Introduction to Experimental Method

The experimental method is a research process that involves following scientific guidelines to
test hypotheses and establish cause-and-effect relationships between two or more variables. The crucial
aspect of the experimental method is that it follows a 'scientific routine' to increase the chances of
establishing valid and reliable results. It is usually taken to be the most scientific of all methods, the
“method of choice.” The main problem with all the non-experimental methods is the lack of control
over the situation. The experimental method is a means of trying to overcome this problem. The
experiment is sometimes described as the cornerstone of psychology since a considerable amount of
psychological research uses the experimental method. Experimental psychology made psychology a
systematic science.
Psychology emerged as an independent science in 1860 when Fechner, Wundt, and others
adopted the scientific method in explaining psychological events. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt (1832 –
1920) established the first laboratory dedicated to psychology research, at the University of Leipzig in
Germany. This event marked the official birth of psychology as an independent field of study,
transitioning psychology from philosophy to science, and led to the launch of a new discipline that
would become international in scope (Woody & Viney, 2017). Some of the important early
psychologists who contributed to experimental psychology include Weber, Cattell, Ebbinghaus, Galton,
Kulpe, Watson, Thorndike, Pavlov, Wertheimer, Kohler, and Koffka.
The experimental method allows researchers to infer causes. It is the only method by which a
cause-and-effect relationship can be established in psychology. An experiment aims to investigate a
relationship between two or more variables (factors) by deliberately producing a change in one variable
(factor) and observing its effect on another variable (factor). The change that is deliberately made by an
experimenter is called “experimental manipulation.” Experimental manipulations are used to detect
relationships between variables.
Problem: A typical experiment begins with a problem. A problem is a phenomenon or a
relationship that the experimenter wishes to study between two or more variables. A problem is usually
expressed in the form of an interrogative statement. It is a question proposed for a solution. The
emergence of a problem becomes a starting point of an experiment. Without identification of a problem,
an investigation is not possible. For example, “What is the relationship between intelligence and
academic achievement?” Here, intelligence is an independent variable and academic achievement is a
dependent variable.
Hypothesis: A researcher provides provisional answers to the problem under study in the form of
a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a tentative statement or guess about the possible relationship between two
or more variables. For example, the researcher might hypothesize that people who get more sleep will
perform better on a math test the next day. Here, the two variables are sleep duration and academic
performance. The purpose of the experiment is then to either support or fail to support this hypothesis. It
is a suggested answer to the problem under investigation that is set before the start of the study. There
can be more than one hypothesis. Each hypothesis is formed based on the knowledge that is already
existing in the field of study.
The common types of hypotheses include: a). Simple or Positive Hypothesis – statement
regarding the relationship of two variables expressed in a positive way. b). Negative Hypothesis – it is a
statement regarding the relationship between two variables expressed in a negative way. c). Null
Hypothesis – the experimenter presumes that there is no difference between the two variables. It is more
useful in experimental situations. For e.g., students staying in a hostel do not show significant
improvement in academic performance when compared to those stay with families. d). Alternative
Hypothesis – it states that there is a statistically significant relationship between two variables.
Variables: To test the hypothesis, the relationship between the variables is examined. Variables
are factors that can change. The experimenter studies the effect of one variable on the other by
deliberately manipulating and controlling one variable. The variable which is controlled and
manipulated by the experimenter is called the independent variable (IV) and the variable on which the
impact of the independent variable is studied is known as the dependent variable (DV). For example, if a
researcher was investigating how sleep influences math test scores, the amount of sleep an individual
gets would be the independent variable. The math test scores would be the dependent variable.
Apart from these variables, the experimenter has to also simultaneously take care of other
variables which are beyond his or her control. Such variables are called relevant variables or intervening
variables. In experimental studies, three kinds of relevant variables are taken into account. These are
organismic variables, situational variables, and sequential variables. Organismic variables are related
to the personal characteristics of the participants such as age, sex, and personality features. Situational
variables are concerned with the quality of the physical environment during the conduct of the
experiment such as temperature, humidity, and noise. Sequential variables are related to the very
procedure of conducting the experiment when the participant is required to be tested across several
conditions. These variables need to be controlled (or eliminated, if possible) as they might confound the
effect of the independent variable.
Controls: In experiments, measures are taken to hold the outside influences constant. These
measures are called controls.
Groups Under Study: Either an experimenter works with two groups or subjects the same group
to two conditions. These groups are a). The Experimental Group – this group undergoes experimental
manipulation. The performance of this group indicates the change in the response due to a change in the
stimulus; b). The Controlled Group – this group is a standard of comparison. This group does not
undergo any experimental manipulation throughout the experiment.
Advantages: The experimental method gives researchers a high level of control since they
choose the IVs and DVs, how to measure them, and the procedure of the study. Because of the
standardized procedures, experiments can be replicated and their reliability can be tested. The
experimental method allows cause-and-effect relationships to be determined, which is the goal of
psychological research. The conclusions of these experiments allow useful applications in the real
world.
Disadvantages: Results are subject to human error and subjectivity (e.g. researcher bias). The
procedure of the experimental method can be time-consuming and costly. Sometimes, the method can
include practical problems (e.g. some variables may be hard to manipulate or measure). Extraneous
variables sometimes can't be controlled, which can lower the validity of a study and its results.
Participants' behaviour can be influenced by the researcher or the conditions of the experiment.
Summary and Conclusion: The experimental method is considered to be the most scientific and
objective method for studying behavior under controlled conditions. In this method, the investigator
tries to study the cause-and-effect relationships regarding human behavior by performing experiments.
All branches of psychology can have a research component in them and in fact, they complement each
other.