bio approach-2.D animal research

Question 1

9. Olazábal and Young (2006)

Answer 1

Generalisability: Low – the study used prairie voles, so findings may not apply to humans.

Reliability: High – the controlled conditions and clear methodology make it replicable.

Applicability: High – the findings help us understand how oxytocin influences maternal behavior, which could be useful for studying attachment.

Validity: High internal validity – the study used controlled conditions to establish a correlation.

Ethics: Ethical concerns about animal use, but the study followed the “3 Rs” (Reduce, Replace, Refine).

Strength: Provides evidence for the role of oxytocin in maternal behavior.
Limitation: The study is reductionist, as it ignores other factors influencing maternal behavior.

Question 2

10. Weaver et al. (2004)

Answer 2

Generalisability: Low – the study used rats, so findings may not apply to humans.

Reliability: High – the controlled conditions and follow-up study make it replicable.

Applicability: High – the findings show how maternal behavior can influence gene expression, which is useful for epigenetics research.

Validity: High internal validity – the study used controlled conditions to establish cause and effect.

Ethics: Ethical concerns about animal use, but the study followed the “3 Rs” (Reduce, Replace, Refine).

Strength: Provides strong evidence for epigenetics and the impact of maternal behavior on gene expression.
Limitation: The findings may not apply to humans, and the study is reductionist.