Research Methods
Watching people in laboratory settings and day to day life
Systematic observation
A group of participants who do receive treatment, but are compared to the rest of the group
Control Group
A group of ideas, assumptions, and generalizations that help us to understand how people change over time
Developmental Theory
Believed human needs are arranged in a hierarchy (pyramid)
Abraham Maslow
The development of emotions, temperament, and social skills
Psychosocial (social and emotional) Development
A type of research involves answering questions, studying a group of participants, and collecting data
Empirical Research
Groups of people are compared with one another at the same point in time
Cross-Sectional
The influence of genetic characteristics and physical and social environments
Nature vs nurture
Emphasized the zone of proximal development and scaffolding children's learning
Lev Vygotsky
Includes all the mental processes that a person uses to obtain knowledge or to think about the environment
Cognitive Development
This type of research method can lead to inaccuracy and bias
Surveys
Research that looks at the relationship between teenage social media use and the quality of friendships, but does not show cause and effect
Correlational
Adding new information to and existing concept
Assimilation
He viewed humans as having 3 parts to their personality: id, ego, and super ego
Sigmund Freud
When development shows that people change over time (can be molded) and new behavior is affected by what has already happened (is durable)
Plastic
A specific prediction that can be tested
Hypothesis
A design method that could be used to observe children's motor skills during early childhood and collect data on the same children repeatedly over time
Longitudinal
J.B. Watson was the founder of this theory which studies observable behavior and looks at the relationships between stimuli and responses
Behaviorism
Believed reinforcements and punishments should be used to increase or decrease behavior
B.F. Skinner
Involves critical and sensitive periods (points in time during development to pay close attention to)
Multidirectional
Participants must understand and agree to be part of research procedures and notified of any risks involved
Informed Consent
Erikson and Piaget are stage theorists who used this design to study several groups of people of different ages and follow them over the years
Cross-Sequential
Bronfenbrenner's 5 Ecological Systems
Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem
Emphasized development in stages such as initiative vs guilt during the preschool years
Erik Erikson
Studying children's academic skills in multiple developmental domains, such as language, reading, writing, and science.
Multidisciplinary