So mad and completely offended

Ok, I just felt totally offended by something and probably shouldn't have and probably just really silly of me, but still...I am mad!

One of the Universities here, Brown, is doing a study on how babies learn to talk. Taking volunteers, no pay or anything, about a 30 minutes session where they play sounds and words and watch for reactions.

Figured I would contact them, to see what the ages where they were looking for...oh we aren't able to do it, not b/c of age, but b/c the boys are twins! WTF??? I don't know, I am just really peeved that b/c they are twins they wouldn't even consider them.

I just don't get it.


Dianna

 

What???
You would think twins would make the study more interesting, right?

 

Because twins develop speech differently from singletons. (Not differently in a neurological sense, but in terms of timing.) So if their study is not designed to account for differences between twins and singletons, they just wouldn't accept twins at all.

 

QUOTE(Minette @ Aug 21 2008, 03:22 PM) [snapback]941217[/snapback]
Because twins develop speech differently from singletons. (Not differently in a neurological sense, but in terms of timing.) So if their study is not designed to account for differences between twins and singletons, they just wouldn't accept twins at all.

Yes that can happen. But not every set of twins. Mine might or they might not develop differently..whose to say, but b/c there is a chance they shouldn't even be looked at? I don't know, I just don't get it.

Dianna

 

I can understand your being offended. :hug99:

From a scientific point of view, when you set a study like this up, you have specific criteria you are looking to investigate. Adding things that are out of the scope, or could potentially confound or distort the variables you are looking at, can completely invalidate the study. Sometimes these studies are for really big bucks, and people's careers may be hinging on a valid result. So while there is no proof that having twins in the study would impact the study, there is also no proof that it wouldn't, and that's why they can't add one more variable to the test.

I can explain more, but it would involve talking more specifically about hypothesis testing and variable degrees of freedom. I have most of my Masters degree in Statistics, so I can sound like a real geek at the drop of a hat! Let me know if you want more info, and I'll try to explain more as you want.

 

QUOTE(Dianna @ Aug 21 2008, 02:24 PM) [snapback]941222[/snapback]
Yes that can happen. But not every set of twins. Mine might or they might not develop differently..whose to say, but b/c there is a chance they shouldn't even be looked at? I don't know, I just don't get it.

Dianna


Yeah, but it just has to do w/ the study. Since they are doing babies in general, most babies are singletons so they look at that. They are just trying to keep it easier. But I know, I wouldn't want to be told that either.

 

QUOTE(HinSD @ Aug 21 2008, 08:35 PM) [snapback]941678[/snapback]
Yeah, but it just has to do w/ the study. Since they are doing babies in general, most babies are singletons so they look at that. They are just trying to keep it easier. But I know, I wouldn't want to be told that either.



It does suck, but has to do more with the study. It's possible that twins might totally skew the results and they have to explain that, like one of the pp said it has to be justified with the design,etc. No one wants to be told that but keep your ears open because there may be studies coming up for twins!

 

QUOTE(Minette @ Aug 21 2008, 03:22 PM) [snapback]941217[/snapback]
Because twins develop speech differently from singletons. (Not differently in a neurological sense, but in terms of timing.) So if their study is not designed to account for differences between twins and singletons, they just wouldn't accept twins at all.


It could also be because if its a study of how babies develop language then in theory two babies growing in the same environment would develop language similarly. Not always true, of course, but also something that they wouldnt have a way to account for in their study. Basically they have certain controls they need to maintain.

 

I didn't know about the developing language different. How so?