Dr Bernstein Kept a Thorough Record of Her Child's Behavior

question 22

Essay

Dr. Bernstein kept a thorough record of her child's behavior and progress throughout the first year of life, with careful attention to the sounds and noises her baby made that seemed to lead up to later language usage. She also kept notes on how her own behavior affected her baby's vocalizing, in an attempt to learn how parent-child interactions influence language development. Later, in developing her own theory, she and her colleagues replicated the project on several dozen other children by observing them weekly throughout their first year of life. (a) What research methods were employed? What type of comparison was used? (b) Why was the research conducted on children other than Dr. Bernstein's? (c) If Dr. Bernstein observed that whenever she talked to her baby, the baby's rate of vocalizing increased, would this mean that her behavior "caused" the baby's? Why or why not?

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Definitions:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

The most widely used objective test of personality. The adjective “multiphasic” means that it assesses many aspects of personality. The test contains 567 questions grouped to form 10 content scales plus additional scales to detect sources of invalidity such as carelessness, defensiveness, or evasiveness. The revised and updated version, called the MMPI-2, focuses primarily on the main clinical disorders.

DSM-5 Diagnosis

The diagnostic process based on criteria outlined in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guideline used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental disorders.

Face Validity

The degree to which a test or measure appears effective in terms of its stated aims to non-experts.

Unstructured Interview

An interviewing technique where the questions are not prearranged, allowing for a more spontaneous and flexible conversation.