Locations of Research Flashcards
What is a laboratory experiment?
Conducting research in a laboratory is the most scientific way to conduct research. A laboratory is a room equipped to allow scientific research and measurement.
What is an online experiment?
This method of research has only arisen in the last couple of decades. It allows researchers to be able to access participants via the internet.
What is a field experiment?
Conducting research in the field is where psychologists conduct and collect research data outside of a laboratory, in a more natural setting. Field research happens in many locations and in general the setting is more natural.
What are the advantages to conducting research in a laboratory?
Laboratories allow researchers to measure research variables more easily, making it easier to control confounding or extraneous variables. It also makes it easier for other researchers to replicate the research. It also allows psychologists to use equipment that isn’t very portable e.g PET scans.
What are the disadvantages to conducting research in a laboratory?
Laboratories may cause participants to demonstrate demand characteristics. Also some research cannot be conducted in a laboratory because of the nature of the behaviour being observed.
What are the advantages to conducting research in the field?
Useful if you want to minimize the artificial nature of research. When people are in an everyday environment they are more likely to behave more naturally. Field research allows psychologists to research in a range of contexts that would difficult to accommodate in a laboratory.
What are the disadvantages to conducting research in the field?
Conducting research in the field makes it more difficult to control confounding and extraneous variables. Conducting research in the field means that there’s equipment such as brain scanning machines.
What are the advantages to conducting research online?
Gives the researcher the ability to access a large number of participants from a variety of places. It is also cost effective and cheap.
What are the disadvantages to conducting research online?
Methods of online research tends to be limited with most be surveys or questionnaires. Researchers also have no way to tell if a participant has read the terms and conditions and therefore whether they have given valid & informed consent.
