CHILD OBSERVATION PROJECT
Developmental Psychology
Objectives
Primary Objective:
This assignment will enable you to engage in field observations of children and will help you to assimilate several aspects of what is taught through lectures and readings.
Secondary Objectives:
Synthesizing information into written documents is one of the most effective means of developing and demonstrating critical thinking skills. This writing assignment will help to strengthen writing skills and will allow you to demonstrate knowledge of child development and research in a non-exam format.
Paper Requirements
The paper should be 5-6 pages, double-spaced. Include a title and page numbers.
Each paper must have five sections that are clearly labeled, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion & References. Below is an outline of the information that must be included in each section. Each observational "study" will be unique and will require variations in language and presentation. However, use the following outline as a guide.
INTRODUCTION (approx. 2-3 paragraphs) 10 points
a. Present the behavior of interest and the rationale for studying that behavior.
b. Use at least three references (lecture notes and text information are acceptable as 2 of the 3).
c. PsychInfo should be used to search for articles related to topics.
d. Clearly, state the purpose of your study. Be Specific and Narrow in your scope. Broad and complex topics will be difficult to do well in 5-6 pages.
e. Overall, this section moves from a general review of the topic to the specific interest of your study.
Class example:
• Begin by discussing general information about frustration in children, including theories and/or common hypotheses related to children's frustrations (with citations). Be mindful of page limitations; give a brief overview.
• Discuss why it is important to learn more about frustration in children then address your specific "study." This study will examine which expression of frustration is most common in a sample of 3 year-old boys and girls.
• State hypothesis and/or research questions (e.g. it is hypothesized that girls are more likely than boys to withdraw when frustrated).
METHODS (2-3 paragraphs) 8 points
This section will address the following:
a. Who - describe in detail the population that is being studied.
b. Where - describe the setting with details that are relevant to the study.
c. What & How- describe the behaviors that are being observed and how you are collecting the data. You may use your coding chart as an illustration of the coding system (do not include the data in the Methods Section).
d. Include how you obtained permission to observe (if permission was needed), and your relationship to the child or setting.
RESULTS (dependent on the study, at least ½ page of text) 8 points
a. Clearly quantify the data as it relates to your hypothesis or research question. Do not explain data in this section, just state the findings.
b. Use means, percentages, sums, etc. to report findings.
c. Whenever possible, use visual illustrations (e.g. pie charts, graphs, etc.) to enhance the text (written) information. However, illustrations are not a substitute for text.
d. Clearly label all tables and figures (e.g. Table 1) and refer to the table or figure in your written text.
Examples:
Figure 1: Types and Number of Expressions of Frustration
:
Table 1
Boy 1 Boy 2 Girl 1 Girl 2
Hitting lll l
Throwing llll l 1l
Biting l 1l
Crying l ll l
TOTAL 8 2 4 4
DISCUSSION ( approx. 2 pages) 10 points
a. Explain data. Summarize findings and connect findings to the topics discussed in the introduction section. Connect to hypotheses and research questions. Use at least one reference. This can be the same as source(s) used in the introduction.
b. Discuss limitations of the study.
c. Discuss how you would revise the methods used for future studies.
REFERENCES
APA style referencing will be reviewed in class. You may also get information regarding APA style from the following website: https://www.uwsp.edu/acad/psych/apa4b.htm or at www.apa.org
Include at least three references in APA style. You may reference the text and class lecture, but at least one source should be obtained from the professional literature. All references must be cited in the paper. Consult the guidelines for plagiarism to be certain that you are using citations properly. Citing someone else's work/ideas is not the same as "cutting and pasting" or otherwise copying the work.
Peer Review
Peer reviews are strongly encouraged. This process of having someone read your paper and you reading for someone else should become a constant practice throughout your professional career.
Peer Review Protocol
1. Read someone else's final version of their paper.
2. Proof read paper for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and overall readability.
3. Re-read paper, write notes for yourself and the author regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the paper.
4. Type a 1 page summary of the paper's strengths and your suggestions for revision. Be specific, refer to sections and/or paragraphs.
5. With the written summary, include your name (reviewer), the name of the author and the title of the paper reviewed.
6. Provide the author with a proofread paper (notations written throughout) and a copy of the typed summary.