9. Simulation studies

reproducing situations of research interest in a realistic way to investigate the behaviour&/or mental processes of an individual in that environment.

• as similar as possible to the real world (include important features)

• participants asked to behave ‘as if’ they were in the simulated setting

imitation of a real event/environment

takes form of a controlled presentation in a setting that can not be reasonably experienced by a participant in a real-world environment, allowing the testing of responses in dangerous settings in real life.

advantages:

• conduct experiments in environments that investigators cannot easily access

• used when an investigation is not ethically permissible

• valuable source of hypotheses for further research of data to support/challenge theory or model

• ensures safety of participants

limitations:

• are artificial and may lack realism, may affect results as participants are conscious that it is not real

• artificiality makes difficult to generalise the results of simulated studies to population, situations, research interest