experiments Flashcards
different types of experiments:
- laboratory experiment
- field experiment
what is a laboratory experiment?
an experiment within a controlled environment
what is a field experiment?
an experiment within a realistic context, like in real society
hypothesis
the theory/prediction being investigated
variables
changeable factors which can have an affect on
independent variable
the variable we can change
dependent variable
the variable we want to explain, which is affected by the independent variable
extraneous variables
variables that are not part of the experiment but could also impact on the dependent variable, these are controlled as much as possible
ecological validity
getting under the surface to find more realistic conditions, the extent to which something is like real life
hawthorne effect
the effect whereby the participant behaves differently if they know they are being watched
how are they useful
- highly scientific- establish causal relationships and correlations which can be used to formulate theories
- reliable- because they can be repeated scientifically
- quantitative data- so it is objective
- testing predictions and proving theoretical ideas
CAT advantages for field experiment
- time depends onexperiment
- access field experiments are quite accessible because they are in a realistic context so there are more possibilities
- cost not as costly as lab experiments because there is less equipment + no facilities needed
CAT disadvantages for field experiment
- time it could take time to elicit adequate results due to lack of control over what happens
- access some groups of people may be more willing than others, so access to different places and groups is limited (depends on sampling method too)
- cost relatively none.
ethical disadvantages for field experiment
- anonymity- not very anonymous because the characteristics of the participant influence their reactoin to variables
- confidentiality- not very confidential as it is out in the open
- right to withdraw- bystanders have no right to withdraw because they are extraneous variables
- risk of harm- the environment is not controlled, meaning that participants/researcher could possibly be harmed
- honesty- if overt, participants may not behave in a valid way
- informed consent- bystanders cannot give informed consent, participants cannot fully because the environment is not completely controllable
- social sensitivity- some experiments may have socially sensitive topics?
- deception- researcher may use deception to elicit a more honest response from people that the participant interacts with- some people may not know they are part of the experiment if it is covert
- overt/covert- covert means more validity but overt allows people to open up, more honesty
- going native- researcher could form a rapport with participants which causes them to be more comfortable and ‘one of us’- less objective
ethical advantages of field experiment
- debrief- could prevent psychological harm in cases where deception is necessary
- honesty- if covert, people react in realistic ways
- social sensitivity- usually not massively indepth so may or may not be an issue
- overt/covert- covert provides very valid data because it is essentially the real world, but overt is more ethical
- going native- being one of the group might actually help to gather valid data in experiments
theoretical advantages of field experiment
- interpretivist
- valid because it is in a realistic context
- representative can be representative because the aim is to find out how the wider population responds to variables
- generalisable for the above reason it could be generalisable
- response rate is high because people are obligated to respond in real social situations, although the bystander effect may influence this
- rapport can be built by decieving the group into thinking you are one of them
- subjective because the data is qualitative and valid
- researcher characteristics see below
- participant characteristics may have a positive influence on the participant (eg extraverted may encourage people to respond positively)
- quantitative- could be as well as qual
- mainly qualitative
- operationalisation this is included in the hypothesis and theory that is trying to be proven
theoretical disadvantages of experiment
- not reliable because there is a lack of control over extraneous variables, so it cannot be repeated in the same way
- representative may not be because it depends on the location of the experiment, therefore it may not be generalisable
- lacks objectivity so is seen as less factual
- bias could be present in recording/analysing of information, which is why peer review must be done
- hawthorne effect + social desireability if people are aware they are in an experiment
- researcher characteristics may influence the way that they percieve and therefore record information
- participant characteristics could negatively impact response in unintended ways
- not quantitative so is it generalisable or useful?
