Lab & field experiments Flashcards
What is a lab experiment ?
Scientific method used in a controlled environment to investigate effects of changing the IV
What do controlled conditions allow lab experiments to do ?
Manipulate the IV & measure the DV
How are lab experiments high in reliability ?
- Standardised procedures
- In a controlled lab setting with controlled activities
- Easily replicable to test for consistency
How are lab experiments high in internal validity ?
- High degree of control over extraneous variables
- Can infer cause & effect between IV & DV
How do lab experiments lack ecological validity ?
- Artificial nature of environment & study
- Findings not always generalised beyond setting in lab
- Tasks lack mundane realism
How do lab experiments lack internal validity ?
- Know they are being investigated
- Demand characteristics
- Unclear cause & effect
What is a field experiment ?
Applies to scientific method to experimentally examine an intervention in the real world
What do natural conditions allow field experiments to do ?
Manipulate the IV & measure the DV in natural conditions
How are field experiments high in ecological validity ?
- Natural setting
- Results more likely to be representative of behaviour in everyday life = mundane realism
How are field experiments high in internal validity ?
- Usually not aware they are being studied
- Less chance of demand characteristics
- Can infer cause & effect
How do field experiments lack internal validity ?
- Setting natural
- Less control extraneous variables
- Then become confounding variables & distort findings
- Can’t infer cause & effect
- Other factors had impact on IV & DV
How are field experiments unethical ?
- Usually unaware of study
- Cannot gain informed consent
- Cost benefit analysis before study = perceived outcomes from research outweigh personal costs
- Time consuming & expensive
What is a natural experiment ?
Naturally occurring instance of observable phenomena which approach a scientific experiment
How are natural experiments subjective ?
- Observations
- Open to interpretation
