Below you will see a question that assesses your understanding of theory and methodology in developmental psychology.

You do not need to add a reference page if you only use the textbook as a reference, but still need to use in-text citations indicating that you are citing the textbook.

Propose a study to test a research question such as one listed below or use one of your own research questions

. Provide adequate background information on the topic and suggest why your study would add to or extend previous work on the subject

. Be sure to identify any independent and dependent variables in your proposal.

Discuss how you would A) actually collect the data and what measures would be use

B) the advantages and disadvantages of using the design of your choice, e.g., cross-sectional, longitudinal, or sequential. Be sure to emphasize the research design and be sure to include a very concise

thesis statement near the end of the first paragraph addressing your research question. Example questions include:

a. Does playing a musical instrument help children perform better in math?

b. Do racial attitudes vary across cultures?

c. Do memory abilities change throughout childhood and adolescence?

d. What are the developmental trends in reactive or proactive aggression?

e. Do early adverse experiences affect adolescent sexual behaviors?

f. Does exposure to many different languages early in development hinder or help language acquisition?

 

SOLUTIONS 

 

A) To collect data, a combination of standardized tests and surveys would be used. Standardized math tests would be administered to groups of children who are currently playing a musical instrument and those who are not. Surveys would also be administered to the same groups of children to collect information on their music education, frequency of practice, and self-reported academic performance in math. These measures would be used to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in math performance between children who play a musical instrument and those who do not.

B) The advantages and disadvantages of using different research designs for this study are:

• Cross-sectional design: Advantages – allows for the examination of multiple groups at one point in time, quick and relatively low cost, good for exploratory research. Disadvantages – cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships, may not account for individual differences or changes over time.
• Longitudinal design: Advantages – can examine changes over time, can establish cause-and-effect relationships, allows for examination of individual differences. Disadvantages – time-consuming and expensive, potential for participant attrition, may not be feasible for short-term studies.
• Sequential design: Advantages – combines benefits of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, can examine age-related changes over time as well as individual differences, can establish cause-and-effect relationships. Disadvantages – time-consuming and expensive, potential for participant attrition, may not be feasible for short-term studies.

Overall, a sequential design would be the most appropriate for this study as it would allow for the examination of both age-related changes and individual differences in math performance among children who play a musical instrument compared to those who do not. The combination of standardized tests and surveys would provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential relationship between music education and math performance in children.