Caregiver-Infant interactions

Question 1

What is a potential criticism?

Answer 1

Lacks ecological validity

Question 2

Why does it lack ecological validity?

Answer 2

The research takes place in controlled environments such as a controlled observation with the caregiver and infant being filmed

Question 3

What does a controlled environment make it difficult to do?

Answer 3

It is difficult to generalise the findings to real life cases of caregiver-infant interactions as the infant may not behave how they usually do - e.g interacting less as the feel shy in an unfamiliar environment, lowering the external val

Question 4

What can controlled environments be praised for?

Answer 4

Having high control over extraneous variables

Question 5

What variables did this experiment control?

Answer 5

They didn’t have other adults in the room during observation as it may distract the infant meaning cause and effect can be established, increasing the internal val

Question 6

What may critics argue?

Answer 6

That the research can be prone to bias as infants cannot speak so inferences must be drawn about their behaviour

Question 7

How may a psychologist interpret information?

Answer 7

They may interpret in a way that fits their hypothesis e,g infant may have and but psychologist sees it as a smile reducing internal val

Question 8

How can bias be minimised?

Answer 8

There should be two observers present to agree on the findings