Experiments Flashcards
What are the types of experiments?
✨Laboratory experiments - taken place in a controlled environment
✨Field experiments - adapting the experimental method to a realistic context
✨Comparative methods - ‘thought experiment’ - makes comparison of peoples behaviour. Can work using documents and re-analysing secondary data.
What are practical strengths and limitations of laboratory experiments?
Strengths
✨Small scale means fewer subjects are needed for research opportunity
✨Greater control over subject matter
✨Test hypothesis easier as greater level of control (subjject matter)
Limitations
✨Limits research opportunity
✨Can be very time-consuming
What are ethical strengths and limitations of laboratory experiments?
Strengths
✨Consent may be attained easier with a smaller group
Limitations
✨Ethics (Deceit,Consent,Harm)
What are theoretical strengths and limitations of laboratory experiments?
Strengths
✨Reliable (can be repeated and same results achieved)
Limitations
✨Artificiality (Validity)
✨Hawthorne effect occurs (Validity)
✨Smll scale cannot be generalised
What are the practical strengths and limitations of field experiments?
Strengths
✨Small scale means that fewer subjject are needed for research opportunity
✨Acknowledges subject matter differences between individuals
Limitations
✨Qualitative data so subject matter can be difficult to quantify
✨Time consuming
What are ethical strengths and limitations of field experiments?
Strengths
✨No strengths
Limitations
✨Ethics (Deceit,Consent,Harm)
What are theoretical strengths and limitations of field experiments?
Strengths
✨Removes volunteer bias
✨Natural environment creates high validity (Verstehen)
✨Lessens Hawthorne Effect
Limitations
✨Cannot control all variables (Validity)
✨Cannot be sure what IV created which DV (Uncertain Validity)
✨Unrealiable
✨Generally Small Scale
What are practical strengths and limitations of comparative methods?
Strengths
✨Historical comparisons can be made of the subject matter
Limitations
✨Statistics still need to be interpreted so may be time consuming
What are ethical strengths and limitations of comparative methods?
Strengths
✨Lessens ethical problems
Limitations
✨No limitations
What are theoretical strengths and limitations of comparative methods?
Strengths
✨Value free (no bias)
✨Reliable (secondary data)
✨Eliminates Hawthorne effect)
✨Avoids Artificiality (validity)
Limitations
✨Cannot control variables
✨Invalid
