Types of experiment

Question 1

What are the four types of experiment?

Answer 1

• Laboratory
• Field
• Natural
• Quasi

Question 2

What is a laboratory experiment?

Answer 2

Conducted in highly controlled environments. Experimenter manipulates IV

Question 3

what are the two strengths of a laboratory experiment?

Answer 3

• High control of extraneous variables= High internal validity (IV causing change in DV)
• Replication possible to check results are valid.

Question 4

What are the two limitations of a laboratory experiment?

Answer 4

• Lack of generalisability to beyond the research setting= low ecological validity
• Increase demand characteristics

Question 5

What is a Field experiment?

Answer 5

IV manipulated in a more natural, everyday setting

Question 6

what is the strength of a Field experiments?

Answer 6

• Higher ecological validity-Behaviour more likely to represent behaviour in real world

Question 7

What are the three limitations of Field experiments?

Answer 7

• Lack of control of extraneous variables= lower internal validity
• Replication much harder
• Ethical issues- if participants don’t know they are being studied they cannot be debriefed.

Question 8

What is a Natural experiment?

Answer 8

Change in the IV is not brought about by the researcher, but would have varied naturally, without the researcher.

Question 9

what are the two strengths of Natural experiments?

Answer 9

• Can use this method to conduct research that may not have otherwise been possible due to practical or ethical reasons
• High ecological validity

Question 10

What are the three limitations of Natural experiments?

Answer 10

• Can’t randomly assign participants to groups (in independent groups) so hard to control participant variables
• Hard to replicate
• Cannot demonstrate causal relationships because IV not directly manipulated.

Question 11

What is a Quasi Experiment?

Answer 11

Where the IV is not something that varies, but is a condition that exists- e.g. age, gender, level of depression etc.

Question 12

What are the two strengths of Quasi Experiments?

Answer 12

• Carried out in controlled conditions so have high internal validity
• Replication is possible

Question 13

What is the limitation of Quasi Experiments?

Answer 13

• Cannot randomly allocate participants and so could be confounding variables.