Field Experiments Flashcards
Give three examples of a natural environment that a field experiment could take place in
Homes, schools or on the street
What are field experiments?
Experimental investigations carried out in the natural environment
What is the aim of a field experiment?
To improve the realism of the research
What sort of situations are field experiments used in?
Situations where it is considered particularly important for research to take account of the natural environment
What are the two advantages of field experiments?
Improved ecological validity and reduction of demand characteristics
Expand on “improved ecological validity”
The experiment is carried out in a natural environment so the artificiality of a lab is avoided. This eliminates the main criticism of lab experiments: it is difficult to generalise findings to real life studies.
Expand on “reduction of demand characteristics”
Participants are less conscious that they are in a study so do not change their behaviour as frequently
What are the four disadvantages of a field experiment?
Establishing controls, generalising to other situations, cost and use of technical equipment
Expand on “establishing controls”
It is difficult to control the variables. These variables include the IV and potentially confounding variables. The experiment is therefore extremely difficult to reproduce.
Expand on “generalising to other situations”
Although the results have high realism for that situation the results cannot be generalised for anything else
Expand on “cost”
Field experiments cost more than lab experiments and may take longer to complete
Expand on “use of technical equipment”
More difficult to use outside a lab meaning measurements are restricted
