Types of Experiment Flashcards
What are lab experiments?
Experiments conducted in highly controlled environments.
What are the benefits of lab experiments having control over CVs and EVs?
What can be established?
This leads to which type of validity?
It means that the researcher can ensure that any effect on the DV is a result on the IV only.
This means that cause and effect can be established, leading to high internal validity.
How do lab experiments enable replication?
High control means that the chances of new EVs being introduced when repeating an experiment are reduced.
Why is replication of experiments important?
To check whether findings of an experiments are consistent and not a one off.
Why might lab experiments lack generalisability?
What type of validity does this cause?
Lab environments are artificial and may not reflect everyday life.
This means lab studies may have low external validity.
How could lab experiments affect behaviour and cause demand characteristics?
Labs are unfamiliar, so PPTs may behave unnaturally. PPTs may also notice the controlled nature of the environment, which leads to demand characteristics.
Why might lab studies have low mundane realism?
Tasks that PPTs do may be unrelated to everyday life.
What are field experiments?
Studies where the IV is manipulated in a setting that is natural/usual to the PPT.
Why do field experiments have higher mundane realism?
What type of validity does this lead to?
As the study takes place in a natural environment, tasks that PPTs do and behaviours are also likely to be natural. This leads to high external validity.
What variables do we lose control of in field experiments?
What does this mean for cause and effect and replication?
CVs and EVs
This means cause and effect is harder to establish and therefore replication is often not possible.
Why might there be ethical issues with field experiments?
Many field experiments take place unbeknownst to PPTs. This means they cannot consent to being observed.
What are natural experiments?
Experiments that can take place in a lab or field, but the IV is naturally occurring and therefore the researcher cannot manipulate it.
What variable can be chosen by researchers in natural experiments?
DV
Why do natural experiments usually have high external validity?
They usually involve the study of real world issues/events.
How do natural experiments provide opportunities for research that may not always be allowed? Give an example of a study.
They allow us to study socially sensitive topics, such as the Romanian orphans, that may not usually be allowed because of ethical issues.
