4. Types Of Experiment Flashcards
What are the different types of experiments ?
- Laboratory
- Natural
- Field
- Quasi
What is a lab experiment?
An experiment that takes place in a controlled environment, the IV is manipulated and then recorded by the researcher. Strict control of extraneous variable so cause and effect can easily be established
What are field experiments ?
An experiment that takes place in a natural setting within which the researcher manipulates the IV and record the effect on the DV
What is a natural experiment?
An experiment where the change in the IV is naturally occurring and would have happened if the researcher had not been there. The researcher records the effect on the DV
What is a Quasi experiment?
A quasi experiment has an IV based on an existing difference between people that hasn’t been manipulated by the researcher or anyone then the researcher records the effect on the DV
What are the strengths of a lab experiment ? (3)
- high control over extraneous variables (cause & effect can be established)
- high internal validity
- can be replicated
What are the weaknesses of a lab experiment? (3)
- may lack generalisability, lab is artificial so there is low external validity
- more likely for demand characteristics to occur
- tasks may not represent real life so there is low mundane realism
What is mundane realism ?
Mundane realism describes the degree to which the materials and procedures involved in an experiment are similar to events that occur in the real world
What are the strengths of a field experiment ? (3)
- higher mundane realism due to more natural environment
- higher external validity
- less demand characteristics as participants may be unaware they are being studied
What are the weaknesses of a girl experiment ? (3)
- loss of control of extraneous variables, more situational variables therefore cause and effect may be more difficult to establish
- precise replication is often not possible
- if participants are unaware they are being studied they cannot give consent so it is an invasion of privacy
What the strengths of the natural experiment ? (2)
- provides opportunity for research that may not otherwise be taken for practical or ethical reasons
- high external validity because it involves real life situations and experiences
What are the weaknesses of the natural experiment ? (2)
- event may happen rarely reducing the opportunities of research and limit the scope for generalising findings
- participants may not be randomly allocated, researcher may be less sure of cause & effect
What are the strengths of the Qausi experiment ? (3)
- high control over extraneous variables so cause and effect can be established
- high internal validity
- easy to replicate
What are the weaknesses of the Quasi experiment ? (1)
- cannot randomly allocated participants to conditions and therefore they may be confounding variables
Explain why natural and Quasi experiments cannot be classified as ‘true’ experiments
In a true experiment the researcher manipulated the IV mad records the effect on the DV however in these instances they are either pre- existing variable (natural) or a simply existing variable (quasi)
