Research Methods - Types Of Experiments Flashcards
What is a lab experiment?
An experiment conducted in an artificial controlled environment.
There is usually a standardised procedure.
The researcher manipulates the IV to see what effect it has on the DV. There are strict controls over EV’s.
Participants are aware that they are taking part in the study though they may not know the true aims.
They are highly replicable but lack external validity.
What is a field experiment?
An experiment conducted in a more natural environment – anywhere outside a lab where the investigated behaviour could naturally occur.
The researcher manipulates the IV to see what effects it has on the DV.
The IV is still deliberately manipulated by the researcher but participants are not aware they are participating in research.
What is a natural experiment?
Natural experiments are generally conducted in the everyday (real life) environment of the participants, but here the experimenter has no control over the IV as it occurs naturally in real life.
They are more common where the researcher cannot ethically manipulate the IV.
What is a quasi experiment?
Quasi-experiments have an IV that us based on a natural existing difference between people (for instance, age or gender).
The researcher does not manipulate the IV, it simply exists and therefore participants cannot be randomly assigned to conditions.
For this reason it’s not a ‘true’ experiment.
What is a standardised procedure?
A consistent and uniform set of instructions and methods used in a research study.
What is random allocation?
Assigning participants to different groups or conditions in an experiment in a random and unbiased manner.
What is reliability?
How consistent a test or study is.
What is internal validity?
The extent to which a research study accurately identifies a casual relationship between variable, ruling out alternative explanations.
What is ecological validity?
The extent to which the findings of a study can be generalised to real world settings and situations.
What is mundane realism?
The degree to which an experiment or study resembles real life situations and experiences.
What are demand characteristics?
Cues or hints within a study that may lead participants to guess the researcher’s hypothesis or expected outcomes, potentially influencing their behaviour.
