Core Studies: Developmental

Question 1

Bandura - child imitation of aggression

Answer 1

Aims: show learning of behaviour can occur through observation of aggressive role models and imitation will still occur when model leaves

Sample: 52 children, 50/50 gender split, aged 4 from Stanford uni nursery (middle class, educated background)

Method:
3 phases
1st = adult either being peaceful playing or modelling aggression (hitting 5ft bobo doll saying ‘sock’ ‘pow’
- control group didn’t enter
2nd = mild aggression arousal
- control as all children entered it
- initially allowed to play with attractive toys but soon told they can’t as they’re reserved for other children
3rd = tested for imitation of aggression
- controlled ob using time sampling to measure DV (behaviour recorded at 5s intervals for 20 mins

Results:
- aggressive cond showed more imitation of physical + verbal aggression compared to children in non-aggressive
- boys imitated male role models more and vice versa
- boys = more imitation of physical aggression

Social Learning Theory!!!

Question 2

Chaney - funhaler

Answer 2

Background: rates of compliance for offering asthmatic child their meds regularly ranges from 30-70%

Aim: test whether use of funhaler would improve medical compliance in young asthmatics compared to conventional

Sample: 32 children, mostly male, average age of 3, from Perth Australia

Procedure:
- pilot study to ensure both normal and funhaler administer same amount of meds
- children’s parents given consent form + closed q questionnaire about normal inhaler
- used funhaler for 2 weeks
- funhaler had incentive toys (spinners)
- parents completed matched questionnaire allowing direct comparison of funhaler + standard inhaler
- parents randomly called during 2 weeks to see if they’d managed to give asthma meds to child

Results:
81% of parents reported that their child had been medicated the previous day with the funhaler compared to 59% with standard

OPERANT CONDITIONING

Question 3

Kohlberg - child as moral philosopher

Answer 3

Backgrounds: Freud’s psychoanalytic theory (ID, EGO, Super-ego)

Aim: investigate development in moral reasoning throughout adolescence and early adulthood and extent to which these are true in a range of contexts

Sample: 75 US boys, 10-16yrs and then followed at 3 yr intervals until 22-28yrs
- Taiwanese, turkey and Mexican boys

Method:
- US boys presented with dilemma story
- asked to solve it and suggest what character in dilemma should do
- self-report as asked questions
- could lie to appear more socially desirable
- responses stage coded based on structure of responses

Results: 50% parts thinking was at stage 1 regardless of moral dilemma
- child at earlier stage of development tends to move forwards when confronted
Level 1: stage 1. obey to avoid punishment 2. get rewards
Level 2: stage 3. Conform to avoid disapproval by others

• other cultures = only snapshot of behaviour
• Mexico + Taiwan = same as US just slower

Conclusions: there is a cultural universality of sequence of stages

Question 4

Lee - lying and truth telling

Answer 4

Background: sweetser - lying is a socio-cultural construct
- most research into done in western cultures

Aim: investigate cross-cultural differences in children’s understanding + moral valuations

Sample:
- 120 Chinese children aged 7,9,11
- 108 Canadian children aged 7,9,11

Method:
- children randomly allocated to condition
- meaning of symbols repeated every time a question asked
- control order effects: half parts in each cond were read story in one order, th either in another order

Results:
- parts rating converted to a scale (-3 to 3)
- every good deed had + score, bad deed - regardless of age/culture
- Chinese approved of lie telling if a good deed more so than truth telling
- Canadians rated antisocial behaviour towards a physical object more negative than towards a person (Chinese opposite)

• moral development not determined by age/cog development but by the cultural norms of society we live in

Conclusions: moral development is contextualised + is affected by environment individuals socialised in

Question 5

Similarities between bandura and chaney

Answer 5

Both quant data
Bandura: amount of imitative/partial/non-imitative aggression shown by children
Chaney: % children whose parents successfully medicated with funhaler the previous day

Question 6

Differences between bandura and Chaney

Answer 6

Experiment
Bandura - lab: IV: aggressive/non-aggressive role model, DV: measure of imitated/partially imitated/ non-imitative aggression - high controls
Chaney - field: low controls - parents could lie on self report or when rung asking if successfully medicated child previous day with funhaler

Question 7

How does Bandura link to the key theme - external influences on behaviour?

Answer 7

Children learn to be aggressive through observing aggressive role models

Question 8

How does Chaney link to the key theme - external influences on behaviour?

Answer 8

Externally reinforcing children when taking meds - positive reinforcement when taken of spinners on funhaler = future compliance

Question 9

How has contemporary study improved understanding?
(Chaney + bandura)

Answer 9

Chaney added to banduras (childrens behaviour in fluenced by role models) by proving children’s behaviour is also influenced by positive reinforcement not just external factors

Question 10

How had Chaneys study changed out understanding of social, individual and cultural diversity?

Answer 10

Ind = males + females learn behaviours but didn’t differentiate between them
Social = understanding how behaviourist theories can be used to improve behaviour and improve children’s health
Cultural = research done in Australia furthers banduras research suggesting all children regardless of age/culture are able to learn behaviours using reinforcement

Question 11

How does banduras study link to the key principle?

Answer 11

1. behaviour can change from conception to death depending on behaviour observed from role models during childhood
2. External influences of seeing adult model behave aggressively can result in child showing aggressive behaviour

Question 12

Key principles:

Answer 12

1. Behaviour changes from conception to death
2. External influences and/or biological stages affect behaviour

Question 13

How does Chaney link to the key principles?

Answer 13

1. Children can change + develop compliance to taking asthma meds when medicated with funhaler
2. External influences of positive reinforcement when meds taken increased compliance in children taking meds

Question 14

Similarities between kohlberg and lee

Answer 14

Reliability is high
Kohlberg = standardised procedure all boys given same dilemmas to read + answer same qs
Lee = children given same lie/truth telling stories with standardised scale to rate

Question 15

Differences between kohlberg and lee

Answer 15

Type of data
Kohlberg = mostly qual as boys explained why they answered scenarios then way they did
Lee = quant as children rated deed on 7 point rating scale

Question 16

How does kohlberg link to the key theme - moral development?

Answer 16

Sense of morality develops as we grow (children progress through morals - only some reach final stage)

Question 17

How does lee link to the key theme - moral development?

Answer 17

Morality develops as we grow (older children become more socially aware, younger children see white lies in more black and white terms)

Question 18

How does lees study change our understanding of Ind., social and cultural diversity?

Answer 18

Suggests children’s individual morality is constructed by the culture were brought up in
- Chinese children accept lying about good deeds more so than boasting about them

Question 19

How can contemporary study improve our understanding? (Kohlberg + lee)

Answer 19

Kohlberg showed children’s morality does change, reflecting stage of development they’re in
Lee also showed this as well as the idea that cultural norms change a persons morality along with the social situation

Question 20

How does kohlberg link to the developmental area?

Answer 20

1. Sense of morality changes from conception to death
2. As our body matures biologically, we become better able to understand moral issues

Question 21

How does lee link to the developmental area?

Answer 21

1. Morality develops from conception to death
2. The external influences of culture cause children to have different views on lie telling about a positive situation. Chinese culture suggests not to brag