Experiments Flashcards
Bandura et al
Showed children a video of adults either playing nicely with toys or beatigg bby them . Children then put in room with same toys and hoe they played recorded
Limitation:
Low ecological validity / ethical concerns
Rosenhan
Asked 8 researchers to admit themselves into psychiatric hospitals and behave normally. Has ecological validity but researchers ’ behaviour could have shaped the staffs perceptions - researcher bias
Laboratory experiments
Experiments that take place in a controlled environment with RPs who have consented to take part
Extraneous variables
Variables aside from the independent variable that could have had an impact on the dependent variable
Sessions et al
Researcher dressed as a builder then as a businessman ( stopped to ask people for the time and directions.
Extraneous variables could have impacted upon results e.g time of day
Brown and gay
Sent off identical job applications except for different names - names from BME : less offers of interview. Good level of mundane realism and ecological validity
Field experiments
Experiments that take place in a real life setting ; RPs are unaware that they are taking part in research
Potential ethical problem - confidentiality
Demand characteristics
When RPs act in a way that they think the researcher wants them to as they think they have figured out the nature of the experiment
Mundane realism
Task given in a experiment closeness’ to what people may do in their normal life
Researcher bias
When the way the researcher acts biases the RPs and therefore the results collected
Harvey and slatin
Asked teachers to rate photographs of random children as students. No ethical issues but artificiality of the situation may have compromised how valid the data collected is
Rosenthal and Jacobson
Told teachers a random 25% of students would make unexpected progress over a school year .
Limitations: Deception / lack of inform consent / should researchers mess around with students education ?
Mayo
Tasked with improving workers efficiency . Found all changes lead to increased productivity - workers knew they were being watched so changed their behaviour
Charkin er al
Researched in a lab how teachers covey expectations of students through body language - able to isolate one variable and measure its impact
Limitations : ethical concerns as real students are used
Ecological validity
People behave differently as not in their natural environment
