laboratory experiments

Question 1

What are three practical disadvantages of this method?

Answer 1

• society is a complex phenomenon, it is
  difficult to control all extraneous variables
• cannot be used to study the past as you
  cannot control variables in the past
• tend to use small samples, difficult to
  investigate large scale social
  phenomenons which also reduces
  representativeness

Question 2

What are practical advantages of this method?

Answer 2

• time consuming - tend to be on a small
  scale because it takes time to ensure that
  the environment is controlled to reduce
  the effect of extraneous variables
  (structured interviews)
• difficult to build a rapport with participants
  as the research needs to be objective to
  ensure that they maintain the scientific
  method (questionnaires - validity)

Question 3

What are ethical issues of this method?

Answer 3

• informed consent needs to be gained
• it is unethical to deceive participants
  (Milgrim’s study)
• there is a risk of harm (Milgrim’s study)

Question 4

What is the Hawthorne effect?

Answer 4

if participants are aware that they are being studied - they behave accordingly to what they believe the researcher wants them to act

Question 5

What did Mayo find in relation to the Hawthorne effect?

Answer 5

he worked with five female volunteer workers who knew he was conducting an experiment and altered different variables such as lighting, heating and rest breaks. It was found that productivity improved when he improved their working conditions but this finding also continued when the working conditions worsened; this shows that the workers weren’t responding to the experimental variables but instead to the fact that they were being studied

Question 6

What are theoretical disadvantages with this method?

Answer 6

interpretivists argue that laboratory experiments aren’t an appropriate method to use when studying human beings as this method takes away their freewill, consciousness and choice through the controlled environment - reduces validity as it can cause participants to act in an artificial way

Question 7

What are theoretical advantages with this method?

Answer 7

positivists argue that laboratory experiments are a valid method to use as it gives an objective view of reality plus the controlled environment makes the method reliable as it can easily be repeated by other researchers