Experiments

Question 1

Hypothesis

Answer 1

Prediction or an educated guess about something, this is put to a test in an experiment

Question 2

Independent variable

Answer 2

The factor researchers change and manipulate to test the effect

Question 3

Dependent variable

Answer 3

What researchers want to measure to see how it is effected by the independent variable

Question 4

Lab experiments

Answer 4

Also know as the experimental method of research
They test hypothesis in controlled conditions, so it is easy to establish cause and effect
Comparisons can be made to other research methods and the experiment can be replicated in another laboratory at a different time

Question 5

Field experiments

Answer 5

This type of experiment takes place in the real world, under normal social conditions, but follow similar procedures to the laboratory experiment

Question 6

The comparative method

Answer 6

This method involves collecting data about different societies or groups in the real world and then comparing these to another group to identify conditions that may be present in one group, but not another, that could be used to explain the cause of a social event

Question 7

Bandura- lab experiment

Answer 7

• Bobo doll experiments to investigate if social behaviours can be acquired by observation and imitation
• tester 36 boys and 36 girls from the ages 3 to 6 years old
• researchers pre-tested the children for how aggressive they were by observing the children in the nursery and judged their aggressive behaviour on 5-point rating scales, then matched children in each group to similar levels of aggression
• 24 children watched a model behaving aggressively towards Bobo doll
• another 24 children exposed to non-aggressive model who played in a quiet and subdued manner
• final 24 used as control group and not exposed at all
• children who observed aggressive model made far more imitative aggressive responses than those who were in the non-aggressive control groups

Question 8

Elliott- field experiment

Answer 8

• teach class about discrimination by splitting them based on eye colour
• blue-eyed children deemed the superior group
• provided brown fabric collard as asked the blue-eyed students to wrap them around the necks of their brown-eyed peers as a method to easily identify the minority group
• blue-eyed students given extra privileges
• “superior” students became arrogant, bossy, and unpleasant to their “inferior” class mates
• “inferior” class mates became timid, subservient students who scored more poorly on tests and isolated themselves
• Elliot reversed the exercise, whilst the brown-eyed students acted similarly to how the blue-eyed students previously had, it was much less intense

Question 9

Durkheim- the comparative method

Answer 9

• study of suicide
• hypothesised that low level integration of individuals into social groups cased high rates of suicide
• compared Catholics and Protestants- found lower rates of suicide amongst Catholics and hypothesised this was due to stronger forms of social control and cohesion
• also found suicide was less common among women than men, more common among single people, and less common among those who have children
• based on what he saw in the data, Durkheim argued that suicide can be caused by social factors, not just individual psychological ones, the more socially integrated a person is connected to society and generally feeling that they belong and their life makes sense within the social context, the less likely they are to commit suicide