Experiments

An experiment is characterised by its high degree of control that the researcher has over the situation, in an experiment the researcher identifies and controls all variables that affect the outcome. Through this the researcher can discover cause and effect relationships.

Lab experiments

Lab experiments are a scientific research method where variables are controlled in an artificial setting to test cause and effect relationships. Favoured by positivists

Milgram- obedience study

Advantages

• Highly reliable- Can be repeated to check for consistency

• Cause and effect relationships- strong ability to determine causation

• Precise control of experiments- External influences are reduced

Disadvantages

• Artificiality- They are carried out in an artificial environment and don’t reflect real world scenarios

• The Hawthorne effect- A lab is not a natural environment so if people know they are being studied they may act differently

• Ethical issues- The researcher needs informed consent of the participants which may be hard to get/ experiments may cause harm to participants

Field experiments

They take place in real world settings rather than controlled laboratories, researchers manipulate variables while observing participants in their natural environment. Favoured by positivists and anti positivists as positivists value control over variables and anti-positivists like real world settings

Advantages

Less artificiality- Set in real world situations so participants behave more naturally

Validity- Results are from real world scenarios

Independent variables are controlled, so cause and effect can be studied

Disadvantages

Ethical issues- Involves carrying out an experiment on people without their consent

Hard to replicate- Environment is unpredictable

Less control over external variables as real world factors can affect results