Laboratory Experiments Flashcards
What type of equipment is used?
Sophisticated technical equipment so that accurate measurements can be made
What do lab experiments provide over variables?
The highest level of control
What type of psychologists use laboratory experiments?
Memory psychologists
Give an example of a laboratory experiment.
Stroop in 1935 carried out a series of laboratory experiments. These included using different colours of ink and seeing how they affected memory recall
What other studies have been carried out in a laboratory?
Observational studies
What are the three advantages of a laboratory experiment?
Replicability of procedures, sophisticated measuring and recording equipment and control over variables
Expand on “replicability of procedures”
A lab is carefully designed in such a way that makes it easily repeatable.
Why is the replicability of procedures an advantage?
Because other researchers can see if they gain similar results and if they do confidence in the study is increased
Expand on “sophisticated measuring and recording equipment”
Some equipment can only be used in a laboratory because technical equipment is highly sensitive to external conditions. All equipment is easier to set up and use in a laboratory experiment
Expand on “control over variables”
It is easier to control potential confounding variables so high levels of precision can be achieved. If all variables other than the IV are either tightly controlled or eliminated then a cause-and-effect relationship can be established
What are the three disadvantages of the laboratory experiment?
Loss of validity, ecological validity and demand characteristics
Expand on “loss of validity”
By having high levels of control the experiment loses its reality because it becomes artificial.
What was a laboratory experiment originally designed for and why is this an issue?
Laboratory experiments were designed for the natural sciences which are far less complicated than the human race. Human behaviour is affected by internal factors such as self awareness and emotions and motives relating to human consciousness
Expand on “ecological validity”
Ecological validity is concerned with the extent to which results are generalised to setting outside the lab. This is a problem because the lab is artificial.
Expand on “demand characteristics”
When participants try to understand the investigation so that they can behave in a way that either helps with the findings or mucks up the results. Participants may act in a way that makes them look better
