Types of experiment Flashcards
What is a lab experiment in psychology?
A lab experiment is conducted in a controlled environment where the experimenter controls all variables except the independent variable.
What are the advantages of lab experiments?
High internal validity and replicability due to controlled conditions.
What are the disadvantages of lab experiments?
May lack external validity, mundane realism, and may suffer from demand characteristics.
What is a field experiment in psychology?
A field experiment is conducted in a natural environment where participants may not know they are part of a study.
What are the advantages of field experiments?
Increased external validity, higher mundane realism, and reduced demand characteristics.
What are the disadvantages of field experiments?
Less control over extraneous variables and reduced internal validity.
What is a natural experiment?
An experiment where the independent variable naturally occurs, and the researcher observes the changes in the dependent variable.
What are the advantages of natural experiments?
Allows research on situations that are unethical or impractical to replicate, with high external validity.
What are the disadvantages of natural experiments?
Lack of control over variables, making it difficult to establish cause and effect.
What is a quasi-experiment?
An experiment where participants cannot be randomly assigned to different levels of the independent variable.
What are the advantages of quasi-experiments?
Allows the study of factors that cannot be manipulated, such as gender or age.
What are the disadvantages of quasi-experiments?
Potential for confounding variables due to pre-existing group differences.
