A few more things

Different groups of varying

ages to assess behaviours
associated with age
Cheaper, snapshot in time but
must beware of cohort effects

Cross-sectional research

A group of individuals is observed for a long period of time

It is expensive, time-consuming and prey to people dropping
out (dying)

Longitudinal

Participants from a range of ages are observed

for a limited time, ex. 5 years
It is less expensive and avoids some of the
cohort effect

Mixed longitudinal

Intelligence tests (also called cognitive ability and

ability tests) are often associated with genetic
endowment and capacity
Achievement tests are more often associated with
learning opportunities and educational
experiences

Intelligence Testing

How are
soccer and
football alike?

Someone who
has never played,
watched or come
into contact with
soccer is at a
disadvantage

Which items may be classified with

clock?

Ruler thermometer rain gauge

tachometer (circle your answers)

The Question of Bias

A test is biased if it shows performance differences
caused by cultural experiences in addition to innate
differences in intelligence.

However, tests are not biased in the sense that they

accurately predict performance of one group over
the other.

The Racial Intelligence Test Score Gap

Race is a social construct

There are racial differences in scores
on intelligence testskeep in mind
that Caucasians and African
Americans have higher intelligence
test scores than Caucasians of the
1930s.
Racial differences are often
attributed to the individual and
ignore discrepancies due to SES:

schools and educational opportunities.

wealth, nutrition, support, and educated mentors.

relative freedom from discrimination.

Environmental Effects
Differences in intelligence among these groups are
largely environmental, as if one environment is more
fertile in developing these abilities than the other.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become

true

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Test-Takers Expectations
A stereotype threat is a self-confirming concern
that one will be evaluated based on a negative
stereotype.
This phenomenon appears in some instances in
intelligence testing among African-Americans and
among women of all colors.

Research
shows

Women score higher on math tests

when male test-takers are not
present
The quality of womens chess play
drops when they think they are
playing against a male opponent
African American test-takers score
higher when tests are administered
by African Americans

Explain the structure of your research (case-study,

experiment, longitudinal, etc.
Outline the participants you expect to include and how
you will recruit them
Detail your hypothesis, independent variable,
dependent variable, controlled variables (anticipate
confounding variables)
Explain the methods you will use and your reasons
Instead of results, explain what you anticipate the
results to be and be sure to explain how you will deal
with the data you would collect
Address ethical concerns
Address the generalizability of the results and how your
research can be applied

Design a study