Experimental Methods

• What are the three types of experimental methods?

  Laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments
• What is a laboratory experiment?

  An experiment that takes place in a laboratory-a controlled environment where the researcher has a high level of control over everything that happens in that space, allowing the researchers to control all the variables except the one that is changed between the experimental conditions
• What do the high levels of Control in a laboratory experiment allow for?

  Extraneous variables that might affect the IV or DV to be minimized meaning accurate statements about cause and effects can be made
• Why are standardised procedures possible to use in laboratory experiments?

  Because of the high level of control to, meaning that the experiment can be repeated by other researchers to see if the results are valid
• Why may laboratory experiments lack validity?

  May not measure how people behave in everyday life, therefore may not generalize well to the outside world
• Why may a laboratory experiment produce demand characteristics?

  Aspects of the experiment may change the way participants behave because they know they are being tested
• What is a field experiment?

  A way of conducting research in an everyday environment
• Why are field experiments more realistic than laboratory experiments?

  Allow psychologist to measure how people behave in their everyday
• What makes it possible to measure the effect of one variable on another in a field experiment?

  Standardized procedures and the small level of control
• Why is validity normally high in field experiments?

  If participants do not know they are participating in the experiment, their behaviour will be more natural
• Why is it more difficult to show cause and effect relationships in a field experiment?

  Harder to control extraneous variables so the researcher can't be sure that changes in the dependent variable or the result of changes in the independent variable
• Why is it hard to check the reliability of a field experiment?

  Can be difficult to replicate
• What is the issue if participants are not asked for informed consent?

  Breaches ethical guidelines
• What is a natural experiment?

  One in which the independent variable studied is naturally occurring and so the change in it is not what about by the experimenter but happens by itself
• What do natural experiments allow psychologists to study?

  The effects of IVs that can't be changed or that could be unethical to change
• Why do natural experiments usually have high validity?

  Because they occur in real life situations in natural settings
• What may decrease validity in a natural experiment?

  Individual differences between participants which could affect the DV
• Why are natural experiments difficult to replicate?

  Natural events be only happen rarely and each participant has unique characteristics