Types of experiments Flashcards
What are the types of experiments?
Laboratory
Field
Natural
Quasi
What are lab experiments?
They are conducted in highly controlled environments. This is not always in a literal lab.
What are field experiments?
Field experiments are conducted in a real, everyday setting in the field (real world).
The experimenter still manipulates the independent variable in this type of experiment.
What are natural experiments?
Natural experiments are when the researcher takes advantage of a naturally occurring independent variable.
It is called natural because the independent variable would still have occurred whether the experimenter was interested or not.
The setting for this type of experiment does not necessarily have to be natural.
What are quasi experiments?
Quasi experiments are when the researcher does not control the independent variable, but the independent variable is a pre-existing difference between participants.
For example, gender or age.
Quasi experiments can occur in lab conditions.
Strengths of laboratory experiments
High control of extraneous variables, which allows cause and effect to be established.
Makes accurate measurements possible.
High reliability as it uses a standardised process so it is easy to replicate.
Limitations of laboratory experiments
Participants may know that they are being studied - Hawthorne effect.
Demand characteristics.
May not reflect real life and lack ecological validity.
Lacks generalisability.
Low external validity.
Low mundane validity.
Strengths of field experiments
It has high ecological validity.
It is covert so there is less chance of demand characteristics.
High mundane realism.
High external validity.
Limitations of field experiments
Difficult to control extraneous variables.
Difficult to replicate.
Time-consuming and expensive.
Ethical issues around the participants not consenting.
Strengths of natural experiments
It is useful in studying phenomena that would be unethical to manipulate.
They often have high external validity because they involve the study of real-life issues.
Limitations of natural experiments
Participants can’t be randomly allocated to groups, so there are likely confounding variables.
Naturally occurring events may only happen very rarely.
Also limits the scope for generalising findings to other similar situations.
Strengths of quasi experiments
High control of extraneous variables.
Makes accurate measurements possible.
High reliability as it uses a standardised process so it is easy to replicate.
Limitations of quasi experiments
Participants may know that they are being studied - Hawthorne effect.
Demand characteristics.
May not reflect real life and lack ecological validity.
Lacks generalisability.
Low external validity.
Low mundane validity.
