Lab And Field Experiments Flashcards
What is the main characteristic of laboratory experiments?
Controlled setting with manipulation of the independent variable.
Laboratory experiments often involve unnatural conditions for participants.
What was the aim of Milgram’s experiment?
Investigate obedience using a fake learning experiment.
Participants were asked to shock a ‘learner’ for incorrect answers.
What is a strength of laboratory experiments?
High internal validity.
This allows researchers to establish cause and effect.
What is a limitation of laboratory experiments?
Lacks mundane realism.
Unrealistic tasks can lead to a lack of emotional connection.
What defines field experiments?
Experiments conducted in a natural setting.
The independent variable is still manipulated by the researcher.
Who conducted a field experiment involving obedience with passers-by?
Bickman.
Participants were asked to pick up litter by a confederate in different outfits.
What was the result of Bickman’s field experiment?
More obedience in the security guard condition.
This demonstrated the effect of uniform on obedience.
What is a strength of field experiments?
Higher ecological validity.
They often reflect more natural behaviors.
What is a limitation of field experiments?
Potential ethical issues.
Issues include deception and lack of informed consent. Other answers such as low internal validity are acceptable.
What can lack of control of extraneous variables in field experiments lead to?
Low internal validity.
This can affect the reliability of the findings.
What is the balancing act in research design?
Balancing ecological validity and internal validity.
High ecological validity often results in low internal validity and vice versa.
Fill in the blank: Laboratory experiments attempt to control all variables except the ______.
independent variable.
True or False: Field experiments always have higher internal validity than laboratory experiments.
False.
Field experiments may have lower internal validity due to extraneous variables.
