Experiments

What is a practical advantage of field experiments?

• larger scale settings

What are some practical disadvantages of field experiments?

• access

• gatekeepers

• time consuming

• not possible to closely control variables

What are some practical advantages of lab experiments?

• the ability to control variables

• establishing cause-and-effect relationships

• easy to attract funding

What are some practical disadvantages of lab experiments?

• time consuming

• access

• impractical to recreate social situations in a lab

What are some ethical disadvantages of field experiments?

• lack of informed consent

• deception

• protection from harm

What is an ethical advantage of lab experiments?

• informed consent

What are some ethical disadvantages of lab experiments?

• deception

• protection from harm

What are some theoretical advantages of field experiments?

• validity (higher ecological validity)

• lower demand characterisitics

What are some theoretical disadvantages of field experiments?

• lack of reliability

• not representative

• difficult to generalise due to small sample sizes

What are some theoretical advantages of lab experiments?

• reliable

• reproduceable

What are some theoretical disadvantages of lab experiments?

• lack of validity

• the Hawthorne Effect

• not representative

• difficult to generalise due to small sample sizes

ecological validity

the extent to which the research findings can be generalised to real life settings and situations

operationalising a concept

defining a concept so it can be empirically measured

How could aggression be operationalised?

• violence

• shouting

• rage

• threatening behaviour