experimental methods Flashcards
what are the four experiment types?
Natural
Field
Lab
Quasi
what is a natural experiment?
when a researcher takes advantage of a naturally occurring variable. This form of experiment usually takes place when it is not practical or unethical to deliberately manipulate the IV. There is no random allocation of participants.
what is a Field experiment?
An experiment that takes place in a natural environment. The independent variable is manipulated but extraneous variables cannot be controlled for in the same way one can in the laboratory. Participants are not necessarily randomly allocated to a condition.
what is a lab experiment?
An experiment that is carried out in a controlled environment where the independent variable is manipulated. All other extraneous variables are controlled. Participants are randomly allocated to conditions.
what is a Quasi experiment?
when the IV doesn’t vary- It is a condition that simply exists (e.g age, gender, race). Because we are not directly manipulating the IV, and due to lack of random allocation, these studies are referred to as ‘almost experiments’.
what’s an example of a natural study?
Rutter and Songua Barke
Romanian orphan study
what is an example of a Field study?
Bushman
(female dressed as either police officer, business executive or beggar stopped people in the streets and instructed them to give money to to a male confederate who had an expired parking ticket.)
what is an example of a Lab study?
Loftus and Palmer
investigated effect of misleading info
5 groups watched footage of same car accident and were all given the same critical question of how fast the car was going when it ‘…..’ (diff verbs; bombed, collided, crashed etc.)
what is an example of a Quasi experiment?
Sheridan and King
gender differences effecting obedience levels.
54% of males delivered max shocks to puppies, 100% of females administered shocks.
what is a strength and weakness of a natural study?
+study behaviour that would otherwise be unethical and impractical.
-lack of control over extraneous variables
what is a strength and weakness of field studies?
+people don’t display demand characteristics
-unable to control EV’s and CV’s
what is 2 strengths and a weakness of lab studies?
+participants randomly allocated so not bias
+can establish cause and effect as highly controlled
-lacks mundane realism (demand characteristics and not ecologically valid)
what is a strength and weakness of Quasi experiments?
+controlled experiment so lack of extraneous variables
-cannot randomly allocate because the IV (independent variable) is fixed.
