TYPES OF EXPERIMENTS

• Lab Experiment:

  • Done in a highly controlled environment (not necessarily a lab)
  • Researcher will use a standardised procedure during the experiment (same for all participants e.g. place, time)
  • STRENGTHS: Standardised procedure (easy to replicate), control of extraneous & independent variables (cause and effect relationship can be established)
  • WEAKNESSES: Demand Characteristics (bias results, become confounding variables), artificial setting- (low ecological validity) unnatural behaviour so findings cannot be generalised
• Field Experiment:

  • Conducted in a real-life setting
  • Situations are still artificially set up, IV is still manipulated
  • STRENGTHS: Behaviour- may reflect real life as it is a natural setting, less likelihood of demand characteristics
  • WEAKNESSES: No consent (ethical issues), Less control over extraneous variables- may bias the results, harder to replicate 
• NATURAL:

  • Naturally occurring IV is investigated- isn’t deliberately manipulated (exists anyway)
  • E.g. Pre / Post Covid (not because of researcher, researcher investigates)
• QUASI EXPERIMENT:

  • IV isn’t determined- variables simply exist
  • IV cannot be manipulated 
  • Based on pre-existing differences e.g age, gender
• STRENGTHS OF QUASI / NATURAL EXPERIMENTS:

  • Behaviour- reflects real life (natural setting)
  • Can be used in situations which it would be ethically unacceptable to manipulate the IV
• WEAKNESSES OF QUASI / NATURAL EXPERIMENTS:

  • No control over extraneous variables
  • Participants cannot be randomly allocated (extraneous variables)
  • IV isn’t manipulated- casual relationship cannot be established