Strengths and Weaknesses (Hassett et al.)
Using PEEL method (Point-Explanation-Example-Link)
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AS Level
Paper 1 Evaluation Essays
Strengths
- P – The study is a field experiment
- E – An experiment has high level of controls to increase validity of findings
- E – For example, for each trial, plush toys and wheeled toys were always placed 10 metres apart at the outdoor compound
- L – Controls can reduce effect of extraneous variable, ensuring that it is only the IV (sex of rhesus monkeys) affecting the DV (play behaviour)
- P – The study collected quantitative data
- E – Quantitative data allow easier statistical analysis and comparison
- E – For example, the study shows that 73 percent of male monkeys show preference towards wheeled toys compared to only 9 percent of them showing preference towards plush toys
- L – Researchers can draw more valid conclusions as quantitative data has lower chances of misinterpretation
- P – The study followed the ethical guidelines for animals
- E – Needs of animal are taken care of
- E – For example, the monkeys were housed in their natal group with a 25x25 metre outdoor compound and temperature-controlled indoor space
- L – This ensures that there is no crowding that will cause distress, the monkeys were protected from psychological harm
Weaknesses
- P – The study lacks mundane realism
- E – Findings cannot be applied to a range of real-world situation
- E – For example, play behaviour with plush and wheeled toys were not a usual task for monkeys
- L – Findings have low ecological validity
- P – The use of captive monkeys
- E – Captive animals were removed from their original habitat, which might suppress their natural instincts
- E – For example, monkeys used in the study were all from Yerkes National Primates Research Centre Field Station
- L – It is unethical as captivity is against the nature of animals
- P – Findings of the study has low generalisability
- E – Data collected cannot be applied to wild monkeys due to possibility of different dynamics between monkey troops
- E – For example, the sample of the study consist of 23 female and 11 male rhesus monkeys, all living within the same monkey troop
- L – Different troops may have different play behaviours in real-life settings