Lecture 2: Choosing the Right Research Approach - Field vs. Laboratory Research

A set of vocabulary-based flashcards based on lecture notes comparing laboratory and field research approaches in psychology.

Laboratory Research

Studies conducted in highly controlled environments where researchers manipulate or control variables to examine cause-and-effect relationships.

Field Research

Research conducted within the settings where behavior naturally occurs, such as schools, communities, workplaces, or homes.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which research findings accurately represent behavior as it occurs in everyday life.

Internal Validity

The degree to which a researcher can confidently conclude that changes in one variable caused changes in another variable.

Extraneous Variables

Outside influences that researchers attempt to minimize in a laboratory setting to ensure observed differences result from the variables being studied.

Replication

The process of repeating a study under similar conditions, made easier by standardized procedures in laboratory research, to strengthen confidence in findings.

The Golden Rule (of Research)

The principle that the research question determines the research method, rather than the search for a popular or preferred approach.

Experimental Control

The ability of researchers in a laboratory to regulate environmental factors such as lighting, noise, temperature, and timing.

Standardized Procedures

Consistent and uniform processes used in laboratory research to ensure the study can be repeated by other researchers.

Cause-and-Effect Relationships

Connections where one variable directly influences another, which laboratory research is specifically designed to investigate.

Artificial Settings

Environments created in a laboratory that may not accurately reflect the complexities or behaviors of everyday life.

Hermann Ebbinghaus

A psychologist known for conducting classic memory experiments under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.

Stroop's Color-Word Test

A classic psychology experiment that helped establish fundamental principles of attention and cognition in a lab setting.

One-Way Mirrors

A feature often found in psychology observation rooms that allows researchers to observe participants in a controlled environment.

Natural Settings

Everyday environments where human behavior is influenced by relationships, culture, and social context.

Causal Relationships

Relationships where researchers determine if one factor directly results in a specific outcome, often requiring a laboratory setting.

Simulation Rooms

Controlled laboratory environments designed to recreate specific social interactions or scenarios for study.

Decision Tree

A visual guide or series of Yes/No decision points used to help students select the most appropriate research setting for a study.

Scientific Rigor

The standard of strict accuracy and consistency maintained by researchers regardless of the chosen study setting.

Cognitive Psychologist

A type of researcher who might use controlled rooms to determine if variables like background music affect memory performance.

Researcher's Toolkit

A set of five critical questions professional psychologists ask to help select the most appropriate research setting.

Everyday Environments

The real-world locations where field researchers observe people to understand their behaviors within their natural context.

Manipulation of Variables

A key characteristic of laboratory research where specific factors are changed by the researcher to observe their effects.

Psychological Phenomena

Events or behaviors that, in some cases, cannot be ethically or practically recreated in a laboratory setting.

Computer-Based Experimental Environments

A modern type of laboratory setting used to conduct controlled psychological research.