Research methods in psychology experiment

The experimental method involves the manipulation of variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships. The key features are controlled methods and the random allocation of participants into controlled and experimental groups.

What is an Experiment?

An experiment is an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested.

An independent variable (the cause) is manipulated in an experiment, and the dependent variable (the effect) is measured; any extraneous variables are controlled.

An advantage is that experiments should be objective.

The researcher’s views and opinions should not affect a study’s results. This is good as it makes the data more valid and less biased.

Types

There are three types of experiments you need to know:

1.

Lab Experiment