Good external validity

• P- one strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s research is that it has good external validity
• E- most observations were made by parents during ordinary activities and reported to the researchers. Observations/ interviews were carried out in the participants homes so the behaviour is more likely to be representative to everyday life than what it would be in a lab setting
• E- the alternative would have been to have researchers present to record observations. This might have distanced the babies and made them anxious
• L- this means that it is highly likely that participants behaved naturally while being observed