RM : Experiments

Question 1

Name one example from Lab experiment . what is about?

Answer 1

Milligram’s obedience research

• researched how ordinary people would go in obeying on insinuation from an authority figure. (even it meant harming other people)

Question 2

What were the process for Milgram’s obedience research?

what was the result for this ?

Answer 2

1. Milgram lied to the participant about the experiment into ‘learning and memory’
2. then made an role for the participants and the actors which:
   - ‘learner’=actor on electric chair
   - ‘experimenter’= actor (electric shock generator),
   - ‘teacher’= participants

3.then made ‘teacher’ to teach some word pairs to learn to ‘learner’

4. and if it makes mistakes, the teacher is generates electric shock to an learner.-> if they refused, they gave an order to continue

=> Results:
65% participants continued giving electric shock in highest volt.

Question 3

Name two key “classic” studies that used Experiments in their research and give sociologist’s names as well.

Answer 3

1. Milgram- (Lab experiment) Obedience
2. Zimbardo- (Field experiment)- Sandford Prison Experiment

Question 4

Name PET strengths in Milligram’s Obedience study

Answer 4

:)P: quick
:) E: benefit to society -showed that ordinary people are likely to follow authorities even it’s harming innocent human being .
:) T: valid-> due to deception, low risk of Hawthorne effect ,reliable (standardised process), detachment

Question 5

Name PET limitations in Milligram’s Obedience study

Answer 5

:( P: Snapshot( only research in short time) , low relevance
:( E: deception, emotional harm on participants , lack of confidentiality
:( T: low ecological validity,(artificial setting) , lack of verstehen, low representativeness( small scale- 40 participants)

Question 6

Name one example of field experiments ,what was about?

Answer 6

Zimbardo- Standford Prison experiments

• in 1971, phycologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues made an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or prison guard .

Question 7

what were the process for Zimbardo’s Sandford prison experiment? what was the results?

Answer 7

1. he made an life size accurate prison cell under the Stanford university’s phycology building.
2. 24 volunteers were randomly chosen to either be the prisoner group or the guard group
3. prisoners stayed 24 hours but the guard were allowed to go home after their shifts were finished. (researcher observed them using hidden cameras and microphones)

4.the experiments ended after 5 days due to the risk of further emotional harm on participants . as the guard began to act aggressive toward prisoners .

Question 8

what was the limitations for Zimbardo’s Sandford prison experiment?

Answer 8

Result:
after the experiment ,Zimbardo was criticized for influencing the results of the study as he was the ‘superintendent’ of the prison.
it has been argued that he asked how guards to act and act more aggressively.

Question 9

PET strengths in Zimbardo’s -Stanford prison experiment

Answer 9

P: relevant to understanding the US prison system at the time

E: useful for society- greater understanding of social roles

T: detailed ,depth ,high verstehen, reliable

Question 10

PET limitation in Zimbardo’s -Stanford prison experiment

Answer 10

P: time consuming (should’ve been 2 weeks)

E: emotional harm, confidentiality

T: Hawthorne effect, low validity, low representativeness

Question 11

what are the two types of experiment? Define two.

Answer 11

1. Laboratory experiment
2. Field experiments

Question 12

what is Laboratory experiment?

Answer 12

a research method which researchers create controllable environments to test hypotheses. lab experiments are used for academic research.

Question 13

what is field experiments?

Answer 13

some experiments that take place outside of the laboratory in a subject’s natural environment.

Question 14

what are the practical strengths of using lab experiments?

Answer 14

-Cost/time: can be done quite
quickly if facilities are
readily available and at little cost

Question 15

what are the practical limitations of using lab experiments?

Answer 15

-control of variables :society is complex, can’t control all the variables

-snap shot: can only study one particular time so no historical dimension to the research.

-small sample: can only study issue that only affects small groups of people -limiting relevance

Question 16

what are the ethical strengths of using lab experiments?

Answer 16

-Beneficial for society: can often provide outcomes that are useful for society to understand.
(e.g. Milgram’s study into obedience helped people to understand how individuals are influenced by authority figures)

-Debriefing : debriefing participants at the end of the study as it can lack some informed consent .

Question 17

what are the ethical limitations of using lab experiments?

Answer 17

-informed consent: some people may not understand the nature of the experiment. So can’t provide informed consent( children, those with learning difficulties)
Can mislead people about the research

-Harm: experiments can cause distress or some physical and emotional harm . (Milgram’s electro shock research)

Question 18

what are the theoretical strengths of using lab experiments?

