Advantages and Disadvantages of Lab experiments


	Advantages and Disadvantages of Lab experiments
	Advantages Tighter control of variables. Easier to comment on cause and effect. Relatively easy to replicate. Enable use of complex equipment. Often cheaper and less time-consuming than other methods.	Disadvantages Demand characteristics - participants aware of experiment, may change behaviour. Artificial environment - low realism. May have low ecological validity - difficult to generalise to other situations. Experimenter effects - bias when experimenter's expectations affect behaviour.
	Evaluation Equal Balance of Advantages and Disadvantages. Disadvantages seem more important than advantages disregarding control of variables.

Demand characteristics - participants aware of experiment, may change behaviour.
Artificial environment - low realism.
May have low ecological validity - difficult to generalise to other situations.
Experimenter effects - bias when experimenter's expectations affect behaviour.

Equal Balance of Advantages and Disadvantages. Disadvantages seem more important than advantages disregarding control of variables.

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