Types of Experiment

Question 1

What is a labotory experiment?

Answer 1

• An experiment that takes place in a controlled environment within which the researcher manipulates the IV and records effect on DV

Question 2

What are the strengths of laboratory experiments?

Answer 2

• Have high control over confounding and extraenuous variables
• means that researcher can ensure any affect on DV is likely to be result of manipulation of the IV- we can be more certain about demonstrating cause & effect
• Replication is more possible than in any other types of experiment because of high level of control
• Ensures that new extraenuous variables are not introduced when repeating an experiment

Question 3

What are the limitations of a lab study?

Answer 3

• May lack generalisability
• Lab environment may be artificial & not like everday life
• Participants may behave in unusual ways so their behaviour cannot be generalised beyond research setting
• Ppts are usually aware they are being tested in a lab may give ‘unnatural behaviour’ (demand characteristics)
• Low mundane realism- tasks ppts are asked to carry out in a lab experiment may not represent everyday experience

Question 4

What is a field experiment?

Answer 4

• An experiment that takes place in a natural setting within which the researcher manipulates the IV & records effect on DV

Question 5

What are the strengths for a field experiment?

Answer 5

• Have higher mundane realism because environment is more natural
• Thus field experiments may produce behaviour that is more valid and authentic
• This is especially the case as participants may be unaware that they are being studied

Question 6

What are the limitations of a field experiment?

Answer 6

• Can be a loss of control of control variables and extraenuous variables
• This means that cause & effect between the IV and DV is field studies may be much more difficult to establish.
• Also ethical issues- if participants are unaware that they are being studied, they cannot consent to being studied
• & such research may constitute and invasion of privacy

Question 7

What are natural experiments?

Answer 7

• An experiment where the change in the IV is not brought about by the researcher but would have happened even if the researcher had not been there
• Researcher records the effect on a DV they have decided on

Question 8

What are the strengths of natural experiments?

Answer 8

• Natural experiments provide opportunities for research that may not otherwise be undertaken for practical or ethical reasons.
• Often have high external validity because they involve study of real world issues & problems as they happen.

Question 9

What are the limitations of natural experiments?

Answer 9

• A naturally occuring event may only happen very rarely, reducing the opportunities for research
• This may also limit the scope for generalising findings to other similar situations

Question 10

What are quasi experiments?

Answer 10

• Quasi-experiments contain a naturally occurring IV.
• However, in a quasi-experiment the naturally occurring IV is a difference between people that already exists (i.e. gender, age).
• The researcher examines the effect of this variable on the dependent variable (DV).

Question 11

What are the strengths and limitations of a quasi experiment?

Answer 11

Strengths:
- Quasi experiments are often carried out under controlled conditions

Limitations:
- Quasi experiments, like natural experiments, cannot randomly allocate participants to conditions therefore there may be confounding variables