Recording and analyzing behavior
Due Date: As indicated in the Syllabus.
What is this assignment about? You will collect data on a specific behavior being displayed by children on online/Netflix/TV/cable shows, do a simple analysis of the data, and then answer some questions. The behavior to be observed is prosocial behavior. You will be asked to think about:
· to what extent prosocial behavior is depicted on television (or online);
· whether one gender displays more prosocial behavior than the other gender;
· and the consequences being experienced by each gender.
How do I define prosocial behavior? Before watching the shows, write a comprehensive operational definition of what you mean by prosocial behavior. Remember, you are observing behavior (so your definition shouldn’t mention thoughts or feelings or motivations because these are not things that we can observe). Your definition must be clear enough so that someone else could use your definition while watching the same shows and derive the same results. Using this definition, you will count the number of instances of prosocial behavior being displayed by a boy or by a girl on each show.
How do I collect the data?
Choose an episode (online, TV, etc.) with a child actor (about 3 to 12 years of age) (not an infant, teen or adult, and not cartoon characters).
e.g., some students have suggested Full house, Modern family, or Ozark. You are not looking for a documentary-style show or cartoons.
You need two different shows that each have a boy actor and two different shows that each have a girl actor. So, you will watch four different shows, in total.
Watch each show for 10 continuous minutes. (Consider recording the shows or choosing shows that are available online as you may find it useful to re-watch segments for more accurate observations.) You can start watching at any point in the episode, such as when the child actor first appears onscreen – it doesn’t have to be at the beginning of the show.
During the 10 minute time span:
1. count the number of instances of prosocial behavior being displayed by the child that you have chosen.
2. note whether the consequence following each example of prosocial behavior is positive (e.g., a reward of some type), negative (e.g., a punishment of some type), or neutral (i.e., no consequences).
3. Enter this information (typed) on the Record Form. See Sheet 1 of Record Form. Record your name, ID number, and section number on the Form because you will submit it as part of your assignment.
a. Note that Section 1 is for information about the behavior of boys and Section 2 for girls.
. Enter the name of each show that you watched on the left hand side of the Form.
c. If you did not observe any example of the behavior, enter the number zero in the cell – do not leave it blank.
How do I analyze my data? So, your form now contains the total number of instances of prosocial behaviour, positive consequences, negative consequences, and neutral/no consequences for each of two boys AND for two girls.
FOR THE BOYS AND THEN FOR THE GIRLS:
Calculate the mean (i.e., average) score across shows for the prosocial behaviours.
Calculate the mean (i.e., average) score across shows for the positive consequences, and then for the negative consequences, and then for neutral/no consequences.
The mean score is calculated by adding the totals across the two shows for a particular category and then dividing by the number of shows (i.e., 2).
Questions to Answe
Answer the questions in your own words; do not copy from any source.
1. State your operational definition of prosocial behavior. Describe one example of this behavior in a show that you watched.
2. a. Define what is meant by the term experimental design.
. Is the method that you used in this assignment an example of an experimental design? Why or why not?
3. Describe using words the numbers that you recorded on the Observation Record Form. However, don’t explain what you think your results mean, as this is the next question that you will answer.
4. What is the meaning of the results that you found?
Read the article by Christakis et al XXXXXXXXXXthat is posted on Moodle: How does this article help you to understand what your results mean? Be sure to use your results to support your conclusions.
5. Name two possible limitations of your study. For example, are there other variables or ways that could have been used to study this issue?
Question
Value
Question 1
2
Question 2a
Question 2
2
2
Question 3
1 point for Record Form
1 point for answe
2
Question 4
5
Question 5
2
TOTAL
What to submit?
The assignment is to be typed double-spaced using Times Roman 12 point. Put your name at the top of the first page in the left hand corner. Do not use a Title Page.
Submit only the answers to the above questions (do not include the questions). In the same file, paste the Record Form after the answers to your questions. Upload the file to Moodle.
THE END!!
Sheet1
Section 1: Data about boys
Frequency of
Prosocial Behaviour Frequency of
Positive Consequences Frequency of
Negative Consequences Frequency of
No Consequences
B1 Name: Show 1 TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL
B2 Name: Show 2 TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL
Mean number of behaviors
i.e., (B1 + B2)/2 Mean number of Positive Consequences
i.e., (B1 + B2)/2 Mean number of Negative Consequences
i.e., (B1 + B2)/2 Mean number of No Consequences
i.e., (B1 + B2)/2
Section 2: Data about girls
Frequency of
Prosocial Behaviour Frequency of
Positive Consequences Frequency of
Negative Consequences Frequency of
No Consequences
G1 Name: Show 1 TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL
G2 Name: Show 2 TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL
Mean number of behaviors
i.e., (G1 + G2)/2 Mean number of Positive Consequences
i.e., (G1 + G2)/2 Mean number of Negative Consequences
i.e., (G1 + G2)/2 Mean number of No Consequences
i.e., (G1 + G2)/2
OBSERVATION RECORD FORM
Record your name, ID number, and section number: ________
Sheet2
Sheet3
PEDS XXXXXXXXXX
Modifying Media Content for Preschool Children:
A Randomized Controlled Trial
WHAT’S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Children have been shown to
imitate behaviors they see on screen.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Modifying what children watch can
improve their observed behavior.
