Experimental research methods

Question 1

Purpose of lab experiment

Answer 1

• to control all relevant variables, except one key variable to see what the effect is
• the variable altered is the independent variable
• conducted in artificial setting

Question 2

Advantages of lab experiment

Answer 2

• control- effects of confounding variables minimised
• replication- strict control means the study can be run again
• casual relationships- possible to establish if one variable actually causes change in another

Question 3

Disadvatages of lab experiment

Answer 3

• artifical- experiments might not measure real life behaviour
• demand characteristics- pps may respond according to what they think is being investigated
• ethics- deception is often used

Question 4

Purpose of field experiment

Answer 4

• conducted outside the lab
• behaviour is measured in a natural environment
• a key variable is altered so that its effect can be measured

Question 5

Advantages of field experiments

Answer 5

• cause and effect can be established, however difficult to do
• ecological validity- less artificial than those done in lab
• demand characteristics- these can be avoided if pps don’t know they’re in a study

Question 6

Disadvantages of field experiment

Answer 6

• less control- confounding variables may be more likely in a natural environment
• ethics- pps who didn’t agree to take part may experience distress and can’t be debriefed

Question 7

Purpose of natural experiments

Answer 7

• researcher looks at how an independent variable, which isn’t manipulated, affects a dependent variable
• IV not manipulated because it’s an event which occurs naturally
• pps allocated randomly

Question 8

Advantages of natural experiments

Answer 8

• ethical- possible to study variables that it would be unethical to manipulate
• demand characteristics- pps might not know they’re in a study
• ecological validity- tend to be less artifical than lab experiments

Question 9

Disadvantages of natural experiments

Answer 9

• casual relationships- because IV isn’t manipulated, it’s hard to establish casual relationships
• ethics- deception is used, making informed consent difficult

Question 10

Purpose of quasi experiments

Answer 10

• researcher unable to use random allocation

- IV is a particular feature of the pps, such as gender

Question 11

Advantages of quasi experiments

Answer 11

• control- carried under controlled conditions
• ecological validity- the research is often less artificial than lab studies so more able to generalise results to real life

Question 12

Disadvantages of quasi experiments

Answer 12

• pp allocation- confounding variables

- hard to establish cause and effect because IV not being manipulated