Laboratory Experiments

• Experiment


  Involves the researcher trying to establish cause and effect relationships by testing variables
• Independent variable


  • The variable which is changed and which it is thought will have an impact on the dependent variable
• Dependent variable


  • The variable being measured
• Correlation


  A relationship between the dependent and independent variable where one seems to have an impact on the other
• Types of data


  • primary
  • secondary
  • qualitative
  • quantitative
  • reliable
  • valid
• Experiments


  • Milgram – obedience and authority
  • Zimbardo – the Standford prison experiment
• Practical considerations


  • Can be quite time consuming and costly as there are many factors to take into account and organise
• Ethical considerations


  • Many lab experiments do not ensure participants give informed consent and may have the right to withdraw to avoid the Hawthorne effect
• Theoretical factors


  • The Hawthorne effect may occur and affect results collected of they know they are being experimented on which is difficult to avoid in a laboratory
  • Easy to isolate variables and test for correlations or cause and effect relationships
  • Can be repeated – checked by others leads to higher reliability
  • Most sociologists are unlikely to use this method as it does not produce valid data and is too artificial