Shipley 1 Kelli Shipley SS Methods Skill Builder LP 18 November 2013 Research Methods Used to Study Development Grade: High

School Class: Introductory Psychology Essential Question(s) Why would a researcher want to use a cross-sectional design? Why would a researcher want to use a longitudinal design? Why are cross-section and longitudinal designs important when researchers consider looking at human development characteristics? Objectives 1. Educational Students should be able to: 1. Identify cross-sectional design within developmental psychology. 2. Identify longitudinal design within developmental psychology. 3. Create longitudinal or cross-sectional designs from scenarios. 4. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional and longitudinal design. Standards NCSS Thematic Standards o Individuals, Groups, and Institutions o Time, Continuity, and Change Context This lesson would be used in an introductory psychology class for high school students. The lesson would be placed right before human development in order to look at interesting psychological studies and be able to analyze what the study looked like. This would be taught in mid semester after students have a better background in psychology. Students should have a relatively informed background about variables due to the unit we discussed the scientific method. Knowledge of hypotheses and variables is required in order to best understand some information that will be learned in this unit looking at studies regarding human development. Materials Pre-test Posttest- notebook paper Computer Smart board/ projector Dry erase board Worksheet scenarios

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Procedures/Timing 1. (10 minutes- day before) Students result from the attached pre-test show more time is necessary to spend learning the different types of research methods that psychologists use. The pre-test determined that students have a good grasp on identifying the independent, dependent, and extraneous variables and creating their own hypothesis. 2. (Day One: 20 minutes ) Students would be asked to volunteer for an activity. Four students would come to the front of the room and be handed a notecard with a description. Everyone in this group is part of the same psychological research study and the descriptions will be read to the class by the volunteer student. Students would keep their descriptions and move to the side. Four new volunteers would be asked to come to the front of the room. These students would be given descriptions as well. Everyone in this group is part of the same psychological research study and the descriptions will be read to the class by the volunteer student. Each group would be allowed to go back to their seats. Students will be asked the following questions: a. What did you notice about the two groups? Similarities? Differences? i. Students would be asked for two more volunteers. One volunteer would write the facts discussed about group 1 and the other volunteer would write the facts discussed about group 2 on the dry erase board. b. Why do the groups make sense? Why dont the groups make sense? c. What might extraneous variables? d. Why does it make sense that group 1 participants are in a study together? e. Why does it make sense that group 2 participants are in a study together? 3. (Day One: 15 minutes) Student volunteers would return to their seats. After discussing the questions above, students will be instructed to get out some notebook paper to take some notes about these two types of research methods; cross-sectional research or longitudinal research. a. Cross-sectional research: Data collected at a single point in time from a population. Each person is assessed only once during the study. b. Longitudinal research: Data collected over a span of time from the same population. Each person may be assessed repeatedly throughout the study. 4. (Day One: 15 minutes) Student groups 1 and 2 would be asked to assembly themselves again. All students would then be asked the following to discuss: a. Which study is cross-sectional? Why? b. Which study is longitudinal? Why? c. Why does the kind of research method matter? 5. (Day Two: 15 minutes) After some review about the previous days lesson, in continuation students would then be assigned partners and given a scenario. As partners they need to come up with how they would make a research design cross-sectional and then longitudinal. 6. (Day Two: 15 minutes) Discuss approaches to creating cross-sectional and longitudinal design scenarios. a. Can you think of studies we have looked at already that could represent either cross-sectional or longitudinal design? 7. (Day Three: 10 minutes) Students would be instructed to choose to answer a question for ten minutes. This writing exercise will allow me to see the thinking processes and level of

Shipley 3 understanding that students have gained through the previous lesson. Question added below. a. Why are cross-section and longitudinal designs important when researchers consider looking at human development characteristics? Assessment Formative o Pretest allows teacher to see students current understanding about upcoming topics. This allows alteration of o Scenario worksheet o Discussion Summative o Writing exercise Extensions and Adaptations 1. Extension: Students who finish early will 2. Adaptation: Students struggling will

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Name: __________________ Date: __________________ Pre-test: Research Methods Variables and Hypothesizing 1. Answer the following about this statement: Does drinking alcohol effect reaction time? a. What is the dependent variable? b. What is the independent variable? c. What is a possible extraneous variable? d. Write an operational hypothesis for this research question.

2. (Circle answer) What type of research is the following? When a researcher observes a group of young adults and compares this data with information gathered about a group of elderly participants. a. Cross sectional research b. Longitudinal research c. Case study 3. Please explain why you chose the type of research you did in question 2. Why did you not choose the other potential responses?

4. What are the disadvantages and advantages of the type of research you chose as the answer to question 2?

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Name: _____________________ Date: _____________________ Scenarios: Lets make Cross-sectional and Longitudinal designs! Directions: For each scenario use specifics in explaining how you might create a cross-sectional AND longitudinal design. (Things to ask yourself/Keep in mind: What does your population look like? How many groups do you have? When would you test them? How would you test them? What looks different in both of the designs? Who are we comparing to? What are your variables?) 1. Does alcohol affect reaction time differently in young adults? a. Cross-sectional design:

b. Longitudinal design:

2. Are children who play violent video games more violent? a. Cross-sectional design:

b. Longitudinal design:

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3. Does going to college determine success later on? a. Cross-sectional design:

b. Longitudinal design:

4. Does chewing gum cause poor mouth hygiene later? a. Cross-sectional design:

b. Longitudinal design: