Experiment is the main method of gaining knowledge in psychology. It consists in creating an experimental situation in order to study a particular phenomenon.
Instructions
Step 1
Unlike observation, the experimenter is actively involved in the research. He creates certain conditions in which the phenomenon under study will manifest itself most vividly. Manipulation of various factors in the course of the experiment aims to track the ongoing changes in the behavior of the research object. With the help of an experiment, one can state the presence or absence of cause-and-effect relationships.
Step 2
According to the method of organization, laboratory and natural experiments are distinguished. For a laboratory experiment, all conditions are completely created artificially, usually special equipment is used. The object of research is often mental processes, such as sensations, perception. A laboratory experiment assumes strict adherence to all conditions, minimizing the influence of side variables.
Step 3
The result of a laboratory experiment is hard scientific data. However, many do not recognize the objectivity of the data obtained in this way, speaking about the inadequacy of laboratory conditions to life. This moment makes the laboratory experiment less and less popular, as does the laboriousness of its conduct.
Step 4
Natural experiment does not require so many restrictions, it is carried out in a real life context. The subjects are not always aware of the course of the experiment to exclude socially desirable behavior. The disadvantages are the complexity of control and the possibility of unpredictable influences from outside variables.
Step 5
By the nature of the influence on the subject, the ascertaining and formative experiments are distinguished. In the second case, the subjects develop some properties during the experiment. In the first, the initial state of the object is diagnosed.
Step 6
Variables in an experiment can be dependent, independent, and optional. The independent variables can be changed by the experimenter, while the dependent ones change after the independent ones. For example, the presence of a stranger during an experiment entails changes in the behavior of the subject.
Step 7
Additional variables - stimulation of the subject, including external and internal factors. The experimenter tries to keep these variables to a minimum, ensuring the purity of the experiment. An experiment is considered ideal in which only the independent variable changes. The dependent is controlled, and all additional influences are excluded.