Answer 18

-Reliability
-Objectivity
-Cause and effect relationships /correlations: Lab experiments are useful for discovering cause and effect relationships between independent and dependent relationships

Question 19

what are the theoretical limitations of using lab experiments?

Answer 19

• Validity : researchers know they are part of the experiments . So this might cause Hawthorne effect.

-Ecological Validity : Experiments are conducted in artificial environments . So people will not react how they will normally react

-Representativeness: small scale and small sample size => cannot be generalised

Question 20

what are the positivist’s Theoretical perspectives on using Lab experiments?

Answer 20

favour lab experiments as they allow causal laws through manipulation of an independent variables and the measuring of an effect on dependent variable. If the experiments is carried covertly, the behaviour being measured should be objective therefore , valid. The lab experiments can be replicated and can be repeated therefore , it’s reliable.

Question 21

what are the interpretivist’s Theoretical perspectives on using Lab experiments?

Answer 21

believe lab experiments is not valid as they carried out in artificial environment and do not encourage natural behavior. They cannot reveal the interactions between people as it only produce snap shot. It doesn’t tell us why people react in certain ways .

Question 22

what are the Feminist’s Theoretical perspectives on using Lab experiments?

Answer 22

believe that lab experiments create an un equal power relationship between the dominant researcher and the compliant participants . Historically often lab experiments happened between only males and ignoring female experience and issues that women will more likely to identify with.

Question 23

what are the practical strengths of using field experiments?

Answer 23

-Access: you may be able to study
groups who would not grant access
in a controlled setting .

Question 24

what are the practical limitations of suing field experiments?

Answer 24

• Access: having opportunistic sampling, may be a small number of participants in an area in given times ,takes longer

Question 25

what are the ethical strengths of using field experiments?

Answer 25

• Useful for society : tells how people behave
  (e.g. bystander effect )

Question 26

what are the ethical limitations of using field experiments?

Answer 26

-informed consent: people are often deceive about the true nature of the research or are unware that they are part of the an experiments

Question 27

what are the theoretical strengths of using field experiments?

Answer 27

-validity : takes place in wider society
so people behave in more natural way.
As the research is kept covertly,
it reduces Hawthorne effect.

Question 28

what are the theoretical limitations of using field experiments?

Answer 28

-Validity: if people know they are part of the experiments people will behave differently

-control of variables: it is harder to control variables in the field .

-Reliability: due to taking place in natural environments may be hard to accurately replicate.

Question 29

what is positivist’s Theoretical perspectives on using field experiments?

Answer 29

believe that field experiments can sometimes lack validity as it harder to control variables that may affect participant’s behaviour. This reduces objectivity and minimise the accuracy of patterns of causation

Question 30

what is interactionist’s Theoretical perspectives on using field experiments?

Answer 30

favour field experiments over lab experiments as they involve the observation and analysis of more natural behaviour . However, the structure nature of field experiments will result quantitative data that limits validity of the research . They don’t tell us why unless they are triangulated with interviews .

Question 31

what are the practical strengths of using comparative method ?

Answer 31

-fewer resources needed:
fewer resources such as lab
equipment are required ,
reducing the need for expenses and training .

Question 32

what are the practical limitations of using comparative method ?

Answer 32

Control over variables : harder to accurately control all relevant variables => limits validity

Question 33

what are the ethical strengths of using comparative method ?

Answer 33

-fewer ethical issues :
should avoid issues of causing harm
and gaining informed consent .

Question 34

what are the ethical limitations of using comparative method?

Answer 34

Sensitive issues: the comparative method involves analysing data and establishing causal laws through inductive method. Can trigger people .(e.g. Durkheim’s suicide study)

Question 35

what are the theoretical strengths of using comparative method?

Answer 35

-Theoretical issues (Artificiality): less artificial
than lab experiments
-Patterns and trends : easier to analyse groups
and grow comparisons=>causal laws and social facts
-Objective: many positivist who have used
the comparative method feel it’s objective
due to use of inductive method

Question 36

what are the theoretical limitations of using comparative method?

Answer 36

-A thought Experiment: the groups selected may differ by more than one variables .

-Validity: The data you collect may not be accurate .

Question 37

what is positivist’s Theoretical perspectives on using comparative method?

Answer 37

believe that comparative method , if conducted using quantitative data such as official statistics are good way of establishing causal laws . This is because use of induction (analyse in objective way and creating hypothesis) to understand human behaviour .

Question 38

what is interpretivist’s Theoretical perspectives on using comparative method?

Answer 38

would not favour as the reliance on quantitative data that can lack validity . They argue that human are best understand through meaningful interactions rather than analysing from hypotheses .