3.1.4.4.2 Laboratory, field and natural experiments Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 4

The 20 questions

1. What is a laboratory experiment?

   • A study that records people's natural behaviour in a setting without any intervention by the researcher
   • An experiment carried out in everyday surroundings where the researcher has no control over anything
   • A study that gathers opinions from people through a written questionnaire sent out in the post
   • An experiment carried out in a controlled setting where the researcher manipulates the independent variable

2. What is a field experiment?

   • A study in which the researcher only observes behaviour and never makes any change to the setting
   • A study based only on an interview with participants about their everyday experiences and views
   • An experiment carried out in a natural setting where the researcher still manipulates the independent variable
   • An experiment carried out in a laboratory where the researcher does not manipulate any variable at all

3. What is a natural experiment?

   • A study where a naturally occurring event changes the independent variable, not the researcher
   • A survey carried out by post with no changes to the environment or the people being studied
   • A study in a laboratory with carefully controlled conditions set up by the researcher each time
   • An experiment in which the researcher manipulates the independent variable in a controlled and planned way

4. Which is the main strength of a laboratory experiment?

   • High ethics, since participants never know they are being studied and so cannot object
   • High control over extraneous variables, so cause and effect can be stated with confidence
   • Low cost, so the study is quick to run and can be repeated many times in a single day
   • High realism, so results apply directly to everyday life in the places where people actually live

5. Which is the main weakness of a laboratory experiment?

   • Low control, since the researcher cannot manipulate the variables they want to study in the lab
   • Low reliability, since the results always change each time the same study is repeated
   • High cost, since laboratories are always expensive to rent and difficult to book in advance
   • Low ecological validity, since the artificial setting may not reflect real life

6. Which is the main strength of a field experiment?

   • Higher ecological validity, because it takes place in a real-life setting
   • Higher ethics, because participants never take part in the research at all
   • Higher control, because the researcher controls the whole setting and conditions
   • Lower cost, because participants are paid less for taking part in the study

7. Which is the main weakness of a field experiment?

   • No need for ethical approval, since the participants are in a real setting
   • Low realism, since the setting is artificial and not like everyday life
   • Less control over extraneous variables, which may affect the results
   • More control over extraneous variables than a laboratory setting gives

8. Which is the main strength of a natural experiment?

   • It is always cheaper than a laboratory study
   • It removes all extraneous variables from the study
   • It gives the researcher full control of the independent variable
   • It can study events that cannot be ethically manipulated in a lab

9. Which is the main weakness of a natural experiment?

   • The results are always reliable and easy to repeat in other places with other participants
   • The participants always know that they are taking part and so change how they behave
   • The researcher cannot control the independent variable, so cause and effect is harder to show
   • The researcher controls the independent variable too closely, which makes the results unrealistic

10. A researcher times how long people take to get served in a shop before and after a sign is put up. Which type of experiment is this?

    • A case study
    • A field experiment
    • A matched pairs design
    • A laboratory experiment

11. A study compares health outcomes in two towns, one of which had a factory close naturally. Which type of experiment is this?

    • A natural experiment
    • An interview study
    • A laboratory experiment
    • A field experiment

12. A researcher asks participants to complete a memory test in a sound-proofed room with the same conditions for everyone. Which type is this?

    • A field experiment
    • A laboratory experiment
    • A natural experiment
    • An observation study

13. Why might a researcher choose a field experiment over a laboratory experiment?

    • To control every extraneous variable completely so that the results are free from any bias
    • To avoid any need for ethical considerations, since the study takes place in public
    • To study behaviour in a real setting where it naturally occurs
    • To use a smaller sample without any drawbacks, since the setting is more convenient

14. Which setting is most suitable for a laboratory experiment on reaction times?

    • A busy shopping centre with varied noise and crowds moving past the participants all day
    • A school corridor during a change of lessons, when pupils are moving between rooms quickly
    • A controlled room with the same equipment and instructions for every participant
    • A public park where people are passing by and the weather changes during the session

15. What does ecological validity mean?

    • The extent to which the researcher controls the environment
    • The extent to which participants are paid for their time
    • The extent to which the findings can be applied to real-life settings
    • The extent to which the experiment uses an accurate ecological theory

16. Which statement about experiments in natural settings is most accurate?

    • They tend to have higher ecological validity but may have lower control
    • They tend to have higher control but lower ecological validity overall
    • They never have any control over extraneous variables in the study
    • They always have both high control and high ecological validity together

17. A study compares recall in a lab with recall in a classroom. What is the main limitation of the lab results for a school study?

    • The lab may lack ecological validity for school learning
    • The lab results cannot be measured at all
    • The lab results have no link to memory
    • The lab results are always more reliable than school results

18. Which study is a natural experiment rather than a field experiment?

    • A researcher compares stress levels in people before and after a major flood that happened without intervention
    • A researcher asks a group to memorise words in a quiet room with the same instructions for each
    • A researcher changes the lighting in a shop on purpose and records the effect on sales that day
    • A researcher places a loud noise in a busy workplace on purpose to see how the workers respond to it

19. What does it mean if a lab experiment has high reliability?

    • The results would be identical to those of a field study
    • The participants would always know the purpose of the study
    • The results would apply to every person in the world
    • The same procedure would give similar results if repeated

20. Which feature best describes a lab experiment's ethical position compared with a field experiment?

    • Lab studies never need consent or withdrawal procedures because the setting is always controlled
    • Field studies always have informed consent in every case because they take place in public
    • Lab studies may give more control over informed consent and withdrawal procedures
    • Lab studies always lead to participants being harmed because they are placed in artificial settings

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