The experimental and comparative methods Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

The experiment is the main way of conducting research in the

A

natural sciences

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Experiments are used to test a hypothesis and must be done

A

in laboratory conditions so that the researcher can isolate and manipulate variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

In experiments, the researcher takes 2 groups (the control group and the experimental group) and

A

alters a factor (the independent variable) in the experimental group to see if the dependent variable changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Advantages of the experimental method

A
  • enables scientists to test hypotheses in controlled conditions
  • makes it easy to isolate and manipulate variables to find the cause of events
  • repeatable so can be checked by other researchers
  • enables comparisons with similar research
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Example of an experiment - Rosenthal and Jacobson’s Pygmalion in the Classroom

A
  • done in the field rather than a lab so couldn’t fully isolate variables
  • independent variable was whether teachers were told students were high ability
  • dependent variable was students’ results
  • provided evidence for the self-fulfilling prophecy
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Example of an experiment: Bandura’s Bobo doll study

A
  • more of a psychological experiment
  • independent variable was what the children were shown
  • dependent variable was behaviour towards doll
  • used to support the hypodermic syringe model
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Problems with the experimental method

A
  • the Hawthorne effect
  • difficult to isolate a single cause of a social issue like crime or educational underachievement
  • may have negative effects on participants
  • people may object to being experimented on
  • if people don’t realise they’re in an experiment (eg to avoid hawthorne effect), the researcher won’t have informed consent
  • experiments are often only possible in small-scale settings
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Hawthorne effect definition

A

when the presence of a researcher, or a group’s knowledge that it is the focus of attention, changes the behaviour of a group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Hawthorne experiment (found evidence of Hawthorne effect)

A
  • Elton Mayo experimenting on productivity of factor workers in the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electricity Company of Chicago
  • testing various conditions eg room temperature, lighting, rest length etc but found that productivity went up even when conditions were made worse
  • concluded that it was the presence of researches which increased productivity - The Hawthorne Effect
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Field experiments are conducted

A

in the real world in normal social conditions (mainly done by interpretivists)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Example of field experiment - Rosenhan ‘On being sane in insane places’

A
  • looking at how mental hospitals labelled people as mentally ill
  • arranged for sane ‘patients’ to fake symptoms of schizophrenia, then act normally once admitted to hospital - all were diagnosed as schizophrenic
  • then he told the staff to expect patients who were faking illness - the staff thought they had identified all of the fake patients but actually all those who they identified were genuine patients
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

The comparative method

A
  • alternative to experiments (with the same principles)
  • researcher collects data about different societies or social groups in the real world, then compares them to see conditions present in one group and try to explain some social event
  • most commonly used by positivists trying to isolate and identify the causes of behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Example of the comparative method - Durkheim’s suicide study

A
  • compared official suicide statistics in various societies and examined them to see what seemed to be the factors associated with a high suicide rate
  • compared variables such as religion, marriage and geographical location
  • concluded that different suicide rates could be partially explained by different religious beliefs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly