CHAPTER 1.3 Life-Span Development Notes
Measurement in Human Development Research
• Systematic observation consists of two types
• Naturalistic observation: “real life” observation
• Structured observation: researchers create a situation likely to result in the
type of behavior in which they are interested
• Sampling behavior with tasks
• Example: showing photos to measure emotion recognition accuracy
• Self-reports
• Example: measuring self-esteem using a questionnaire
• Physiological measures
• Example: using galvanic skin response and pupil dilation to measure interest
Reliability and Validity
• Reliability: Does this method consistently measure what is being
studied?
• Example: IQ test yielding “identical” scores when given twice over
a two-week interval
• Validity: Does this accurately measure the variable of interest?
• Example: personality test actually assessing level of openness,
neuroticism, extraversion, etc
Representative Sampling
• The sample must reflect the characteristics of the population of
interest
• Populations: Broad groups of people in which researchers may be
interested
• Example: adolescent African Americans of low, medium, and
high SES
• Sample: A subset of people chosen to well represent the population
• Example: randomly selecting 100 high school students from
areas with high SES diversity
General Research Designs
• Correlational studies: Measure the relations between variables (e.g.,
height and weight)
• Calculating a correlation coefficient (r) between the two variables expresses
strength and direction
• r can range between -1.00 and +1.00 in strength
• r’s magnitude, regardless of sign, shows how much the scores on one variable can
predict the other variable’s scores
• Positive or negative correlation coefficients reveal direction
• Correlation does not prove causation
Measurement in Human Development Research
• Systematic observation consists of two types
• Naturalistic observation: “real life” observation
• Structured observation: researchers create a situation likely to result in the
type of behavior in which they are interested
• Sampling behavior with tasks
• Example: showing photos to measure emotion recognition accuracy
• Self-reports
• Example: measuring self-esteem using a questionnaire
• Physiological measures
• Example: using galvanic skin response and pupil dilation to measure interest
Reliability and Validity
• Reliability: Does this method consistently measure what is being
studied?
• Example: IQ test yielding “identical” scores when given twice over
a two-week interval
• Validity: Does this accurately measure the variable of interest?
• Example: personality test actually assessing level of openness,
neuroticism, extraversion, etc
Representative Sampling
• The sample must reflect the characteristics of the population of
interest
• Populations: Broad groups of people in which researchers may be
interested
• Example: adolescent African Americans of low, medium, and
high SES
• Sample: A subset of people chosen to well represent the population
• Example: randomly selecting 100 high school students from
areas with high SES diversity
General Research Designs
• Correlational studies: Measure the relations between variables (e.g.,
height and weight)
• Calculating a correlation coefficient (r) between the two variables expresses
strength and direction
• r can range between -1.00 and +1.00 in strength
• r’s magnitude, regardless of sign, shows how much the scores on one variable can
predict the other variable’s scores
• Positive or negative correlation coefficients reveal direction
• Correlation does not prove causation
