Laboratory Experiments - PERVERT Flashcards
Practical factors
Strengths: Laboratory experiments provide a controlled environment, allowing researchers to manipulate variables precisely. This control enhances the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
Weaknesses: The artificial setting of a laboratory may limit the generalisability of findings to real-world settings. Additionally, conducting experiments in a lab can be costly and time-consuming.
Ethical factors
Strengths: Researchers can ensure ethical standards are met by obtaining informed consent, minimizing harm, and maintaining confidentiality in a controlled environment.
Weaknesses: However, certain experimental manipulations may raise ethical concerns, such as deceiving participants or exposing them to stressful situations.
Reliability
Strengths: Laboratory experiments often yield high reliability due to the controlled conditions, making it easier to replicate the study and obtain consistent results.
Weaknesses: However, reliability may be compromised if there are inconsistencies in how the experiment is conducted or if there are unintended variations in the environment or participants.
Validity
Strengths: Laboratory experiments can demonstrate high internal validity, as the controlled environment allows researchers to isolate the effects of specific variables and minimize confounding factors.
Weaknesses: However, the artificiality of the lab setting may reduce the experiment’s external validity, limiting its applicability to real-world situations.
Examples
Strengths: Classic psychological experiments like Stanley Milgram’s obedience study or Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment demonstrate the power of laboratory settings in revealing human behaviour under controlled conditions.
Weaknesses: These examples also highlight the ethical concerns and controversies that can arise from conducting experiments in such controlled environments.
Representativeness
Strengths: By randomly selecting participants or using large sample sizes, researchers can enhance the representativeness of their findings, increasing the likelihood of generalizing the results to the broader population.
Weaknesses: However, the artificial nature of the lab setting may still introduce biases, and certain populations may be underrepresented, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Theoretical factors
Strengths: Laboratory experiments allow researchers to test and refine theoretical concepts in a controlled manner, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge.
Weaknesses: However, the controlled nature of experiments may oversimplify complex social phenomena, leading to a lack of ecological validity and potentially overlooking important contextual factors.
