Maass & Kohnken Evaluation Flashcards
Evaluate in terms of demand characteristics.
Less demand characteristics were noted because participants were told that it was an investigation of the relation between physical activity and psychological well being which tackled the problem of them being aware of the aim and so acting differently.
Evaluate in terms of ecological validity.
There was high ecological validity because the participants were essentially experiencing the conditions as a real eye witness. They experienced something genuinely threatening instead of watching a film clip or something. Therefore the emotions felt were more likely to reflect a victim of a crime.
Evaluate in terms of reliability.
It was reliable as a standardised procedure was used (such as the same instructions were given) with each participant so the experiment could be easily replicated.
Evaluate in terms of control.
Many controls were employed such as the same target, same equipment and strapping the participant down to ensure the same distance. These controls contribute to the experimental validity and allow a statement between cause and effect.
Evaluate the issues with the line-up identification task.
The ecological validity of this task may be low as the line-up that had been set whereby they had to identify the female target is not the same as identifying a real criminal. This may simply involve guessing, meaning it is not a true measurement of the dependent variable.
Evaluate in terms of ethical issues.
Ethical issues may have arised such as the protection of the participants much be considered as they believe the situation is real and that there is a possible threat of being injected by the female target.
