Types of experiments

• LAB - Description

  Highly controlled

  IV manipulated (changed) to see effects of DV
• LAB - Strengths

  High degree of control

  Can be replicated

  High internal validity
• LAB - Limitations

  Experimenter bias

  Low ecological validity (cannot apply to real life)

  Artificial - Lacks mundane realism
• FIELD - Description

  Natural setting

  IV manipulated (changed) to see effects of DV
• FIELD - Strengths

  Naturalistic

  High ecological validity (can apply to real life)

  Controlled IV

  High mundane realism (specific tasks can be applied to real life)
• FIELD - Limitations

  Unethical - Invasion of privacy

  Loss of control over extraneous variables

  Cannot be replicated
• NATURAL - Description

  IV not brought about by researcher - Naturally occurring IV

  Researcher measures change in DV
• NATURAL - Strengths

  High external validity - real behaviour, real world
• NATURAL - Limitations

  Cannot be replicated - Difficult to generalise

  Difficult to randomise - Problem of extraneous variables

  Cannot control
• QUASI - Description

  IV not determined by researcher

  Naturally occurring IV (sex, age)
• QUASI - Strengths

  Controlled conditions

  High internal validity
• QUASI - Limitations


  Cannot randomly allocate ppts

  Confounding variables (factors other than the IV that may cause a result)