2.3 RESEARCH METHODS: EXPERIMENTS Flashcards
define lab experiment:
-manufactured environment where variables can be controlled
what is an experimental group?
-the group in an experiment that is under controlled conditions (receives the variable being tested)
what is the control group?
a group that isn’t under controlled conditions
what is an independent variable?
- the variable that is being changed in the experiment
what is a dependent variable?
- the variable that is being measured in the experiment
what are 3 reasons why data from lab experiments may be high in validity?
-easy to replicate (so you can repeat the experiment with same results to be determined each time)
-standardized (has clear instructions as a method)
-objective (researcher just observes with no opinion so no bias)
identify 3 practical issues with lab experiments:
-can’t study society in a lab (artificial) so low validity
-can’t use it to study the past
-can’t use it for large scale phenomenon
identify 3 ethical issues with lab experiments:
-allowing physical and psychological harm
-deception
-lack of informed consent
why may positivists favour laboratory experiments?
-they like reliability
-they like the cause and effect
-having control means it can be replicated
what are 2 problems of using laboratory experiments in sociological research?
-it can be hard to control (so it’s unethical)
- it’s unrepresentative
why do interpretivists reject the use of laboratory experiments?
-low validity and prefers field experiments
-causes unnatural behaviour (artificial)
why do interpretivists prefer field experiments?
- they are more naturalistic so more close to real life
what is the Hawthorne Effect and why it may lead to invalid data?
-the hawthorne effect is the change of behaviour when being observed so it leads to invalid data as it isn’t their true reaction/ behaviour needed for the results
what are field experiments?
-conducted in real world so not in controlled setting
- has more valid results as participants don’t know they’re being investigated = no hawthorne effect
what are 2 steps involved in carrying out a ‘thought experiment’ by Durkheim ?
-identify 2 groups which are similar in every way but apart from one.
-then compare the 2 groups to see if this one difference has any impact on their behaviour.
give a theoretical disadvantage of using field experiments:
-less control over variables -> do not meet rigorous scientific criteria
give an ethical issue of using field experiments:
-do not usually gain consent of those involved as it would ‘give the game away’.
what was Rosenthal and Jacob’s study?
-Pygmalion in the classroom - Self fulfilling prophecy conducted in the field
high in reliability and validity
what were the concerns of Rosenthal and Jacobsen’s experiment?
-no ethical consideration (affecting people’s lives) and uninformed consent ( students- vulnerable and teacher deceived)
why was Rosenthal and Jacob’s study reliable and valid?
-had a control group to improve reliability and was in a classroom setting
-however not ethical as deception required
identify a practical disadvantage of field experiments:
gatekeepers - prevent experiment from being conducted
what are ethical problems?
- informed consent
-deceiving vulnerable groups
what is a narrow focus?
-one type of specific element (small scale)
what are practical problems?
-impossible to control all the variables
what is artificiality?
-it’s ‘fake’ as you can’t apply to real life settings
