RESEARCH METHODS- EXPERIMENTS Flashcards
What is the process for conducting a laboratory experiment in Sociology?
In Sociology, to conduct a laboratory experiment, you create a hypothesis, set up experimental and control groups, identify the independent and dependent variables, and measure the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Laboratory experiments are controlled in an artificial setting.
What is the main aim of a laboratory experiment?
The main aim of a laboratory experiment is to uncover cause-and-effect relationships.
What are the strengths of laboratory experiments in Sociology?
Practical: Quick and simple method for generating quantitative data.
Ethical: Participants give consent to be researched, and anonymity and confidentiality are maintained.
Theoretical: Reliable due to carefully controlled conditions; objectivity as the experimenter remains detached and unbiased.
What are the limitations of laboratory experiments in Sociology?
Practical: Society is complex, making it difficult to control all variables, and behavior in a laboratory may differ from real-life behavior.
Ethical: Deception (e.g., not fully informing participants about the study) and potential psychological harm.
Theoretical: Limited representativeness and the Hawthorne effect (where participants change behavior knowing they’re being observed), reducing validity.
Can you give an example of a laboratory experiment in Sociology?
Milgram’s obedience study, where participants were told to administer electric shocks to a learner (who was actually an actor) to see how far they would go under authority’s command. 65% of participants administered shocks up to 450 volts.
What is a field experiment in Sociology?
A field experiment is a test carried out under controlled conditions in a natural setting. It is often covert and manipulates variables to study their effects on participants.
What are the strengths of field experiments in Sociology?
Ethical: Anonymity and confidentiality can be maintained, and pseudonyms may be used.
Theoretical: More valid than laboratory experiments since they occur in a natural setting, reducing the artificiality of lab environments. Less prone to the Hawthorne effect due to covert observation.
What are the limitations of field experiments in Sociology?
Practical: More time-consuming and costly than laboratory experiments, and harder to control all variables.
Ethical: Most are covert, so informed consent is not obtained, and there could be psychological harm to participants.
Theoretical: The sample is often small and unrepresentative, and reliability is lower due to the inability to control all variables in a natural setting.
Can you provide an example of a field experiment in Sociology?
Mayo’s study at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne factory in the 1920s, which aimed to determine what factors affected workers’ productivity. It was found that productivity increased regardless of working conditions, which led to the discovery of the Hawthorne effect (workers changing behavior when they know they’re being studied).
What is the comparative method in Sociology?
The comparative method involves comparing two social groups that are similar in all aspects except one, using official statistics. This is often considered a thought experiment since no actual experimentation is involved.
What are the strengths of the comparative method in Sociology?
Practical: Can study past events, uses official statistics which are cheap and easy to obtain, and the data is quantitative and easy to analyze.
Ethical: Poses no ethical issues as there are no active participants.
Theoretical: Reliable and easy to replicate.
What are the limitations of the comparative method in Sociology?
Practical: The specific data needed may not exist or be available in official statistics.
Theoretical: The researcher may impose their own meanings on the data, reducing validity.
Can you give an example of the comparative method in Sociology?
Durkheim’s study on suicide, where he used official government statistics to compare suicide rates among different groups. He found that people who were socially isolated (e.g., single, childless Protestants living in the city) had higher suicide rates, confirming his hypothesis
