Field experiment

• What is a field experiment?

  1. It occurs in the 'real world'.
  2. Have an experimental design but they are carried out in a natural environment for what is being studied.
  3. The IV is still manipulated but the environment is different.
• What is a strength of a field experiment?

  It takes place in a real life setting. This is a strength as it has high ecological validity, so researchers can generalise results to real life settings.
• What is a strength of field experiments?

  There is a lower risk of demand characteristics due to the natural environment. This is a strength as it has higher internal validity.
• What is a strength of field experiments?

  Researchers can establish cause and effect relationships between IV and DV as the IV is manipulated. This is a strength as researchers can then predict behaviour.
• What is a weakness of field experiments?

  There is a higher risk of extraneous variables due to the real life setting. This is a weakness as it means the experiment has low internal validity.
• What is a weakness of field experiments?

  They are difficult to replicate due to no standardised conditions. This is a weakness as other researchers cannot check the reliability easily.
• What is a weakness of field experiments?

  They can be more expensive to carry out due to cost of moving equipment, e.g., transport if there is a change of location.