Stimulus material:
A naturalistic observation was designed to compare the owner-dog interaction behaviours of small breed owners (e.g., Toy/Miniature) and large breed owners (e.g., Working/Pastoral) during peak weekend hours at a busy urban agility park. A sample of 60 owner-dog pairs was observed. Half of the pairs observed were small breeds and the other half were large breeds.
The observation took place in the main off-leash training zone. The owners and dogs behaved naturally, unaware they were being monitored. The researchers used two trained observers who watched the target pairs from an elevated viewing platform overlooking the agility course.
Each selected owner-dog pair's behaviour was observed for a total of 15 minutes. The observers decided to use event sampling, recording every occurrence of specific target behaviours (such as verbal praise, physical play, or leash pulling/correction) as they happened.
Explain one strength and one limitation of using event sampling for this observation.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
