Research methods

Research varies independent variable and measures that affect on the dependent variable

Controlled environment independent variable is manipulated and measure the effect on the dependent variable

Extraneous variables are controlled and easily can be replicated

Low generalisability and low external validity

Natural setting, the independent variable is manipulated, and the effect on the dependent variable is measured

Hiya, ecological validity (generalisability) and a reduction in demand characteristics

Extraneous variables are harder to control and ethical issues are raised

Independent variables varies anyway I.e. natural. Setting/dependent variable may be natural or in a lab.

high ecological, validity and ethical options

Difficult to replicate

The independent variable is pre-existing difference and the dependent variable as for natural experiment

Comparisons between people, pre-existing types of people

no random allocation and can be shared limitions of a lab ex

The way in which participants are picked

One group acts in condition, A and another group acts in condition B - randomly allocated

Demand characteristics are less likely of an issue and no order affect

participant variables act as extraneous variables/confounding variables also need twice as many participants

Participants do all conditions of IV. Counterbalancing control to order a effects.

No participant variables (as it is the same people) therefore controls the extraneous variables and fewer participants compared to independent group design

Order effect. Demand characteristics also can’t use the same materials in both conditions.

Two separate groups book participants are pad on particular variables like shared characteristics

If you are participant variables reduced through matching and no order affect

Inperfect matching (hard to find matching pairs) and needs twice as many participants as repeated measures design