Topic 3 - Experiments Flashcards
What is meant by an experimental Group when wanting to discover what causes plants to grow?
An experimental group is where we may vary the quantity of nutrients that the plants receive , measuring and recording any changes in the plants size
What is meant by a control group when wanting to discover what causes plants to grow ?
A control group is where we would keep the quantity of nutrients constant , also measuring and recording any changes in the size of the plants.
What is meant by reliability ?
Reliability is where once an experiment has been conducted then other scientists can replicate it , experiment will produce the same results each time.
give 2 reasons why a laboratory experiment highly reliable ?
-the original experimenter can specify precisely what steps were followed in the original experiment so other researchers can repeat in the future.
-It is a very detached method - the researcher merely manipulates the variables and records the results . the scientists personal feelings and opinions have no effect on the outcome of the experiment.
Who may favor lab experiments and why ?
Positivist sociologists may favors lab experiments since they favor scientific approaches and lab experiment’s have the major advantage of identifying cause and effect relationships.
What are the 3 practical problems of lab experiments ?
-Society is a very complex phenomenon , so it would be impossible to identify or control all the possible variables that might exert an influence on say a Childs educational achievement.
-Lab experiments cannot be used to study the past , since its impossible to control variables in the past.
-Lab experiments only study small scale samples which makes it difficult to investigate large scale social phenomena such as religions or voting patterns , the small scale nature also reduces the representativeness
What are the 3 ethical problems of lab experiments ?
-Lack of informed consent -as a general principle , the researcher needs the informed consent of the research participants , however this may be difficult to obtain from groups such as children or people with learning difficulties who may not be able to understand the nature and purpose of the experiment.
-Deception - It is generally considered wrong to mislead people as to the nature of the experiment.
-Harm - the experiment may also harm the participants
What is the Hawthorne Effect ?
The Hawthorne effect is where people know they are being studied so may behave differently , for example by trying to second guess what the researcher wants them to do and acting accordingly, this will ruin the experiment
Why is a lab experiment unlikely to be valid ?
A lab experiment is unlikely to be valid because a laborarty is not a normal or natural environment so it is thus likely that any behaviour in these conditions is also unnatural or artifical such as the Hawthorne effect.
