Experiments - Laboratory Expeiments Flashcards
What is the environment of a lab experiment?
Tightly controlled and artificial
What is the objective of a lab experiment?
To see if one variable has an impact on another
What do scientists do to a variable to see the impact it has on another?
They manipulate it - make it become the IV
What two groups are compared in lab experiments?
Experimental group vs control group
What can a scientist establish from a lab experiment?
A cause-and-effect relationship
How can an experiment be reliable?
If it can be replicated exactly again and produce the same results each time
Which sociologists favour lab experiments?
Positivists
Impact of the scientists opinions or feeling on the results of a lab experiment
Scientists opinions/feeling have no impact on results or outcomes
What sociologists have problems with lab experiments?
Interpretivists
Why do Keat and Urry believe lab experiments aren’t practical for the study of society?
They believe lab experiments are only suitable for studying closed systems however society are open systems
Closed system
System where all relevant variables are controlled by the researcher
How do individuals limit the practicality of using lab experiments for sociological research?
As individuals are complex there is no way to match members of control and experimental groups precisely
What can’t lab experiments be used to study?
The past
How is the expectancy effect a practical issue with the use of lab experiments for sociological research?
The expectations of the researcher may influence the actual outcome
How is the Hawthorne Effect a possible practical issue of the use of lab experiments for sociological research?
The artificial environment of a lab experiment may mean that any behaviour from the participants is artificial
Hawthorne Effect summary
In 1927, Mayo set up an experiment in the Hawthorne plant of a Chicago company. He found out that the presence and interest of the researcher was the most important variable affecting production
Ethical issues of using lab experiments for sociological research
Informed consent
Harm to participants
Why do some people justify harm to participants?
Some argue that minor harm may be justified ethically if results yield significant social benefit
What do interpretivists believe that lab experiments lack?
They believe they lack validity
What data do lab experiments produce?
Quantitative data
What theoretical factor do positivists see as an important benefit of lab experiments?
Representativeness
Why may lab experiments lack external validity?
Because they can’t be sure to be reflective of the wider population
Practical issue about the use of lab experiments for sociological research in schools
Schools are large institutions that have many variables that may affect teacher expectations
Practical issue with using lab experiments to study teacher expectations
It’s impossible to control all variables affecting teacher expectations
What can’t be studied in small scale lab settings?
Large scale social factors
Why is it hard to pick one variable to analyse in regards to its affect on teacher expectations?
Because expectations can be affected by many variables
Why does the use of lab experiments for the study of teacher expectations have a narrow focus?
Because they only study one aspect of teacher expectations
Why may a narrow focus be useful for sociological research?
Because a narrow focus allows the researcher to examine a specific variable thoroughly
