Field experiments

• Field experiment

  • Takes place in the subject's natural surroundings, rather than in an artificial lab environment
  • Those involved are generally not aware that they are the subjects of an experiment (no Hawthorne Effect)
• Field experiment

  Researcher manipulates one or more of the variables in the situation to see what effect it has on the subjects
• Field experiment

  • Rosenthal and Jacobson study
• Rosenthal and Jacobson study

  Told a school (California) that they had a new test designed to identify those who would 'spurt' ahead. It was a standard IQ test, but the teachers believed it. The researchers picked 20% of pupils at random; the 'spurters'. A year later, 47% of those identified as spurters made significant progress.
• Rosenthal and Jacobson study

  Demonstrates a self-fulfilling prophecy as the teachers accepted that the 'spurters' will spurt ahead by the amount of attention and encouragement given
• Field experiment


  • Can manipulate and IV and DV to see cause and effect
  • No control over EV variables
• Ethical issue with Rosenthal and Jacobson study: some pupils were held back because they didn't receive attention and encouragement from the teacher
• Rosenthal and Jacobson study is reliable as it has been repeated, but didn't have the same age of pupils and same teaching styles so the original study can't be replicated exactly
• Rosenthal and Jacobson study is valid as researchers claimed that teacher's expectations were passed on through differences in the way they interacted with pupils, but later studies found no evidence of this