| How does the contemporary study improve our understanding of individual, social and cultural diversity? SOCIAL DIVERSITY | - |
| + Background to the study | - Previous research has shown that children will readily imitate behaviour demonstrated by an adult model if the model remains present (Bandura & Hudson, 1961) |
| Background | - Chaney wanted to find out if operant conditioning could be applied in a health setting
- Seeing if rewards could be used to increase health behaviours rather than illness behaviour |
| The Funhaler | - Designed to make the children use their inhaler more
- It had a toy that would do its best performance when the child's breathing was good |
| Type of method and design Chaney used | - Field experiment
- Repeated measures design |
| Independent Variables | - Whether child used standard device – the Breath-a-Tech or a Funhaler
- Use of a Funhaler for two weeks |
| Dependent Variables | - The adherence to the inhalers |
| Method and procedure (before & during study) | - Parents questioned on type of inhaler used by their children
- Funhaler used for 2 weeks
- At various times on a random basis, the parents were asked if they had used the funhaler the previous day |
| Method and procedure (after study) | - At the end of the 2 weeks the parents were given another questionnaire |
| Sample and participants | - 32 children - 22 boys, 10 girls
- From Australia aged 1.5 - 6
- Mean age = 3.2
- Average asthma duration: 2.2 years |
| Data | - Quantitative data
- Easy statistical analysis of difference
- Data doesn’t tell us why there was a difference in attitude and behaviour |
| Validity | - Extraneous variables controlled which reduced validity of research |
| Reliability | - The sample was not large enough to establish reliable effects |
| Ethnocentrism | - Conducted in Australia
- Was the Funhaler made to appeal to all children? |
| Usefulness | - Helping us understand how children develop and acquire behaviours
- Can improve health behaviours rather than illness behaviours |
| Links to areas/perspectives | - Developmental area
- Behaviourist perspective
- Operant conditioning, through positive and negative reinforcement
- Classical conditioning |
| Conclusions | - Funhaler lead to an increase in use
- Devices like the Funhaler can improve health |
| Interviews and questionnaires showed that | - 60% more children took the recommended 4 cycles when using the Funhaler compared with the standard inhaler
- Funhaler was used more than standard inhaler |
| Strengths | - Highly controlled
- Consent provided by parents, they were briefed on study and ensured confidentiality
- High ecological validity as carried out in their own homes |
| Weaknesses | - Self-reports were used, parents maybe bias
- Right to withdraw may be questioned
- Ethnocentric - results may not be applicable outside of Australia |
| Similarities between Bandura study and Chaney study | - Quantitative data
- Young children as participants
- Based research on behaviourist principles |
| Differences between Bandura study and Chaney study (Bandura) | - Used observation
- Controlled setting
- America
- Large sample
- Equal gender split |
| Differences between bandura study and Chaney study (Chaney) | - Used self report
- Natural setting
- Australia
- Small sample
- No equal gender split |
| How does the contemporary study of improve our understanding of the key theme? | - Improves understanding of how this can happen
- B study shows how children can learn through social learning + imitation
- Chaney study shows another way in which children can learn - reinforcement |
| How does the contemporary study improve our understanding of individual, social and cultural diversity? INDIVIDUAL DIVERSITY | - B showed that males + females imitate behaviour differently, more likely to imitate same sex models
- C furthered the understanding of how males and females learn behaviours but did not differentiate between them as Bandura did |
| How does the contemporary study improve our understanding of individual, social and cultural diversity? SOCIAL DIVERSITY | - B explained the causes of behaviour
-C focused on how behaviourist theories can be used to improve behaviour |
| How does the contemporary study improve our understanding of individual, social and cultural diversity? CULTURAL DIVERSITY | - C, Australian children, B, America
- Suggests that all children, regardless of culture, learn behaviour through reinforcement |
