types of experiment

    Cards (8)

    • Lab experiment- an experiment carried out in a highly controlled setting 
      • strengths and limitations
      • artificial and contrived
      • low ecological validity 
      • high interval validity - control variables ,establish cause and effect
      • easily replicated
      • demand characteristics- aware behaviour is being studied
    • Field
      • a controlled study carried outside a lab (still manipulating IV)
      • high ecological validity (likely to not be aware of being studied) (less demand characteristics)
      • less internal validity - not all variables can be controlled
      • deception if not aware
      • more time consuming and expensive
    • natural
      • a research method in which the researcher has not directly manipulated the iv
      • Iv would vary naturally whether the researcher was interested or not   
      • for ethical and practical reasons you can’t manipulate it  
    • strength limitations natural +quasi
      • Lack of control over IV = difficult to make causal conclusions as there could be confounding variables
      • Random allocation isn’t possible meaning participants variables may differ over the two groups which could act as extraneous or confounding variables
    • strength quasi natural
      quasi - allows comparisons between types of people
      natural - enables psychologists to study 'real' problems, ecological validity-generalisable
    • Quasi 
      Iv doesn’t vary its just a set difference between people a condition which already exists