PSYC 251 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Tabula Rasa, Epigenetics, Active Child
4 Apr 2020
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+ clinical = flexibility for following up unexpected comments. Reports are often biased to reflect favourably on interviewee. Memories of interviewees are often inaccurate and incomplete. Prediction of future behaviours often inaccurate: naturalistic observation: activities of children in everyday settings observed. Difficult to know which aspects of situation are most influential. Limited value for studying infrequent behaviours: structured observation: children brought to lab, presented pre-arranged tasks. + ensures all behaviour observed in same context. + allows controlled comparison of behaviour in different situations. Context less natural than in naturalistic observation. + yields useful data about differences among age groups. Uninformative about stability of individual differences over time. Uninformative about similarities/differences in children"s patterns of change: longitudinal designs: children are examined repeatedly over a prolonged period. + indicates degree of stability of individual differences over long periods. + reveals individual children"s patterns of change over long periods. Difficult to keep all participants in study.
