Types of experiments Flashcards
What are the different type of experiments?
-field
-labatory
-natural
-quasi
What is a lab experiment?
-conducted in highly controlled enviorments
Where can a lab experiment be done?
It doesn’t always have to be done in a lab
-it could be in a classroom that the conditions have been controlled in
What is a field experiment?
conducted in real, everyday setting
-in the field
What does the experimenter still do in a field experiment?
they still manipulate the IV even though it is occurring in a real setting
What is a natural experiment?
Researchers take advantage of the naturally occurring IV
Why is it called a natural experiment?
as the Iv would have occurred whether the experimenter was interested or not
-the researcher has no control over it
Is the environment really natural?
the setting for the experiment does not necessarily have to be natural
What is a quasi experiment?
The researcher does not control the IV
-the IV is a pre existing difference between the ppts
What are some examples of IV in a quasi experiment?
-gender/age
Where can a quasi experiment take place?
In lab conditions
Positives of lab experiments
-high control of extraneous variables, this allows the cause and effect to be established
-this type of experiment is highly controlled - allows accurate measurements to be possible
-standardized procedure and is easy to replicate
Negatives of lab experiments
-ppts may know they are being studied - this could eb a problem due to the Hawthorne effect
-demand characteristics are potentially an issue
-the setting may not reflect real life and therefore may lack ecological validity
Positives of field experiments
-high ecological validity as it is done in the ppts environment - everyday life
-if covert there is less chance of demand characteristics occurring
Negatives of field experiments
-harder to control extraneous variables so harder for other researchers to replicate
-potentially time consuming and expensive compared to other methods
