38046578
Description
Flashcards by Ellie Harvey, updated more than 1 year ago
|
Created by Ellie Harvey
about 2 years ago
|
|
| Question | Answer |
| What is a laboratory experiment? | experiments conducted in highly controlled environments. Not always a lab |
| What are the strengths of a lab experiment? | - High levels of control over extraneous variables - so researcher can be more certain about cause and effect (high internal validity) - Easier to replicate the conditions because of high levels of control, vital for checking results, gives greater reliability |
| What are the limitations of lab experiments? | - May lack generalisability because the situations are artificial, contrived and don't represent everyday life. In unfamiliar contexts ppts may behave differently meaning these studies lack external validity - Ppts are aware they are part of a study, and this makes demand characteristics an issue, they may act unnaturally or attempt to be seen as more socially desirable - The tasks used don't represent real life (e.g., recalling word lists) so they have low mundane realism |
| What is a field experiment? | This is when the IV is manipulated by the researcher in a natural, more everyday setting |
| What are the strengths of a field experiment? | - Higher mundane realism than lab, which may produce more natural behaviour therefore this behaviour is more valid and authentic. This is especially the case as they might be unaware, they are being studied (high external validity) |
| What are the weaknesses of field experiments? | - Less control over extraneous variables meaning cause and effect is harder to establish = lower internal validity - Harder to replicate - Important ethical issues as ppts may not be able to consent if they are unaware that they are being studied, sometimes this type of research can even be considered as a breach of privacy |
| What is a natural experiment? | When researchers take advantage of a pre-existing IV (they do not manipulate it). The IV would change even if experimenters were not there. This can be tested in a lab or a field setting |
| What are the strengths of a natural experiment? | - Provides the opportunity to study phenomena that for ethical or practical reasons psychologists cannot normally study (e.g., Romanian orphan study) - Often have high external validity because they study real life problems/ events as they unfold rather than it being a contrived change |
| What are the weaknesses of natural experiments? | - Certain natural events may only occur very rarely meaning there are reduced opportunities to research it, this also means it is hard to generalise the findings to similar situations. - Participants may not be randomly allocated meaning researchers are less sure about if it was the IV affecting the DV - it may be individual differences e.g. Romanian orphans may have been adopted later because they were less attractive or less sociable. |
| What is a quasi-experiment? | Experiments where again the IV is not manipulated by researchers - it is an existing difference between individuals. This could be age, gender, IQ or even having/not having a phobia |
| Strengths and weaknesses of a quasi-experiment | -Often carried out in lab settings therefore have the same strengths (high internal validity, low generalisability) - Like natural experiments you cannot randomly allocate to conditions therefore prone to confounding variables |
Want to create your own Flashcards for free with GoConqr? Learn more.