Research Methods - types of experiments (unfinished) Flashcards
What is a lab experiment?
- Conducted in an artificial, controlled environment (usually a standardised procedure)
- Researcher manipulates the IV to see what effect it has on the DV (strict controls over EVs)
- Ppts. aware they’re taking part in an experiment even if they don’t know the true aims
What is a field experiment?
- Conducted in more natural environment (outside lab where investigated behaviour is more likely to occur)
- Researcher still manipulates the IV (fewer/lesser controls of EVs)
- Ppts. unaware they’re participating in research
What is a natural experiment?
- Conducted in natural environment
- Researcher doesn’t manipulate IV (about the environment) as it’s naturally occurring in real life
- More common where researcher can’t ethically manipulate the IV
What is a quasi experiment?
- The IV is based on naturally existing differences between people (age, sex, mental health condition)
- Ppts. can’t be randomly assigned to conditions so it’s not a ‘true’ experiment
What is a standardised procedure?
Keeping everything consistent in experiment so all ppts. have the same experience
What is reliability?
Consistency of the results
What is replicability?
Having a standardised procedure so the experiments can be repeated
What is internal validity?
Extent to which IV alone affects the DV. High internal validity means the researcher is confident the IV alone has affected the DV
What is external/ecological validity?
Extent to which results can be generalised to a real-life setting
What is mundane realism?
Extent to which the task in the experiment is representative of behaviour in the real world
What are demand characteristics?
When ppts. pick up on cues in the environment that allow them to work out the aim of a study and they change their behaviour as a result
