Strength of Lorenz’s study?
Controlled study (high internal validity)
• Konrad Lorenz controlled which eggs hatched with mother vs incubator
• Cause and effect clearly established (imprinting)
• Therefore findings are reliable
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Strength of Lorenz’s study? | Controlled study (high internal validity)
• Konrad Lorenz controlled which eggs hatched with mother vs incubator
• Cause and effect clearly established (imprinting)
• Therefore findings are reliable |
Another strength of Lorenz’s research? | Real-world application
• Used in animal conservation
• Birds can imprint on humans for protection
• Increases survival → practical value
|
Weakness of Lorenz – generalisation? | Low generalisability to humans
• Studied geese (precocial)
• Humans are altricial (dependent)
• Attachment processes differ → limited application |
Weakness of Lorenz – imprinting? | Imprinting may not be permanent
• Suggests critical period is flexible
• Lorenz may have overstated conclusions |
Strength of Harlow’s study? | Controlled lab experiment
• Harry Harlow controlled variables (wire vs cloth mother)
• Monkeys preferred cloth mother
• Strong evidence for contact comfort
|
Another strength of Harlow’s research | Real-world application
• Influenced childcare practices
• More parental contact in hospitals
• Helped understanding of neglect
|
Weakness of Harlow – ethics? | Ethical issues
• Monkeys suffered distress + long-term harm
• Isolation caused abnormal behaviour
• Breaks animal welfare guidelines
|
What is a null hypothesis | States no difference or relationship between variables
|
What is a confounding variable? | An extraneous variable that affects the DV and was not controlled
|