socio experiments essay
Examine the problems some sociologists may face when using experiments in their research. (20 marks) (January 2009)
MODEL ANSWER
Experiments are the preferred scientific method. There are two main types of experiments. The classic scientific experiment takes place in a laboratory in controlled conditions. By contrast field experiments take place in more natural but less controlled experiments. Although experiments are very successful in science they are rarely used in Sociology for the following reasons. Validity is a serious problem with lab experiments. Lab experiments in Sociology are unlikely to create a realistic social situation so the results will be misleading. Also in lab experiments people know they are being studied so are likely to behave differently - this is called the Hawthorne Effect. Indeed validity is so poor that lab experiments are rarely done in Sociology. By contrast field experiments can be highly valid because they take place in realistic situations and people do not know they are being studied.
A good experiment needs to be reliable - it should be controlled and able to be replicated (repeated) with the same results. This is very difficult with field experiments because they do not take place in controlled situations. This means the researcher can't be sure other factors haven't influenced the results. For example Sissons (1970) conducted an experiment in which an actor pretended to be injured on the street. A street situation cannot be exactly controlled or exactly replicated so results may have varied simply because of the weather or the number of people passing by. By contrast lab experiments can be controlled but their poor validity counts against them.
Field experiments almost always have ethical problems. This is because they deceive participants who are not informed they are in an experiment. This is to increase validity by reducing the Hawthorne Effect but may still be considered unacceptable. Participants may
MODEL ANSWER
Experiments are the preferred scientific method. There are two main types of experiments. The classic scientific experiment takes place in a laboratory in controlled conditions. By contrast field experiments take place in more natural but less controlled experiments. Although experiments are very successful in science they are rarely used in Sociology for the following reasons. Validity is a serious problem with lab experiments. Lab experiments in Sociology are unlikely to create a realistic social situation so the results will be misleading. Also in lab experiments people know they are being studied so are likely to behave differently - this is called the Hawthorne Effect. Indeed validity is so poor that lab experiments are rarely done in Sociology. By contrast field experiments can be highly valid because they take place in realistic situations and people do not know they are being studied.
A good experiment needs to be reliable - it should be controlled and able to be replicated (repeated) with the same results. This is very difficult with field experiments because they do not take place in controlled situations. This means the researcher can't be sure other factors haven't influenced the results. For example Sissons (1970) conducted an experiment in which an actor pretended to be injured on the street. A street situation cannot be exactly controlled or exactly replicated so results may have varied simply because of the weather or the number of people passing by. By contrast lab experiments can be controlled but their poor validity counts against them.
Field experiments almost always have ethical problems. This is because they deceive participants who are not informed they are in an experiment. This is to increase validity by reducing the Hawthorne Effect but may still be considered unacceptable. Participants may