Child Psychology – Fall 2023

Project 1: Design an Experiment

DUE 9/26 at 5:59 PM.

You don't need to do any outside research to complete this project. You can use your textbook and class notes and turn in a perfect project.




Put your name on the cover page or you will lose points.

• 
  
  
  Give your essay an appropriate
  
  title
  
  
  (4 pts.).
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  Write an introductory paragraph that
  
  summarizes research
  
  
  on infants’ sensitivity to sounds and their preferences for one kind of sound versus another. (20 pts.). Remember—all of this information is in the textbook or class notes.
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  In the main section of the essay,
  
  design
  
  
  an operant conditioning experiment to examine whether 4-month-olds prefer one kind of music versus another. Be sure to include details about your
  
  methods
  
  
  (16 pts.).
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  State
  
  operational definitions
  
  
  of the behaviors you will measure (8 pts.).
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  Name the independent and dependent
  
  variables
  
  
  (8 pts.).
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  What
  
  factors
  
  
  will you control and
  
  how
  
  
  (8 pts.)?
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  What
  
  changes
  
  
  would you have to see in the dependent variable(s) if babies do, in fact, prefer one kind of music over another (8 pts.)?
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  Discuss potential
  
  problems
  
  
  and sources of
  
  bias
  
  
  (8 pts.).
  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  Conclude with a
  
  discussion
  
  
  of the expected results and the
  
  implications
  
  
  for infants’ perceptual abilities if infants make aesthetic music judgments (20 pts.).