Lab experiment, Quasi-experiment, Natural experiment, Field experiment
what is a lab experiment?
in a lab under carefully controlled settings, attempting to eliminate extraneous varibles
participants are aware
random allocation is possible
what are the strengths of a lab experiment?
Control, precision, replication is possible, and ability to establish cause and effect relationships.
what are the weaknesses of a lab experiment?
lack generalisability (artificial/not like normal life) and demand characteristics are more likely to occur
what is a field experiment?
An experiment conducted in a real-world setting, outside of a laboratory.
in a field study you can still manipulate the IV but participants are often unaware, random allocation is not possible.
what are strengths of a field study?
has high mundane realism because the environment is natural
valid and authentic
what are some weaknesses of a field experiment?
loss of control of EV + CV —> cause and effect is harder to establish
unethical —> participants are unaware that they are being studied so they cannot give consent
what is a natural experiment?
An observational study where the assignment of participants to different groups is determined by nature or other factors outside of the researcher's control.
random allocation is not possible during a natural experiment
what are some strengths of a natural experiment?
provide opportunities for research that may not otherwise be undertaken
have high external validity —> study of real-world problems as they happen
what are some weaknesses of a natural experiment?
naturally occurring event may only happen rarely
participants may not be randomly allocated to experimental conditions, less knowledge of effects of IV on DV