Location of Research

Question 1

What is a laboratory?

Answer 1

Most scientific location, a specially designed environment, allowing maximum control over variables, while offering access to any equipment

Question 2

What are the advantages/disadvantges of laboratories?

Answer 2

+Highly controlled, higher internal validity, can utilise specialist equipment
-Low ecological validity, increased risk of demand characteristics

Question 3

What is a field?

Answer 3

Natural setting outside the laboratory, which may or may not be new to the participant

Question 4

What are the advantages/disadvantges or fields?

Answer 4

+High ecological validity, can research a vast array of topics, findings likely to be more reflective of real life
-Lower internal validity due to a lack of control over variables

Question 5

What is Online?

Answer 5

Internet is used as a tool to conduct psychological research, allowing new behaviours to be observed online as well as traditional psychological topics more efficiently and on a scale and scope they could have never imagined

Question 6

What are the advantages/disadvantages of online?

Answer 6

+Can access diverse, large samples, data is collected electronically so it is easy to analyse, easy to replicate
-Ethical issues with regard to informed consent and participant identity, question mark over the honesty of participants and the validity of the data collected