Check out the
exam
handout
for more information about the first exam (9/24).
You do NOT need to bring a scantron sheet, but you should bring a
BLUE BOOK, CALCULATOR and the
variance handout with you to the exam.
Terms:
Science
and the Scientific Method (Ch. 1):
ways
of knowing (tenacity, authority, logic, common sense, science)
steps in the scientific method
goals of behavioral research (describe, explain, predict...)
importance of objectivity, replication in science
basic/applied/evaluation research
developmental research
what science can and cannot address
empiricism
parts of a research article (intro, method, etc.)
theory/Functions
of theory & models in research
sources for research ideas/questions (gap in knowledge,
contradictory results, need to explain finding as sources of hypotheses)
hypothesis/characteristics of a good hypothesis
deduction and induction (and how related to theory building & theory
testing)
basic goals and differences
between different research designs (descriptive, experimental, correlational,
quasi--experimental, developmental)
Variance (Ch. 2)
connection between behavioral variability and the research process
mean,
variance (s2) and standard deviation (s) (conceptually and statistically -
you may bring this
handout to the exam)
systematic vs. error variance (examples of each, and which is more
problematic)
variables in experimental research: independent, dependent
Measurement (Ch. 3 and 4)
constructs, variables
conceptual and operational definitions
validity and reliability
measurement error
scales of measurement (nominal, ordinal etc.)
validity of measures (face, construct, criterion, predictive) and how to evaluate
measure
reliability
and how to evaluate (test-retest, split-half, observer agreement)
ways to
increase
reliability
methods for collecting data (report, observation, performance,
physiological…)
advantages and disadvantages
of using different measures
bias in measurement
(especially report measures)
issues related to choosing a setting for research (naturalness vs. control)
observational methods (narrative record, time sampling, checklists,
event sampling, ratings)
participant observation (advantages and disadvantages)
field notes
reactivity
measurement error and sources
of measurement error
advantages/problems with report (and self-report) measures (e.g., bias)
social desirability/ nay-saying response biases
performance
measures
questionnaires vs. interview (advantages, disadvantages)
good practices for developing
and conducting interviews
physiological measures
archival data
content
analysis
Descriptive Research (Ch. 5;
Ch. 6
(pp. 117-123);
Supplementary Reading #2)
types of descriptive research (survey, demographic, epidemiological,
qualitative)
sample vs. population
sampling error
probability sampling (simple random, stratified random)/advantages of
probability sampling
problem of nonresponse
nonprobability sampling (convenience sample, cluster sampling, quota, purposive sampling)
representative sample
Qualitative versus quantitative approaches (advantages and
disadvantages)
when
qualitative methods are appropriate
field observation
Ethnography
Grounded
theory
Action
Research
strengths
and weaknesses of qualitative methods
methods for qualitative research
(e.g., observation, focus
groups/interviews)
Short
Essay
One
of the following questions will be selected for the essay portion of the
exam.
1)
What does it mean to take a scientific approach to the study of human
behavior and development? Specifically, what is necessary for an
inquiry to be scientific? How is science different from “common sense”
as a way of knowing about the world and what are some limits to the
scientific method?
2)
How do scientists go about measuring a construct? What procedures do scientists use to establish that
the measure if reliable and valid? Imagine that you want to develop a
questionnaire to assess “happiness”. How might you go about doing this and
what steps would you undertake to
ensure that your measure was both reliable and valid?
3)
How does one decide
which method to use to collect data (i.e., what should be taken into consideration in
choosing a technique)? As
an example, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using
observational vs. report (interview and questionnaire) methods to
collect data. When are each of these methods appropriate?
