Field and Laboratory Experiments Flashcards
Fill in the blank.
Experiments look for the _______ that manipulated variables (__________) have on measured variables (___________).
effect
independent variables
dependent variables
What is a laboratory experiment?
What study has one?
-Takes place in an artificial highly controlled environment.
-The experimenter manipulates the IV to measure the impact on the DV.
-Pats attention to eliminating effects of other extraneous variables by controlling them (removing or keeping constant).
-Baddleys memory experiment.
What is a field experiment?
What study has one?
-Takes place in the participants natural environment.
-The experimenter manipulates the IV to measure the impact on the DV.
-Some variables cannot be controlled due to the unpredictability of these real life settings such as the public interacting with pps.
-An IV will still be altered for a DV to be measured against.
-Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil’s digit down experiment AND Sheriff’s Robber’s Cave experiment.
Evaluate the description of a laboratory experiment.
An experiment in which the researcher manipulates the IV to measure its impact on the DV. It takes place in an artificial and controlled environment.
Evaluate the ecological validity of a laboratory experiment.
As the experiment takes place in an artificial environment, and often used artificial tasks, the behaviour of participants may not reflect their behaviour in everyday life.
Evaluate the internal validity of a laboratory experiment.
As the experiment has full control over the environment, they can usually control all extraneous variables to prevent confounding variables impacting the DV, this means the experimenters can be confident that any changes seen in the DV are due to the manipulation of the IV alone. They can keep all other variables controlled, or at least consistent between conditions.
Evaluate the internal validity of a laboratory experiment.
As the experiment has full control over the environment, they can usually control all extraneous variables to prevent confounding variables impacting the DV, this means the experimenters can be confident that any changes seen in the DV are due to the manipulation of the IV alone. They can keep all other variables controlled, or at least consistent between conditions.
Evaluate the reliability of a laboratory experiment.
As the experimenter has full control over the environment, they can usually create a standardised experience for all participants; control over situational variables and control over all apparatus used. This means the experiment can easily be replicated to check for consistency of results over time.
Evaluate the demand characteristics of a laboratory experiment.
As the experiment takes place in an artificial environment, the participant is usually fully aware that they are taking part in an experiment. This means they may guess the aim of the experiment (due to behaviour of the experimenter) and alter their behaviours to meet the demands of the experiment, impacting internal validity.
Evaluate the description of a field experiment.
An experiment in which the researcher manipulated the IV to measure its impact on the DV. It takes place in the participants’ natural environment.
Evaluate the ecological validity of a field experiment.
As the experiment takes place in the pps natural environment, the behaviours shown in the experiment will be true reflections of everyday behaviour.
Evaluate the internal validity of a field experiment.
As the experiment is in a natural setting, the experimenter does not have full control over the environment, they cannot usually control all extraneous variables to prevent confounding variables impacting the DV, this means the experimenters might not be confident that any changes seen in the DV are due to the manipulation of the IV alone. They may struggle to keep situational variables controlled.
Evaluate the reliability of a field experiment.
As the experimenter does not have full control over the environment, they cannot always create a standardised experience for all participants; control over situational variables may be limited. This means the experiment’s procedure might not easily be replicated exactly to check for consistency of results over time.
Evaluate the demand characteristics of a field experiment.
As the experiment takes place in a natural environment, it is possible that sometimes, the participants will not know that they are participants in an experiment. This means they will not show demand characteristics, leading to high validity of their behaviour.
