Chapter 7 Exercise 2: Read two empirical articles. What could have gone wrong in these studies? Were any precautions taken against adverse consequences that were described in the research paper?
Physical Activity and Child Depressive Symptoms: Findings From the QLSCD
In this study, the parents were the ones to answer questions regarding the mental and physical health of their children. Ideally, parents would know everything that’s going on with their child, oftentimes depressive symptoms might be overlooked. Or the opposite, normal behaviors might be confused with symptoms. Children may just be too tired from past physical activity to be able to engage in further activities which may be confused with a symptom of depression. This could be solved by making sure that children have their own time to relax or even take a nap. From my understanding of the article, though the idea that symptoms may not be entirely accurate, they took no precautions against fatigued children.
Infant Approach and Withdrawal in Response to a Goal Blockage: Its Antecedent Causes and Its Effect on Toddler Persistence
In this study, infants are observed while playing where they were rated on their temperament as well as their emotional responses to goal blockage. These infants were between 2 to 20 months of age so there is a possibility of them crying. While they are prepared for these reactions to record and keep as data, there is no guarantee that the baby will be able to be comforted by their mother in a timely matter. Some babies cry more than others and are more fussy, making it difficult to complete the study in the time they originally wanted. A precaution they had taken is that at the request of the mother, they let the baby sit on their lap. This ensured that the baby would be comfortable, as well as the mother, and for things to run smoothly.
Chapter 10 Exercise 1: Write a cover letter to a journal editor here. Have your lab mate or classmate review the letter.
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Kayla Zuniga and I am writing to submit my group & I’s manuscript on LEGO/Building Blocks improving STEM capabilities in children. Many studies have indicated that incorporation of LEGOs have an impact on special capabilities. I hope you will have the time to help us with the review of this manuscript.
We are serving as undergraduate students in our Developmental Psychology class and we believe this manuscript is is appropriate for the assignment we were given. I believe your expertise in developmental psychology would be beneficial to us, making you the ideal reviewer for this paper.
The research in this paper is designed to investigate the use of LEGOS and it being a great way for children to better develop their cognitive and motor skills. We contain many studies and references to explore the various effects. Our fin
dings were convincing to say the least, making LEGOs beneficial to cognitive abilities.
We declare this manuscript is original and has been read by all of the authors. Please let us know if you will be able to accept this invitation. Should you accept my invitation to review our paper, you will be emailed on how to access our paper. Thank you for your consideration.
Warm Regards,
Kayla Zuniga, Isabel Bernstein and Yesica Escorza
Chapter 10 Exercise 2: Select and read a journal article. Pretend you are a reviewer for the journal. Write your responses to the authors. You might even try this exercise for your own research papers.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Mental Health
Alegria and colleagues (2010) highlight the racial disparities of mental healthcare within pediatrics. They go into detail of the consistent disparities that disproportionately impact black American youth and their desire to seek help. The data discovered that the black American children are extremely influenced by their community in regards to their desire to seek help for mental illness.
One component of this article that I don’t believe received enough focus is the internalization of stigma among black adolescents. The article discusses the multitude to factors keeping minority children from seeking mental health treatment, including: stigma, socioeconomic status, and parental views on health care. There is no shortage of discussion about socioeconomic status and how it can impact one’s mental health, however there should be a greater focus on the other components, such as internalized stigma, which seems to be brushed over in their article.
