Psychology – AS Level core studies | e-Consult
AS Level core studies (1 questions)
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Milgram’s Experiment (Experimental Method)
- Strengths:
- High internal validity – manipulation of the authority variable allowed causal inference.
- Controlled environment reduced extraneous variables.
- Standardised procedure enabled replication.
- Limitations:
- Low ecological validity – laboratory setting does not reflect real‑world obedience.
- Ethical concerns about deception and psychological distress.
- Sample bias – predominantly male university students.
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation (Observational Method)
- Strengths:
- High ecological validity – infants observed in a naturalistic attachment context.
- Direct behavioural measurement reduces reliance on self‑report.
- Allows classification of attachment styles across cultures.
- Limitations:
- Observer bias – interpretations can be subjective.
- Limited control over external variables (e.g., caregiver behaviour).
- Time‑consuming and resource intensive to code and analyse video data.