Article Analysis Question (AAQ)
Preschoolers watching a sharing model
- Unit 3
- 7 points
- About 25 minutes
You read a summary of one research study and answer six short parts about it: the research method, a variable, what a statistic shows, an ethical guideline, whether the results generalize, and whether the findings support a psychology idea. On the exam: Question 1 of 2 in the 70-minute free-response section (Section II); 7 points, 16.65% of the exam score. About 25 minutes, including 10 minutes to read.
The question and its sources
Read the study summary, then answer all six parts, A through F. Write each answer in complete sentences and use psychological terms where they fit.
Source
Introduction: Social learning theory suggests that children can learn new behaviors simply by watching others. In this study, researchers tested whether watching a short video of another child sharing affects how much preschoolers share.
Participants: Ninety children aged 4 and 5 (46 girls and 44 boys; mean age = 4.6 years) from six preschools in one county in the southeastern United States took part. All spoke English at home. Parents reported their children's race/ethnicity as 44% Black, 38% White, 12% Hispanic or Latino and 6% multiracial.
Method: Parents gave written informed consent, and each child agreed to play 'the sticker game' and was told they could stop at any time. Children's names were replaced with code numbers in all records. Each child was randomly assigned to one of three conditions (30 children each) and watched a 2-minute video on a tablet in a quiet room at their preschool.
Generous-model condition: A child of about the same age received 10 stickers and put 5 of them in a box labeled 'for children in the hospital,' saying, 'I want to share.'
Selfish-model condition: The same child received 10 stickers and kept all of them, saying, 'I want to keep them.'
No-model (control) condition: The video showed fish swimming in an aquarium.
Next, each child received 10 stickers and was told they could put as many as they wanted, or none, in the hospital box. The researcher then turned away and pretended to work so the child could decide privately. The stickers in the box were counted afterward. At the end, every child was given a new sheet of stickers to take home, and parents received a letter explaining the purpose of the study.
Results and Discussion: The table shows the results. Children in the generous-model condition donated significantly more stickers than children in the control condition (p < .01). Children in the selfish-model condition donated fewer stickers than children in the control condition, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = .14).
Source: Hypothetical study summary, written for practice (not a real published study)
Sticker donations by condition
| Condition | Number of children | Mean stickers donated (out of 10) | Standard deviation | Percentage who donated at least 1 sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generous model | 30 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 87% |
| Selfish model | 30 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 37% |
| No model (control) | 30 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 53% |
Source: Hypothetical data
Suggested time: 25 minutes
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Part (a)
1 pointIdentify the research method the researchers used.
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Part (b)
1 pointState the operational definition of sharing used in the study.
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Part (c)
1 pointDescribe what the percentages in the last column indicate for the generous-model condition compared with the no-model condition.
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Part (d)
1 pointIdentify at least one ethical guideline the researchers applied in this study.
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Part (e)
1 pointExplain how far the study's findings can or cannot be generalized, using specific, relevant evidence from the study.
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Part (f)
2 pointsExplain how at least one finding from the study supports or refutes social learning theory's claim that people can learn behaviors by observing models.
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