Methods - Experiments

Question 1

What are the three types of experiment?

Answer 1

• Lab
• Field
• Thought, or the comparative method

Question 2

In an experiment, what must you consider?

Answer 2

• Independent variable: the factor you change
• Dependent variable: the factor you measure
• Control variable: the factors you keep the same

Question 3

What are the two groups in an experiment?

Answer 3

• The experimental group: the group that you change the IV from regular to see the effect on the DV
• The control groups: the group that you keep the IV the same as regular to measure the difference of the regular DV

Question 4

What are the practical problems and advantages of a lab experiment?

Answer 4

+ One of the few methods able to draw a direct link between two variables in sociology
- Keat and Urry (1982): experiments only work on closed systems where researcher has control, society is an open system
- Difficult to investigate large-scale phenomena give often small samples due to detail of work, as well as narrow focus on cause-and-effect

Question 5

What are the ethical disadvantages of lab experiments?

Answer 5

• Deception: in order to gain valid results, one must lie to their participants
• Possible emotional harm due to being treated as a subject and possible dehumanisation
• Possible long-term damage if investigating things like discrimination

Question 6

What are the theoretical problems and advantages of lab experiments?

Answer 6

+ Positivists: very reliable, scientists can specific exact steps taken and allow others to repeat and verify
- Interpretivists: lacks both external validity (due to artificiality) and internal validity (due to the Hawthorne effect and expectancy bias)
- The Hawthorne effect: people will behave differently when they know they are being studied
- Very artificial, expectancy bias

Question 7

What makes a field experiment different from a lab experiment?

Answer 7

• Takes place in a natural environment
• Lack of informed consent

Question 8

Give the problems and advantages of field experiments

Answer 8

Practical
+ Have to control for less variable
- Still small samples
Ethical
+ Less dehumanisation and possibly less harm
- No informed consent
Theoretical
+ More valid as natural environment
- Loss of validity and reliability with less variables

Question 9

What is a thought experiment? Give the two steps.

Answer 9

It is an experiment, involving control and experimental groups and IVs and DVs, but that involves no actual experimentation on people, just observation and comparison between groups.
1. Identify two groups of people with only one variable difference
2. Compare the DV of your two groups to see if there is a difference

Question 10

What are the problems and advantages of thought experiments?

Answer 10

Practical
+ Very easy, mainly looks at documents
- May lack resources for certain groups, like criminals
Ethical
+ No experimentation being done
- Often lacks consent
Theoretical
+ Can analyse the past
- Lack of control over CVs