A Team of Researchers Set Out to Study Aggressive Behaviour

question 55

Essay

A team of researchers set out to study aggressive behaviour in preschool children in two different play settings, one where only large playground equipment was present, and another where only small toys were present.Aggressive behaviour was defined as arguing, taking toys by force, and fighting.The researchers hypothesized that the large playground equipment would produce more sharing, whereas the small toys would produce more aggression, due to the nature of the toys.To test their hypothesis, the researchers created two groups of children, one for each play area.More aggressive behaviour was observed in the small-toy play area.(a) What research methods and techniques were employed? (b) What procedures might have been employed to ensure accuracy in the observing of aggressive behaviour? (c) Can we say for sure that the small toys caused aggressive behaviour?

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Definitions:

Control Chart

A tool used in statistical quality control to monitor a process and determine whether it is in a state of statistical control.

Compressive Strength

The capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size, measured by the maximum stress that a material can sustain under compression.

Injection Molding

The process of producing components by forcing molten material into a mold.

Standard Deviation

A quantification of the extent to which a group of numbers deviates from their average.