Course overview and research in developmental psychology

what are the key themes in developmental psychology?

• nature vs nurture

• individual differences

• the active child

• (dis)continuity of development and critical periods

• socio-cultural context

what designs can be used to measure development?

• cross-sectional

• longitudinal

• microgenetic

• genetically informative???

what is a cross-sectional design?

compare children of different ages at a single time

what are the pros and cons of cross-sectional designs?

pros:

• faster and cheaper to collect data

• can identify differences between age groups

cons:

• no info about (dis)continuity of development over age

• uninformative about individual differences

what is a longitudinal design?

children are examined and compared to themselves over a prolonged period of time

what are the pros and cons of longitudinal designs?

pros:

• can observe development

• can examine the stability of individual differences and patterns of change over time

cons:

• practice effects

• attrition

• time-consuming and expensive

what is a microgenetic design?

children are observed intensely over a relatively short period of time and change occurs within this period

what are the pros and cons of microgenetic designs?

pros:

• very detailed

• intensive observation can clarify process of change as it occurs

cons:

• must know when change will occur

• no long-term data about change patterns

• narrow focus

what is a genetically informative design?

allows us to estimate (and possibly locate) genetic contributions to development

what are some examples of genetically informative designs?

• Twin studies

• Adoption

• Adopted twins

• DNA sequencing

• Molecular-genetic

• Genomewide scan

what are some common data collection techniques used in developmental psychology?

• interview/questionnaire

• naturalistic observation

• structured observation/tasks

what are some practical problems in research involving children?

• gaining access and seeking consent

• context/location

• data collection

• confidentiality and child protection issues

• debriefing and rewards