio is using a longitudinal design because he is studying the same group of subjects over a period of time and testing them at different ages.

Question 9

Differences between age groups resulting from environmental events rather than developmental processes are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Cohort effects refer to differences between age groups that are the result of environmental events such as cultural or historical events, rather than developmental processes. Response biases, representative samplings, and artificial settings are not related to this concept.

Question 10

In 1999, Hall and Kail investigated age differences in arithmetic performance in 8- to 12-year-olds. Based on the information given, what can you conclude about the type of approach Hall and Kail used? It was

Accepted Answer

Hall and Kail investigated age differences in arithmetic performance in 8- to 12-year-olds, implying that they compared different age groups of children at the same time. Therefore, they used a cross-sectional approach.

Question 11

In an experiment, the null hypothesis states

Accepted Answer

The null hypothesis states that there will be no significant effect found in this experiment.

Question 12

Professor Kiefer is interested in learning about how easily children make the transition from grade school to high school. She interviews 120 Grade 8 students at various schools and collects information about their hopes, fears, and general feelings about moving on to high school. This is an example of which type of research?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of qualitative research, as the focus is on collecting non-numerical data about the students' experiences and emotions regarding the transition to high school. A quantitative study would involve collecting numerical data to analyze and draw conclusions from, while a longitudinal study would involve following the same group of students over a period of time to track changes in their behavior or attitudes. Habituation is a process of learning to ignore or become less responsive to a stimulus over time, and is not relevant to this scenario.

Question 13

Dr. Land conducted a study in a preschool to test his hypothesis that the amount of unstructured time (free play) in a day affects the amount of unruliness that children display. Teachers systematically varied the amount of free play each day for a month, and Dr. Land's research assistants recorded the amount of unruliness children displayed each day. This study would best be described as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The study takes place in a preschool setting, which is a real-world environment (not a laboratory) and the amount of free play is systematically manipulated, meeting the criteria for a field experiment.

Question 14

Dr. Roberts wants to compare the results of many studies that have looked at the relation between gender and math ability. Dr. Roberts would find a ________ most appropriate for his needs.

Accepted Answer

A meta-analysis would allow Dr. Roberts to collect and analyze data from multiple studies on the same topic, providing a quantitative summary of the results and allowing for comparisons across studies. A microgenetic design focuses on studying changes within an individual over time, a longitudinal-sequential design involves studying different groups over a long period of time, and a quasi-experimental design does not include random assignment to groups. None of these designs would be ideal for comparing results across multiple studies on the same topic.

Question 15

Yuri is interested in finding out whether exercise affects boys' and girls' performance on a memory task. The dependent variable in this situation is

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured, which in this case is memory performance. The independent variable being tested is exercise and the potential moderating variable is gender. Age is not mentioned as an important variable in this situation.

Question 16

Field experiments

Accepted Answer

Field experiments involve manipulation of independent variables in a real-world setting, which allows investigators to draw conclusions about cause and effect. They are often more difficult to conduct than laboratory experiments.

Question 17

Professor Bake is comparing the working memory of four- and five-year-olds. She reads a list of words to 30 four-year-olds and records how many of the words they were able to recall. She does the same thing with 30 five-year olds. She then compares the average number of words remembered by the four-year-olds to the average number of words remembered by the five-year-olds. This is an example of which type of research?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of quantitative research because the professor is collecting numerical data (the number of words remembered) and comparing averages between two groups (four-year-olds and five-year-olds).

Question 18

Different sequences of children are tested longitudinally in a study with a

Accepted Answer

The description of different sequences of children being tested longitudinally suggests a longitudinal-sequential design, which involves following multiple groups of participants over time with some overlap in ages between the groups. This design allows for both between-group and within-group comparisons, making it a useful approach for studying developmental changes. Option A, cross-sectional design, involves testing groups of participants at a single point in time, while option B, longitudinal design, follows a single group of participants over time with no overlap between groups. Option D, microgenetic design, involves studying rapid changes in development over short time periods, typically days or weeks, and is not a good fit for the scenario described.

Question 19

The fact that differences between age groups may result as easily from chance environmental events as from significant developmental processes is

Accepted Answer

This is a major disadvantage of the cross-sectional approach, which compares different age groups at a single point in time. It is difficult to determine whether differences between age groups are due to developmental processes or simply chance environmental events. A longitudinal approach, which follows the same individuals over time, may be better suited for addressing this issue.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of a longitudinal approach?

Accepted Answer

The longitudinal approach can answer questions about the continuity or discontinuity of behavior. This approach studies the same participants over an extended period, allowing researchers to track changes in behavior over time. Dropout rates in longitudinal studies can be high, which can alter the results. Results may also be specific to a particular cohort, and repeated testing can distort results.

Quiz 1: B: The Science of Child Development