PSYCHOLOGY 206

WINTER 2005

OPTION B: ADOLESCENT- OR ADULT-STUDY TERM PROJECT

DUE: THURSDAY, MARCH 10.

 1. When you have chosen an adolescent or adult for your study, explain that you are doing this research for a course in life-span development psychology, that the person's name will not be used in the report, and that the main purpose of this study is to help you see how textbook knowledge applies to real life. Also explain that you are not making a psychological evaluation-you are not qualified to do so. (However, if your subject would like to know your ideas, you would be willing to share them.)

2. Before you begin the study, read the trio of chapters that apply to the age group to which the subject belongs. Use the following research methods:

(a) Naturalistic observation. Accompany the person to school, work, or to a social gathering. Try to be as unobtrusive as possible; maintain some distance from the person and those with whom the person interacts. Begin by describing the environment. For example, if you are observing the subject in his or her workplace, you might consider the following questions: Is it crowded? (How many people in how large an area?) Is it calm or busy? (How many phone calls, how many interruptions in how long a period of time?) On which skills, mental and physical, does the person's work depend?

Once you have collected some basic information about the surroundings, write down, minute by minute, everything the person does alone or with others. Try to be objective, focusing on behavior rather than interpretation. Thus, instead of writing, "Subject seems well-organized," you should note those factors that are the basis for the observation: "Subject keeps a calendar with notes for telephone calls and tasks to be performed each day." Or instead of noting, "Subject seems well-liked and respected by her co-workers," it is better to indicate, "At 3:05 P.M. , a co-worker stopped by the subject's office to ask her opinion of how to solve a deadline problem. The subject came up with possible solutions; the co-worker thanked her and said that the ideas seemed good possibilities. At 4:15 the subject's manager asked her to interview a prospective employee."

After your observation, summarize the data in two ways: Note the percentage of time spent in various activities. For instance, "Talking on phone, 10 percent; typing, 20 percent; conferring with co-workers, 5 per­cent; attending meetings, 15 percent," and so on. (2) Note frequency of various behaviors (e.g., co-workers visited subject's office twice; subject visited co-worker's office once; subject made three phone calls and received two). Also note any circumstances that might have made your observation atypical (e.g., subject had just returned from a five-day, cross­ country business trip and was tired and had a lot of catch-up work in the office).

(b) Informal interaction. Interact with the person for at least half an hour. Some possible topics for discussion: What are the subject's favorite (and least favorite) activities? What experiences from the subject's past have been most influential to the subject's present life? What have been the influences of family, friends, and mentors in the subject's choice of employment and satisfaction with work? What other factors have been important (education, personal preference, financial needs, temperament, and so on)? How does the subject balance work responsibilities and family life? Questions about current events can elicit information about values and character.

Note the subject's attitudes and responses: Does the subject seem shy or open, easy­going or difficult to get along with, have a sense of humor about him- or herself? Does the subject accept responsibility for his or her life and actions, or blame others? Does the subject seem satisfied or dissatisfied with his or her personal life, family, choice of employment, etc.?

(c) Interview. Conduct an interview with your subject and, if possible, with a relative or a friend of the subject. Keep these interviews loose and open-ended. Your goals are to learn: (1) the person's history, especially any past illnesses, stresses, or problems that might affect development; (2) the person's daily routine, including patterns of school, work, and recreation; (3) current problems that might affect the person; (4) temperament, character, and personality, including special strengths and weaknesses. Please see “The Suggested Format for Interviews” for general guidelines regarding how to conduct interviews with adults. Also, take a look at “Suggested Topics for Interviews” for specific ideas of what to ask your subject.

Since you are just as interested in the person's attitudes as in the facts, it might be best not to take notes during the interview but simply to converse, and then to write down all you have learned as soon as the interview has been completed.

(d) Testing the person (optional). Y ou can learn about your subject's thinking by designing a test suitable for eliciting the type of information in which you are interested (e.g. moral reasoning, dialectical thinking, attitudes, and interests).

3. When writing the report, do not simply transcribe your findings from the various techniques you used (although you can attach your raw data to your paper, if you want to).

(a) Begin by reporting relevant background information, including your subject’s birth date and sex, age and sex of siblings, children or grandchildren if any, economic and ethnic background of the family, and the educational and marital status of the par­ents.

(b) Describe your subject’s biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development, citing supporting data from your research to substantiate any conclusions you have reached.

(c) Predict your subject’s development in the next year, the next five years, and the next ten years (if relevant). List the strengths in your subject, the family, and the community that you think will foster optimal development. Also note whatever potential problems you see (either in your subject’s current behavior or in the fami­ly and community support system) that may contribute to present or future difficulties. Include discussion of the reasons, either methodological or theoretical, that your pre­dictions may not be completely accurate.

The final paper should be between 10 and 12 pages, keyboarded and double-spaced with one inch margins. Please use font size of 12. Feel free to include photographs, raw data, or any other material that you would like as long as you have the required 10-12 pages of substantive written material.