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Strengths and Weaknesses - As Psych

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57 views5 pages

Strengths and Weaknesses - As Psych

Uploaded by

haneenbamragha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Strengths of Lab Weaknesses of Lab

Experiment Experiment
- Easier to replicate due to - Artificial settings may
standardised procedures produce artificial behaviour
that does not reflect real
life
- Allows precise controls of - Low ecological validity
extraneous variables and - It's not generalisable
of the independent variable - Results can be biased due
so a cause and effect to demand characteristics
relationship can be or experimenter effects
established

Strengths of Natural Weaknesses of Natural


Experiment Experiment
- It has high ecological - They're more expensive
validity as the behaviour and time-consuming than
occurs naturally due to the lab experiments
natural setting
- There is less likelihood of - There is no control over
demand characteristics as the
they might not know extraneous/confounding
they're being studied variables
- Can be used in situations
where it would be unethical
to alter the IV

Strengths of Field Weaknesses of Field


Experiment Experiment
- High ecological validity as - Less control over the
it's a more natural setting extraneous variables so
- Less likelihood of demand they may turn into
characteristics as the confounding variables
participant might not know - Hard to replicate
they're being studied
Strengths of repeated Weaknesses of repeated
measures measures
- Individual differences can - Order effects can
be ruled out as groups are influence results (practice
made up of the same and do better in mean
participants with the same time)
ability, IQ etc. - fatigue effects
- Requires fewer - Participants may guess
participants; quicker and the aim - demand
easier characteristics
- Easier to control variables

Strengths of independent Weaknesses of


groups independent groups
- Dependent variable isn't - Requires twice as many
influenced by order effects participants as repeated
(tiredness or sudden better measures
performance)
- Participants are less likely - Individual differences
to guess the aim; less between groups (the
demand characteristics participants are difference,
so results are hard to
control)

Strengths of matched pairs Weaknesses of matched


pairs
- Control over participant - It's a time-consuming and
variables expensive method to
- Doesn't introduce order match people with a
effects pretest
- less cofounding variables - It may not be fully
as people are matched possible to completely
- easier to control match the pairs
individual differences - everyone will have slight
variable differences that impact
results

Participant observation Participant observation


Strengths Weaknesses
Gather more in-depth data Could bias results;
subjective

Covert observation Covert observation


Strengths Weaknesses
+ Will have mundane - Unethical; no consent
realism given
+ Less demand
characteristics or social
desirability

Overt observation Overt observation


Strengths Weaknesses
+ Ethical as you have - Social desirability bias
consent
+ Less subject attrition;
they're already agreed to
take part so won't
withdraw

Naturalistic observation Naturalistic observation


Strengths Weaknesses
+ More ecological validity - Can't have as much
+ More mundane realism control over extraneous
+ Less demand variables
characteristics - Low validity

Non-participant Non-participant
observation Strengths observation
Weaknesses
+ They can't bias the - May not get as much in-
research depth data
+ Objective

Controlled observation Controlled observation


Strengths Weaknesses
+ Control over extraneous - Less ecological validity
variables - Demand characteristics
+ More validity

Strengths of Observations Weaknesses of


Observations
- High in ecological validity - Could be subjective
if in natural setting - Internal validity could be
- Replicable if structured affected by structured
- Observer bias
- In-depth if unstructured - Little control over
- Inter-observer reality extraneous variables
- Unethical if observer
didn't get consent
Strengths of Quantitative Weaknesses of
data Quantitative data
- Objective - Lacks detail; conclusions
- Precise numerical can be narrow
measures - Collected in artificial
- High in reliability settings

Strengths of Qualitative Weaknesses of Qualitative


data data
- Rich and in-depth - Subjective
- Collected in real life - Imprecise measures used;
settings and so will have difficult to analyse
more external validity - Low in reliability

Strengths of Correlations Weaknesses of


Correlations?
- Tells us the strength of - Cannot demonstrate
the relationship between cause and effect
two variables
- Replicable and reliable - Extraneous variables can
- If the correlation is strong effect the correlation co-
then further investigation efficient
may follow

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