Outline the structured observation as a RM in child psychology (2)

Takes place in a laboratory setting to measure/record a childs behaviour A task or situation is staged/set up for a child to do The childs behaviour is observed in the setting Ainsworth used the strange situation procedure to observe the behaviour of a child when left and reunited with mother/stranger anxiety Often there is video taping or a one-way mirror is used to gather data

Evaluate the structured observational RM in terms of strengths and weaknesses (4)

Validity Eco Validity, Demand characteristics More ethical overt, Reliability, replicability Feasability waiting for situation to happen would be slower!

Describe the case study as a RM to study child development (4)

Case studies are in depth investigations conducted on one or a small group of individuals/children Case studies are often longitudinal as they focus on development of a child over time A variety of research methods (cognitive tests, observations can be used to asse ss a childs development Both qualitative and quantitative data can be gathered and analysed about the child(ren) Case studies often look at rare or unique cases of privation for example Case studies are used where it is unethical to conduct experimental research e.g. privation. Genie is an example of case study as one person is studied using a range of research methods to find in depth information

Evaluate the case study as a RM to study child psychology (4)

Case studies of children, gather rich and detailed information about a single case so the resulting findings allow a more complete picture Different research methods can be used to validate concepts under investigation The researcher may become too close to the individual in the study especially when studying children Case studies can have ethical issues of confidentiality with high profile cases like Genie Pseudonyms (like Dibs) are good to ensure protection of confidentiality Case studies are often conducted in a range of natural play settings, thus making findings ecologically valid argue both for and against ecological validity as they can get evidence from a structured environment] The use of different research methods can be used- triangulation to improve the validity of the findings Generalisability is limited to the case as it is unique and one-off as is the case with Genie You will not find the same case again exactly so the reliability of findings cannot be verified We cannot generalise the finding of the case study to the wider population as they are based on a single one-off unique case that would be very different from any other *GD* Reliability can be affected by researcher bias as the researcher can become over involved in the case and lose objectivity

Explain why cross cultural research is carried out when studying children (2)
Test if behaviour/theories is universal e.g. language development is found to occur in the same stages in most cultures. Provide evidence whether behaviour is nature or nurture (biology or socialisation). If behaviour differs across cultures we may conclude it is a product of socialisation and not genetics, which would show universal behaviour.