AQA PSYCHOLOGY (A-LEVEL) -
RESEARCH METHODS - TYPES OF
EXPERIMENTS QUESTIONS &
PASSED CORRECT ANSWERS
Lab(oratory) experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ These tend to make control easier but
are less natural, especially because participants are aware that they are being studied.
Field experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be more natural and more
representative of everyday life but this means less control and greater ethical problems.
Natural experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be conducted when it is not possible,
for ethical or practical reasons, to deliberately manipulate an IV.
Quasi experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be conducted when the IV has not
been made to vary by anyone, but is simply a difference between people that exist.
Advantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ The experimenter has control over
research variables, therefore they are, by their very nature, contrived.
Advantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ High in internal validity, as we can
be more certain that any observed change in the DV IS due to the IV.
Disadvantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Often low in ecological validity,
not because of the contrived environment, but because participants know they are being
studied, causing demand characteristics.
Advantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Participants are not aware they
are taking part in a study, and so their behavior is more ordinary; the experimenter has
the chance to control participant variables and there is a low chance of there being
demand characteristics.
Disadvantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ It is more difficult to control
extraneous variables (even though field experiments tend to be more natural)
Disadvantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Lack of consent: if participants
don't know they are being studied, and it will be difficult to debrief them, there are ethical
issues with manipulating and recording their behaviour.
Advantage of a quasi-experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Allows comparisons between
types of people.
RESEARCH METHODS - TYPES OF
EXPERIMENTS QUESTIONS &
PASSED CORRECT ANSWERS
Lab(oratory) experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ These tend to make control easier but
are less natural, especially because participants are aware that they are being studied.
Field experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be more natural and more
representative of everyday life but this means less control and greater ethical problems.
Natural experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be conducted when it is not possible,
for ethical or practical reasons, to deliberately manipulate an IV.
Quasi experiments - Correct Answer ✔✔ Tend to be conducted when the IV has not
been made to vary by anyone, but is simply a difference between people that exist.
Advantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ The experimenter has control over
research variables, therefore they are, by their very nature, contrived.
Advantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ High in internal validity, as we can
be more certain that any observed change in the DV IS due to the IV.
Disadvantage of a lab experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Often low in ecological validity,
not because of the contrived environment, but because participants know they are being
studied, causing demand characteristics.
Advantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Participants are not aware they
are taking part in a study, and so their behavior is more ordinary; the experimenter has
the chance to control participant variables and there is a low chance of there being
demand characteristics.
Disadvantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ It is more difficult to control
extraneous variables (even though field experiments tend to be more natural)
Disadvantage of a field experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Lack of consent: if participants
don't know they are being studied, and it will be difficult to debrief them, there are ethical
issues with manipulating and recording their behaviour.
Advantage of a quasi-experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Allows comparisons between
types of people.
