lab experiment and field Flashcards
what is the environment like in a lab experiment
controlled environment
what are the two groups used when conducting a lab experiment
control- no changes to variables
experimental group- variables are changed
what type of sociologist prefer this route of experiment
positivist
what are the two advantages of a lab experiment
reliable- can be reproduced and repeated
identifies cause and effect relationships
why do positivists favour lab experiments
control and effect relationships, quantitative data, numerical, objective, tests hypotheses
what is the hawthorne effect and why is it present in lab experiment
when individuals are aware they are being studied, then they act differently and their realistic actions and behaviour is not studied
what are the disadvantages of the lab experiment
artificial
hawthorne effect
ethical issues
unrepresentative
why are lab experiments unrepresentative
it is because it is so small scale and it doesn’t represent the wider population
why is their ethical issues regarding lab experiments
researcher needs consent of participants and consent can be difficult to obtain.
what sociologists favour field experiments
interpretivist
what is the environment in field experiments
it is a natural environment
are participants unaware in lab or field experiments
field- participants are unaware
what are the advantages of field experiments
no artificiality- environment is natural
validity- people are unaware of the experiment therefore there is no hawthorne effect.
what are the disadvantages of field experiment
ethical- no consent as participants are often unaware
cant control variables
reliable- cant reproduce identically.
can be subjective, dependent on experiment
