Baron-Cohen Evaluations

Question 1

The study was conducted in a lab setting why was this a strength?

Answer 1

• Allowed the researcher to implement lots of controls and standaridesed measures to increase the reliability of the research.
  1. Standardised task
  2. Quiet room setting
  3. Control groups

Question 2

The study had 4 control groups and an IQ matched control group why does this increase the realibility of the research?

Answer 2

• Allows researchers to isolate the effects of the IV and determine whether it is causing the observed outcome
• provide a standardized condition against which the effects of IV can be compared.

Question 3

The study was performed in a quite room in Exeter or Cambridge. How does this increase reliability?

Answer 3

• Minimizes external distractions that could interfere with participants’ concentration or task performance.

Question 4

What evidence of standardisation was in the study?

Answer 4

• All ppts were tested in a quiet room and were shown 36 images of the eye stimulus
• and asked to select the word taht best describes the emotion
• A glossary was could be consulted throughout

Question 5

The study was adjusted and revised. Why is this a strength?

Answer 5

• The validity of the test was improved
• Through multiple changes of the test which led perfomances being below the celing of the test.

Question 6

Give an example to how the study was revised?

Answer 6

• 4 choices of emotions were used with 1 target and 3 foils.
• Increase cognitive demand of the task
• Ensures ppts are adequatley responding to the demands of the task.

Question 7

How was the study diverse?

Answer 7

• Used diverse participant groups
• Included autistic adults, normal adult students, IQ matched controls from the general population (ages,backround)

Question 8

Why was including a diverse, representative sample a strength?

Answer 8

• Ensures broad representation of the population
• Allows for generalisations beyond the sample

Question 9

How was the study a natural experiment?

Answer 9

• The aim of the study was to test the ability of autistic adults on the RET and recruited a sample of ppts who were formally diagnosed

Question 10

Why was the use of natural expeirments a strength?

Answer 10

• Allows researchers to study varibles that would be unethical or impossible to manipulated.

Question 11

Weakness- Quasi-experiment

Answer 11

• Was not possible to randomly allocate ppts which introduces confounding varibles
  -as there could be another factor responsible for the difference
• Harder to establish causal relationships definitively

Question 12

Weakness- ecological validity

Answer 12

• In real life eyes are not static, 2D or shown in isolation
• This approach doesn’t replicate the complexities of real world **social cognitions **
• Misses subtleties that dynamic stimuli would reveal
• Cannot be meanifully generalised to real world

Question 13

Weakness- generalisability

Answer 13

• Experimental sample was only 15 autistic males
• Unrepresenative of all autistics, or female autistics
• Androcentric sample
• Small sample
• Volunteer sample (biased)
• Lowers statistical power/ generalisability