Monday, September 9, 2013
Prompt for September 9th (Due Friday evening)
You have all been thinking about research recently, but have been "forced" to think about particular research questions as groups. If you could pick your own, what variables or phenomena would you have studied? Once you have picked a topic, which of the research methods and designs would you use?
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Sorry, I tried posting this as a blog but it doesn't seem to be happening for me.
ReplyDeleteIf I could have chosen to do a developmental psychology study, I would have chosen to look at how much memory decreases with age. I would obtain large random samples of groups of adults; one group of adults of every age from ages 40 to 90. I would then assign every participant a memory test. Based on the results of this memory test, we could see if memory generally decreases with age within the population. This would be a cross sectional study utilizing different age groups, making it efficient but susceptible to cohort effects. By issuing tests that accurately represent memory, we would be able to see if there is a correlation between increasing age and decreasing memory. The population could be the whole United States, or it could be a smaller study to find out if a larger, more general study may be performed.
I would have picked a study on if cell phone technology affects verbal development in children in a negative manner. It would be a cross sectional study, ages ranging from eight to eighteen. The participants would take short answer questionnaires, how often they use their phones to text, or communicate with others as opposed to 'face to face' conversations. Also describing their comfort level (1 for very comfortable to 5 meaning very uncomfortable) with each type of communication. To deduce if there is a correlation between increased use of technology and decreased ability to express oneself verbally. There are positives to both types of communication, so I think it would be interesting to determine if overall, a reliance on technology, hinders children's verbal use and development. Or if being "one step removed" from the personal interaction by texting increases your verbal skills.
ReplyDeleteOur student proposals that were presented this week featured pre-natal drug use, observing right from wrong behavior in toddlers, mental development in proximity to a superfund site, and angry rap music creating a negative behavior. One subject that wasn’t touched was nutrition and children. While nutrition does affect body chemistry, we can still evaluate the correlation from nutrition and brain development. Recently, Chef Jamie Oliver has been on a crusade about children’s nutrition in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
ReplyDeleteMy idea of a study is the evaluate Omega-3 fatty acids and its development on children aged 2 through 6 years of age. Currently Omega-3s is currently used to treat ADHD, autism, and dementia. Omega-3s are found primarily in fish meats, however it can also be distributed via an over-the-counter pill supplement. A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom showed that low levels of Omega-3s have shown to have a 20% increase in reading in children aged 7 through 9.
My hypothesis is that children aged 2 through 6 will experience increased reading and memory retention skills by consuming Omega-3 fatty acids. If my hypothesis is correct, we can see increased brain development in toddlers.
Source-Study PLOS ONE
police officers serve as peace keepers who enforce the law. children should look up to them as role models and trust them but what if children from the 7-12 yrs of age don't trust officers of the law.
ReplyDeleteto collect the data, public and private schools hand out a questionnaire survey to their students within that age group on how they perceive a police officer as being trustworthy and their capability to protect. rating their answers on a scale of 1-10.
the study is focused with in silver-bow county. sample pool will be from elementary schools. the surveys will be compared to public and private school, along with the difference of boys and girls within these two educational systems.
my hypothesis, is that the boys from the public school system will less likely trust police and not go to them for help.