experiments Flashcards
what are experiments?
- quantative method, primary
- allow control of variables within research setting
- start with hypothesis
who prefer to use these?
positivsts
example of field experiment
Rosenhal and Jacobson
went into schooks with fake IQ test labelling some as ‘spurts’
wanted to see whether teacher’s attitudes changed towards students labelled
example of lab experiment
Zimbardo prison
- wanted to see whether behaviours of Germans would be same in America
- guards and prisons in fake prison
- conformity to social roles
evaluation for Zimbardo
- unethical
- guessing purpose - DC
- valid
advantages of experiments
- reliable- standarised/controlled (especially lab)= manip v, replicable
- sometimes only way to uncover true behav (Milgram)
- quant data- positivists- cause and effect
disadvantages of experiments
- hawthorne effect= not valid
- influence of experimenter
- lacks validity
- cant be applied to reality
what is the comparative method?
sociological version of experiment
what is the difference between deductive and inductive approach?
deductive is theory then research test it (most scientific according to Popper since test it (falsi)
wheras inductive conducts research and then creates the theory
why would a researcher use a lab?
- observe how IV influences DV
- control variables
- precise evidence collected
why would a researcher use a field?
- insight into emotions and feelings- less DC = increase validity
- research in social world + isolate variables to test hypothesis
what is the comparative method?
researcher collects data about different social groups in real world rather than artifical environment, no manipulation of variables
disadvantages of using comparative method?
- cant control/manipulate variables
- cant control what data available
- have to make best of info available
example of comparative method?
Durkheim suicide
collected stats from number of countries then compared different levels of sucicide linking them to cultural differences like religion
