A03

• limitation- sample used

  • only mothers, assuming mothers always primary attachments however not always, could be father or extended fam
  • results not representative of wider pop and based on stereotypical assumptions- lack generalisability
  • to improve, inclusivity in sample so it is more representative
• limitation- ethical issues arose in study

  • 20% of infants cried for long periods of time- not protected from psychological harm, breaching bps code of ethics
  • doesnt impact reliability or validity of results- CBA still needed
  • widening knowledge worth harm to children
• limitation- sample lacks population validity

  • original study uses all amercian infants and mothers- culture bias
  • findings from individualisticc cannot be generalised to collectivist due to different parenting styles or traditional parenting
  • poses risk of imposed etic if findings generalised to any culture bys american
  • sample not representative and lacks generalisability
  • to improve...
• strength- lab study

  • use of controlled extraneous and confounding variables. Use of controlled observation in a lab study allows for a standardised procedure e.g., timings of episodes and allows replication to occur, improving reliability of findings
  • . Additionally, this high level of control allows for a cause-and-effect relationship to be reliably established. However, this high level of control reduces the ecological validity of findings as study lacks mundane realism and therefore findings cannot be generalised to real life situations.