experiments Flashcards
lab experiment - practical strength
quick and simple method for quantitative data
lab experiment - ethical strengths
consent
anonymity and confidentiality - quantitative data - stats
lab experiment - theoretical strengths
reliable - controlled conditions
objectivity - experimenter detached and unbiased in relation to subjects
lab experiment - practical limitation
society is very complex - impossible to control all variables
lab experiment - ethical limitation
deception
psychological harm
lab experiment - theoretical limitations
unrepresentative - small scale and small sample
invalid - artificial environment - hawthorne effect
field experiments - ethical strength
anonymity and confidentiality - quantitative data
field experiments - theoretical strengths
validity - conducted in natural setting - avoids hawthorne effect
reliable - all experiments tend to be controlled
field experiments - practical limitations
more time consuming and costly than lab experiments - may be more difficult to set up situation under natural conditions than in a lab
more difficult to control all variables in natural setting
field experiments - ethical limitations
most are covert - no informed consent
psychological harm
field experiments - theoretical limitations
unrepresentative - sample tends to be small
not as reliable as lab experiment - cant control all variables
comparative method - practical strengths
can be used to study past events
uses official stats - quick and easy to obtain
quantitative data - easy to analyse
comparative method - ethical strength
no ethical issues as no active PPs
comparative method - theoretical strength
reliable
comparative method - practical limitaiton
specific data researcher needs for thought experiment may not exist if not gathered by gov in official stats
