Research methodsLesson 5 of 5 in the course Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

Research Methods in Developmental Psychology: Designs, Measurement, and Ethics

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Developmental psychology uses systematic research to understand behavior and the cognitive and bodily processes that change across the lifespan. This lesson introduces how scientific knowledge is built and how to judge the quality of evidence.

Behavior can be observed, but the thoughts or feelings underlying it may not be directly visible. A person who cries might be sad, in pain, or happy; an infant cannot explain the reason for crying. Researchers therefore use systematic methods to gather evidence rather than relying only on assumptions or intuition.

All flashcards

How do deductive and inductive reasoning differ?
Deductive reasoning tests an idea against observations; inductive reasoning develops ideas from observations.
What can a case study contribute, and what is one limitation?
It can provide detailed information about an individual or small group, but its findings may not generalize to a larger population.
Why does correlation not establish causation?
A third variable or another explanation may account for the association between variables.
How do random assignment and random sampling differ?
Random assignment places participants into study conditions; random sampling selects participants from a population.
What does a cross-sectional design compare?
It compares groups of different ages at one point in time.

Quiz questions

  1. In an experiment, what is the dependent variable?Answer: The outcome the researcher measures
  2. What distinguishes a quasi-experiment from a true experiment?Answer: It compares naturally occurring groups without random assignment.
  3. A correlation coefficient of −0.80-0.80 indicates what kind of relationship?Answer: A strong negative linear relationship
  4. What is the primary role of an institutional review board (IRB)?Answer: Reviewing proposed research involving human participants
  5. What does a cross-sequential design do?Answer: Follows multiple age groups over a period of time

Based on Lifespan Development by Diana Riser, Rose Spielman, David Biek (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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