How to evaluate an experiment - key terms

@ASCSdubai
What will I learn today? @ASCSdubai

Key words/terms:
● Reliability
● Validity
LO: Be able to evaluate ● Generalisability
psychological experiments ● Application
● Ethical
guidelines
● Ecological
validity

Lesson Plan
Starter @ASCSdubai

Key words/terms:
● Reliability
● Validity
Why do you think it is important to
● Generalisability
evaluate Psychological experiments? ● Application
● Ethical
guidelines
● Ecological
validity

Lesson Plan
Definitions you need to know @ASCSdubai

Reliability - will you get consistent results Key words/terms:

● Reliability
when repeating the experiment? This is
● Validity
achieved by having an experiment which is ● Generalisability
easy to replicate; i.e. an experiment with a ● Application
high level of controls. (high or low) ● Ethical
Validity – does it measure what it is guidelines
supposed to measure? Could this be ● Ecological
decreased by other variables affecting the validity
results? (high or low)

Lesson Plan
Definitions you need to know @ASCSdubai

Generalisability – can the findings of the Key words/terms:

experiment be generalised to the ● Reliability
wider population? This is taken from ● Validity
● Generalisability
the sample of participants/locations.
● Application
(high or low) ● Ethical
Application – can we use the experiment guidelines
to explain real life/everyday situations? ● Ecological
Can we apply it to everyday life? (high validity
or low)
Lesson Plan
Definitions you need to know @ASCSdubai

Ecological validity – how close is the Key words/terms:

experiment to real life? (high or low) ● Reliability
Confounding/extraneous variables – other ● Validity
variables which can affect the DV (aside ● Generalisability
● Application
from the IV) and which are outside the
● Ethical
control of the researcher. Examples
guidelines
include participants mood, how much ● Ecological
sleep they got, their personal life, validity
lighting, temperature, etc. (high or low)

Lesson Plan
GRAVE - the easiest way to evaluate @ASCSdubai

G - generalisability Key words/terms:

● Reliability
R - reliability ● Validity
A - application ● Generalisability
● Application
V - validity
● Ethical
E - ecological validity/ethical guidelines guidelines
● Ecological
validity

Lesson Plan
Experimental methods @ASCSdubai

Challenge!
● Laboratory experiments - Controlled Key words/terms:
●Can you think of
Reliability
setting, IV manipulated by ●anyValidity
time recently
researcher ● where
Generalisability
you may
● Field experiments - P’s natural ● Application
have used
environment, IV manipulated by ● Ethical in your
Psychology
researcher dayguidelines
to day routine?
● Ecological
● Natural experiments - P’s natural validity
environment, IV naturally occuring
Lesson Plan
Laboratory experiments @ASCSdubai

Challenge!
Advantages: Key words/terms:
●Can you think of
Reliability
•Strict control therefore more objectivity. ●anyValidity
time recently
•Standardisation therefore easy to replicate.
● where
Generalisability
you may
● Application
have used
Disadvantages: ● Ethical in your
Psychology
•Artificial conditions may produce artificial dayguidelines
to day routine?
behaviour therefore lack of ecological validity ● Ecological
•Demand characteristic and experimenter bias
•Ethics: problems of deception, …. possible validity

Lesson Plan
Field experiments @ASCSdubai

Challenge!
Key words/terms:
Advantages:
●Can you think of
Reliability
•Greater ecological validity than lab experiments ●anyValidity
time recently
•If the participants are unaware of being tested
less demand characteristic.
● where
Generalisability
you may
● Application
have used
Disadvantages: ● Ethical in your
Psychology
•Less control so more possibility of influence of dayguidelines
to day routine?
confounding variables and more difficult to ● Ecological
replicate.
•Ethics: consent, deception, invasion of privacy. validity

Lesson Plan
Natural experiments @ASCSdubai

Challenge!
Advantages: Key words/terms:
●Can you think of
Reliability
•Great ecological validity ●anyValidity
time recently
•No demand characteristic, or bias due to ● where
sampling. Generalisability
you may
● Application
have used
Disadvantages: ● Ethical in your
Psychology
•Very difficult to replicate dayguidelines
to day routine?
•Hard to infer cause and effect due to little control ● Ecological
over extraneous variables. validity
•Ethics: consent, deception, invasion of privacy.

Lesson Plan
Task @ASCSdubai

Challenge!
Key words/terms:
●Can you think of
Reliability
Research the following experiments and identify if they
●anyValidity
time recently
are laboratory, field or natural:
● where
Generalisability
you may
● Milgram ● Application
have used
Zimbardo ● Ethical in your
Psychology
Rosenhan
Piliavin
dayguidelines
to day routine?
● Ecological
Hofling
validity

Lesson Plan
Task @ASCSdubai

Can you evaluate ● G - who were his P’s? Were they all the
Zimbardo’s experiment same gender? Same age?
using GRAVE? ● R - Did he have a high level of control?
What did he have control over?
● A - is this experiment actually useful to
Complete your responses
on the Google docs sheet society? Why/not?
● V - was Zimbardo able to successfuly
on GC.
measure what he set out to?
● E - how close is it to real life?
● E - were ethical guidelines broken? Was
it important to break them?

Lesson Plan
 @ASCSdubai

Key words/terms:
● Reliability
● Validity
● Generalisability
● Application
● Ethical
guidelines
● Ecological
validity

Lesson Plan