Choose one and discuss in detail:

1. Be able to design research given a scenario. For example: You decide to study the effects of distracted driving on attention. Design the study. Two groups? More than two? Repeated measures? Counterbalancing? Factorial? Identify IV’s, DV’s, CV’s. State the hypothesis/purpose. Give complete rationale, explanation.

2. List and define the nine steps in designing a survey research project (page 294).

3. Define the types of sampling

4. Define and Discuss validity and reliability

5. Be able to determine number of IV’s, DV’s, levels, factors, and number of groups in factorial designs (example: 2×4 design has two IV’s, one DV, two levels of first IV, 4 levels of second IV, and 8 groups – also 80 subjects if 10 per group).

6. Be able to identify IV’s, DV’s and come up with potential control variables (extraneous variables) that need to be controlled in any given study.

Here’s the list of topics for this last discussion of the semester!

Report the percentages of the bell curve as cut-off by standard deviations (and standard errors – both are the same percentages) and how they relate to p < .05 and p < .01.

Define when to use which statistical test and provide an example of each (z-score analysis, independent groups t-test, repeated measures t-test, analysis of variance).

Describe Type I and II errors in statistical decisions, and provide examples.

In Chapter 6, you learned that language development is related to a number of environmental factors. Read Chapter 6 Box 6.2 “Language Development and Socioeconomic Status.” Then consider the following scenario that you have been asked to speak to parents of children at a lower income daycare about the importance of reading books and talking for language development.

In your initial post, what specific recommendations from the book would you make to parents for improving their children’s language development? Identify at least three things parents could do and provide a rationale to parents for the long-term benefits of doing these things. Why did you choose these particular recommendations? [All recommendations should be in your own words, not simply copied and pasted from the textbook.}

Goodnessof fit involves creating child-rearing environments that recognize each child’s temperament while simultaneously encouraging more adaptive functioning. Before making your initial post, you should read about the different types of temperament in Chapter 10 of your textbook, as well as the section on goodness of fit and parental behavior.

Then consider the following scenario::

Aiden is a difficult 2-year-old whose parents both work long hours for low pay and do not have reliable child-care arrangements. They sometimes use angry, punitive discipline, and Aiden typically reacts with defiance and disobedience. His parents respond inconsistently: Sometimes they reward his noncompliance by giving in to it, but at other times they continue their coercive tactics.

For your initial post, use your textbook to help you identify at least 5 things that Aiden’s parents could do differently to encourage a better goodness of fit. Why is what they are doing now not effective? What are the implications for Aiden if his temperament/behavior doesn’t change? What are the implications for his parents? What are the implications for the parent-child relationship?

Discussion Board 5: Parenting Styles

You’ve been learning about parenting styles in Chapter 12 of the text. How would you classify your parents’ child-rearing style(s) with you when you were growing up/living at home? If you had other siblings, did your parents use the same parenting style with him or her? Did your parents use the same style with you? Was your parents’ parenting style similar to that of your friends’ parents. Other family members’? What factors might have influenced your parents’ approach to parenting? Elaborate. What were the most common methods of reinforcement and punishment your parents used? Were these techniques beneficial? Why or why not? How do you think you will parent your child as a result of your past and what you are learning in this class? Have your attitudes about spanking changed? Why or why not? Use information from your textbook to frame your answer.