experiments Flashcards
lab, field, comparative
what are experiments
main method of natural sciences.
the researcher has a high level of control over the situation, by manipulating all variables that might affect the outcome of the study and discovering cause-and-effect relationships
what is a laboratory experiment
takes place in a controlled environment, with great control over the variables
what is a field experiment
takes place in ‘real-world’ situations, as those involved are not aware they are being studied, so researcher cannot control all variables
what is the control group
group in an experiment where a variable is not being tested
what is the experimental group
group that receives the variable being tested
what is a hypothesis
assumption made about relation of the variables
what is correlation
the dependent relationship between the two variables
what is the independent variable
the cause of change
what is the dependent variable
the effect of the change (what is being measured)
why do positivists favour laboratory experiments
they are a standardised method to obtain quantitative data, which can be analysed and generalised for the population to produce cause-and-effect statements. regarded as very reliable, as they can be repeated exactly as they were carried out. the researcher is detached from those involved, meaning they are objective.
weaknesses of laboratory experiments
- it is impossible and unethical to control all variables
- small scale studies, so are not completely representative
- artificiality: doubtful whether they results of the experiment can be transferred to the real social world
- time-consuming and expensive as there are many aspects to consider and organise e.g. venue and props
- the Hawthorne effect may occur, as the knowledge of subjects that they are in an experiment is likely to affect their behaviour, reducing the validity
- way to avoid the Hawthorne effect is by not giving participants informed consent or the right to withdraw
strengths of laboratory experiments
- easy to isolate variables and test for correlation
- easy to compare and make cause-and-effect relationships
- can be repeated and checked by others, increasing reliability
why do interpretivists favour field experiments
they are in the natural environment of subjects, meaning there is great validity. it produces qualitative data, which gives insight/ meaning and verstehen into the social actors
Mayo example study
volunteer workers at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne plant found output of workers improved and continued to improve despite worsening working conditions due to their wish to please the researcher, in response to the fact they were being studied
what are disadvantages of field experiments
- less control over variables, so does not meet the rigorous scientific criteria or lab experiments
- limited application as few situations can be adapted to become a field experiment
- tend to only measure what people do, instead of delving into why they do
- ethical problems as it’s impossible to ask the informed consent of all people in an open setting
- possibility of harm if altering a variable affects someone’s emotional health
- researcher needs to be able to fit into the natural setting, to alter independent variable and measure dependent variable, requiring skill
strengths of field experiments
- less artificiality, as based in real-world situations
- validity, as people are unaware of the experimental situation. they will act normally and reactions will be genuine
- requires fewer resources than lab experiments
what is the comparative method
a though experiment that involves identifying two groups that are the same except for one characteristic e.g. religion
example of the comparative method
Durkheim’s Le Suicide
comparison of suicide rates of Protestants and Catholics by use of official statistics.
concluded Catholics’ lower suicide rates were caused by higher levels of social integration
advantages of the comparative method
- research characteristics don’t affect the study
- cheap as secondary data is usually free to access and no other resources are required
- no ethical problems e.g. harm or deception as there are no participants
- reliable
disadvantages of comparative method
- analysis of secondary data is time-consuming
- difficult to find some secondary data e.g. medical records due to confidential nature
- researcher needs skills to interpret and compare sets of data
- no control over variables, so cannot be certain it has discovered the true cause of something