abstract
BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have revealed that preschool-
aged children imitate both aggression and prosocial behaviors on
screen, there have been few population-based studies designed to
educe aggression in preschool-aged children by modifying what they
watch.
METHODS: We devised a media diet intervention wherein parents were
assisted in substituting high quality prosocial and educational pro-
gramming for aggression-laden programming without trying to
educe total screen time. We conducted a randomized controlled
trial of 565 parents of preschool-aged children ages 3 to 5 years
ecruited from community pediatric practices. Outcomes were
derived from the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation at 6
and 12 months.
RESULTS: At 6 months, the overall mean Social Competence and Be-
havior Evaluation score was 2.11 points better (95% confidence interval
[CI]: 0.78–3.44) in the intervention group as compared with the con-
trols, and similar effects were observed for the externalizing subscale
(0.68 [95% CI: 0.06–1.30]) and the social competence subscale (1.04
[95% CI: 0.34–1.74]). The effect for the internalizing subscale was in
a positive direction but was not statistically significant (0.42 [95% CI:
20.14 to 0.99]). Although the effect sizes did not noticeably decay at
12 months, the effect on the externalizing subscale was no longe
statistically significant (P = .05). In a stratified analysis of the effect on
the overall scores, low-income boys appeared to derive the greatest
enefit (6.48 [95% CI: 1.60–11.37]).
CONCLUSIONS: An intervention to reduce exposure to screen violence
and increase exposure to prosocial programming can positively impact
child behavior. Pediatrics 2013;131:431–438
AUTHORS: Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH,a,b Michelle M.
Ga
ison, PhD,a,c Todd He
enkohl, PhD,d Kevin Haggerty,
MSW,d Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH,a,b Chuan Zhou, PhD,a,
and Kimberly Liekweg, BAa
aCenter for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle
Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington; and
Departments of bPediatrics and cHealth Services, and dSchool
of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
KEY WORDS
aggression, TV, preschool, prosocial, behavio
ABBREVIATIONS
CI—confidence interval
SCBE—Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation
This trial has been registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov
(identifier NCT XXXXXXXXXX).
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
doi:10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
Accepted for publication Oct 26, 2012
Address co
espondence to Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, 2001
Eighth Ave Suite 400, Seattle WA XXXXXXXXXXE-mail: dimitri.
XXXXXXXXXX
PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, XXXXXXXXXX; Online, XXXXXXXXXX).
Copyright © 2013 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have
no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
FUNDING: Funded by a grant from the National Institute for Child
Health and Development (to Dr Christakis). Funded by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
COMPANION PAPERS: Companions to this article can be found
on pages 439 and 589, and online at www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi
10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXXand www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542
peds XXXXXXXXXX.
PEDIATRICS Volume 131, Number 3, March XXXXXXXXXX
ARTICLE
y guest on October 27, 2016Downloaded from
http:
www.clinicaltrials.gov
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
http:
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
http:
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
http:
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
http:
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds XXXXXXXXXX
Preschool-aged children in the United
Statesspendanestimated4.4hourspe
day watching television at home and in
day care settings.1 Although that
amount alone might give one pause,
equally, and perhaps more concerning,
has been the amount of aggression
that they watch.2,3 Decades of research
ooted in observational theory have
evealed that children emulate behav-
iors (good and bad) that they see on
screen.4–8 Considerable research has
established the adverse effects of violent
television programming on children’s
level of aggression.9–12 Cross-sectional
and quasi-experimental studies of tele-
vision viewing among school-age chil-
dren and adolescents have revealed
television viewing to be associated with
aggression.13–15 Experimental designs
have confirmed that reducing the amount
of television children watch can re-
duce aggression among 9-year-olds.12,16
Considerably less attention has been
given to the effects of television on
preschool-aged children; however, lon-
gitudinal studies of television viewing
efore age 5 have revealed it to be
a potential risk factor for the sub-
sequent development of bullying and
aggression measured in early elemen-
tary school.10,17–19 As aggressive behav-
ior in the early childhood years has been
epeatedly linked to violence in late
youth and