Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 18 views

    Experimental Method

    Uploaded by

    ruqqi
    The document describes different types of experiments: laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. Laboratory experiments are conducted under highly controlled conditions to allow for precise manipulation and measurement of variables. Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings but still involve manipulation of independent variables. Natural experiments observe natural phenomena without manipulation. Each type has strengths like ecological validity but also limitations like lack of control over extraneous variables. Control and manipulation of variables allows determining cause-and-effect relationships which is a key aspect of scientific experiments.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Experimental Method

    Uploaded by

    ruqqi
    18 views3 pages
    The document describes different types of experiments: laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. Laboratory experiments are conducted under highly controlled conditions to allow for precise manipulation and measurement of variables. Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings but still involve manipulation of independent variables. Natural experiments observe natural phenomena without manipulation. Each type has strengths like ecological validity but also limitations like lack of control over extraneous variables. Control and manipulation of variables allows determining cause-and-effect relationships which is a key aspect of scientific experiments.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document describes different types of experiments: laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. Laboratory experiments are conducted under highly controlled conditions to allow for precise manipulation and measurement of variables. Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings but still involve manipulation of independent variables. Natural experiments observe natural phenomena without manipulation. Each type has strengths like ecological validity but also limitations like lack of control over extraneous variables. Control and manipulation of variables allows determining cause-and-effect relationships which is a key aspect of scientific experiments.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    18 views3 pages

    Experimental Method

    Uploaded by

    ruqqi
    The document describes different types of experiments: laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. Laboratory experiments are conducted under highly controlled conditions to allow for precise manipulation and measurement of variables. Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings but still involve manipulation of independent variables. Natural experiments observe natural phenomena without manipulation. Each type has strengths like ecological validity but also limitations like lack of control over extraneous variables. Control and manipulation of variables allows determining cause-and-effect relationships which is a key aspect of scientific experiments.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 3

    Experimental Method

    The prime method of inquiry in science is the experiment. The key features are control over
    variables, careful measurement, and establishing cause and effect relationships.

    An experiment is an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested. In an experiment,


    an independent variable (the cause) is manipulated and the dependent variable (the effect) is
    measured; any extraneous variables are controlled.

    An advantage is that experiments should be objective. The views and opinions of the researcher
    should not affect the results of a study. This is good as it makes the data more valid, and less
    biased
    There are three types of experiments you need to know:

    1. Lab Experiment
    A laboratory experiment is an experiment conducted under highly controlled conditions (not
    necessarily a laboratory), where accurate measurements are possible.

    The researcher decides where the experiment will take place, at what time, with which
    participants, in what circumstances and using a standardized procedure. Participants are
    randomly allocated to each independent variable group.

    An example is Milgram’s experiment on obedience or Loftus and Palmer's car crash study.

     Strength: It is easier to replicate (i.e. copy) a laboratory experiment. This is because a


    standardized procedure is used.
     Strength: They allow for precise control of extraneous and independent variables. This
    allows a cause and effect relationship to be established.
     Limitation: The artificiality of the setting may produce unnatural behavior that does not
    reflect real life, i.e. low ecological validity. This means it would not be possible to
    generalize the findings to a real life setting.
     Limitation: Demand characteristics or experimenter effects may bias the results and
    become confounding variables.

    2. Field Experiment
    Field experiments are done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants. The
    experimenter still manipulates the independent variable, but in a real-life setting (so cannot really
    control extraneous variables).

    An example is Holfing’s hospital study on obedience.


     Strength: behavior in a field experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its
    natural setting, i.e. higher ecological validity than a lab experiment.
     Strength: There is less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results, as
    participants may not know they are being studied. This occurs when the study is covert.
     Limitation: There is less control over extraneous variables that might bias the results.
    This makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the study in exactly the same
    way.

    3. Natural Experiment
    Natural experiments are conducted in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants,
    but here the experimenter has no control over the independent variable as it occurs naturally in
    real life.

    For example, Hodges and Tizard's attachment research (1989) compared the long term
    development of children who have been adopted, fostered or returned to their mothers with a
    control group of children who had spent all their lives in their biological families.

     Strength: behavior in a natural experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its
    natural setting, i.e. very high ecological validity.
     Strength: There is less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results, as
    participants may not know they are being studied.
     Strength: Can be used in situations in which it would be ethically unacceptable to
    manipulate the independent variable, e.g. researching stress.
     Limitation: They may be more expensive and time consuming than lab experiments.
     Limitation: There is no control over extraneous variables that might bias the results. This
    makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the study in exactly the same way.

    Key Terminology
    Ecological validity

    The degree to which an investigation represents real-life experiences.

    Experimenter effects

    These are the ways that the experimenter can accidentally influence the participant through their
    appearance or behavior.

    Demand characteristics

    The clues in an experiment that lead the participants to think they know what the researcher is
    looking for (e.g. experimenter’s body language).

    Independent variable (IV)


    Variable the experimenter manipulates (i.e. changes) – assumed to have a direct effect on the
    dependent variable.

    Dependent variable (DV)

    Variable the experimenter measures. This is the outcome (i.e. result) of a study.

    Extraneous variables (EV)

    All variables, which are not the independent variable, but could affect the results (DV) of the
    experiment. EVs should be controlled where possible.

    Confounding variables

    Variable(s) that have affected the results (DV), apart from the IV. A confounding variable could
    be an extraneous variable that has not been controlled.

    Random Allocation

    Randomly allocating participants to independent variable conditions means that all participants
    should have an equal chance of taking part in each condition.

    The principle of random allocation is to avoid bias in the way the experiment is carried out and
    to limit the effects of participant variables.

    Order effects

    Changes in participants’ performance due to their repeating the same or similar test more than
    once. Examples of order effects include:

    (i) practice effect: an improvement in performance on a task due to repetition, for example,
    because of familiarity with the task;

    (ii) fatigue effect: a decrease in performance of a task due to repetition, for example, because of
    boredom or tiredness.

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy