Research Methodology

Types of experiments
         
Laboratory experiment: Artificial environment with tight controls over variables.
Field experiment: Natural environment with independent variable manipulated by researchers.
Natural experiment: Natural changes in independent variable are used - it is not manipulated.

Strenths and limitations

Labrotory

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Tighter control of variables. Easier to comment on cause and effect.	Demand characteristics - participants aware of experiment, may change behaviour.
Relatively easy to replicate.	Artificial environment - low realism.
Enable use of complex equipment.	May have low ecological validity - difficult to generalise to other situations.
Often cheaper and less time-consuming than other methods.	Experimenter effects - bias when experimenter's expectations affect behaviour.

Field

A field experiment is an experiment; the independent variable is manipulated. Not all field studies are experiments.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
People may behave more naturally than in laboratory - higher realism.	Often only weak control of extraneous variables - difficult to replicate.
Easier to generalise from results.	Can be time-consuming and costly.

Natural

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Situations in which it would be ethically unacceptable to manipulate the independent variable.	The independent variable is not controlled by the experimenter.
Less chance of demand characteristics or experimenter bias interfering.	No control over the allocation of participants to groups (random in a 'true experiment').

key terms
Independent variable (IV): Variable the experimenter manipulates - assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable.
Dependent variable (DV): Variable the experimenter measures, after making changes to the IV which are assumed to affect the DV.

Confounding Variable: A Confounding Variable is an extraneous variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the results you get do not reflect the actual relationship between the variables under investigation. When conducting an experiment, the basic question that any experimenter is asking is: "How does A affect B?" where A is the probable cause, and B is the effect. Any manipulation of A is expected to result in a change in the effect.

Research methodology: A prediction of study outcomes. Often a statement of the expected relationship between two or more variables.

Null hypothesis: The null hypothesis, denoted by H₀, is usually the hypothesis that sample observations result purely from chance.

Unethical experiments

Monkey Drug Trials

This experiment was done to test the effects addiction and drug use. Monkeys and rats were trained to give themselves injections of a drug: morphine, alcohol, codeine, cocaine, and amphetamines. The monkey and rats were given a large amount of the drug, and left to use it as they pleased. The animals became so disturbed that they literally tore themselves apart. While a human drug trail like this would be just as unethical, there was no need to put animals through such a horrendous experiment, with an outcome which was expected. Not only was this experiment unethical in it’s treatment of animals, it was also practically unnecessary to do in the first place. Given that the drug even had the same effect on the animals as they do humans, the end results showed nothing other than the obvious. What do you expect to happen when something over doses.

Unethical experiments

The Aversion Project

The aversion project was not so much of an experiment as it was a project. In 1970’s and 80’s experiments such as chemical castration, electric shock, and other unethical medical experiments were done to lesbians and gays in the military in order to remove homosexuality from the military. If these experiments did not work patients were forced to have a sex change. The exact number of people who were  sent to these military psychiatric units is unknown, however it is estimated that around 900 forced ‘sexual reassignment’ were performed between 1970 and 1980. This experiment, in my opinion is very unethical, not only because it violated human rights in general but it was also done for no real reason. The experiment wasn’t done to try and prove something it was merely done for reasons that  I can’t even begin to understand. While some people may think that being gay or lesbian goes against god, that should have nothing to do with a persons willingness to serve their country. While during this period in time there was drafting going on, if having a gay in the army was so bad, they shouldn’t have chosen them to begin with.