experiments Flashcards
important studies
milgram - obedience experiment
bandura - media audiences
rosenthal and jacobson - pygmailon in classroom
experimental group
the group where the independent variable is changed
control group
the group where no change is made to the independent variable
practical advantages to lab experiments
cost / time - can be done quite quickly if facilities are readily available and at little cost
theoretical advantages for lab experiments
reliability - experiments should be reliable - the research should be able to be repeated and statistical analysis of data check
detachment - the researcher is detached from the group and only intervenes by changing IV - so result should be objective as the researcher doesnt impose own values
positivism - favour as scientific due to being quantitative, reliable and objective research - valid
practical issues of lab experiments
snapshot - one particular time so no historical dimension to research - variables may impact behaviour over time so hard to capture in control experiment
small sample - can only study issues that affect small groups of people - large scale phenomena such as voting hard to study
ethical issues of lab experiments
informed consent - may not understand nature of experiment eg children or mislead eg milgram
harm - experiments can cause distress - milgram - such research harder to get ethical consent for in modern western society
theoretical issues to lab experiments
validity - researchers know they are part of an experiment so may act differently - hawthorne effect
ecological validity - conducted in artificial environments rather than in the community so participants’ behaviour not reflective
interpretivism - not valid - people have free will and only study society by examining interactions
field experiment
some experiments take place outside of lab - subject’s natural environment
practical advantages for field experiments
access - may be able to study groups who would not grant access in a controlled setting - Rosenhan - was able to get students admitted to psychiatric hospitals
theoretical strengths for field experiments
validity - research takes place in wider society
validity - can be kept covert so less chance of hawthorne effect
ethical issues of field experiments
informed concept - often deceived about true nature of the research or are unaware that they are part of experiment
theoretical issues of field experiments
validity - if people know they are part of an experiment - hawthorne effect
control of variables - harder to control in field so unsure if changes observed due to variables they tried to change
reliability - natural environment so hard to replicate
field experiment example
Pygmalion in the classroom - IQ test actually looking at how teachers responded to students if they were told they could be high achievers
comparative method
cause and effect relationships
groups identified by sociologist for being similar and compared to see if this one difference has any effect
