6.1.15
Experiments
Experiments
Experiments
Experiments are a research method that are used to test a hypothesis.
Experiments
Experiments
- Experiments are used to test a hypothesis (a testable statement/an educated assertion that we do not know is true).
- To do this researchers must control the variables that might result in biased data.
- The aim of the experiment is to identify whether there is a causal relationship, i.e. whether one variable is causing a specific effect.
- The tools that are used in order to conduct an experiment are usually observation and recording of the observed behaviours.
Ethical problems
Ethical problems
- Experiments can be of great importance for the researchers but they easily raise ethical issues. For example:
- Stanford and Milgram's experiments could cause harm to the participants.
- Zimbardo’s physical and psychological harm and Milgram’s psychological harm.
- Milgram had to deceive his participants to ensure that his data wouldn’t be biased.
The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo)
The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo)
Zimbardo wanted to see whether guards behaved violently because of their personalities, or because of other variables such as their environment.
Sample
Sample
- Zimbardo converted a cellar in Stanford University into a ‘prison’ and asked students to participate.
- He excluded participants that might have psychological or drug problems.
- Participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups:
- Prisoners.
- Guards.
Findings
Findings
- The prisoners were “arrested” at their homes and taken to ”prison” during the night.
- Guards acted as authority figures by bossing the prisoners around, making them do inhumane things including cleaning toilets with their bare hands.
- The prisoners were extremely obedient, no matter how extreme the guards' demands.
Findings cont.
Findings cont.
- Guards started exhibiting violent behaviour when some inmates dared to question their authority.
- The prisoners started exhibiting signs of distress.
- The experiment came to an end within six days even though it was supposed to last two weeks.
Conclusions
Conclusions
- Merely a few weeks before the experiment, the same "guards" would never have been violent to another individual.
- This led Zimbardo to conclude that it is our environment that influences our behaviour.
The Milgram Experiment (Milgram)
The Milgram Experiment (Milgram)
Milgram wanted to find out what was more influential: obedience to authority or one's conscience.
Aims
Aims
- Milgram was influenced by the Holocaust where war criminals didn’t accept responsibility by claiming that they were just following orders.
Group allocation
Group allocation
- Milgram conducted his study at Yale University where he advertised his experiment as one focusing on learning.
- Participants thought they were randomly allocated the role of the "teacher" or the "learner".
- What the participants didn’t know was that they were always the ‘teacher’ as the ‘learner’ was a member of the research team.
The experiment
The experiment
- The "learner" was attached to an "electric shock generator" whilst the "teacher" was in another room asking the questions.
- If the ”learner” answered the question incorrectly the “teacher” had in front of him buttons clearly stating “slight shock” to “danger: severe shock” and had to use them to punish the ”learner” for not knowing the answer.
The experiment cont.
The experiment cont.
- The machine was fake and the ”learner” always gave wrong answers on purpose.
- None of this information was disclosed/revealed to the “teacher”.
- If the “teacher” refused to give the participant the shock then an authority figure in a white coat (an actor) would probe him to continue.
Results
Results
- 65% of participants obeyed the authority figure even though they thought they were harming the “learner”.
- The reason this happens is that the majority of people are brought up to obey authority without questioning it.
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design
6.1.2The Scientific Method
6.1.3Other Considerations
6.1.4Primary Sources
6.1.5Secondary Sources
6.1.6Surveys
6.1.7Sampling
6.1.8Questionnaires
6.1.9Interviews
6.1.10Observation
6.1.11Statistics
6.1.12Case Studies
6.1.13Longitudinal Studies
6.1.14Ethnography
6.1.15Experiments
6.1.16Small Scale Research
6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
Jump to other topics
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design
6.1.2The Scientific Method
6.1.3Other Considerations
6.1.4Primary Sources
6.1.5Secondary Sources
6.1.6Surveys
6.1.7Sampling
6.1.8Questionnaires
6.1.9Interviews
6.1.10Observation
6.1.11Statistics
6.1.12Case Studies
6.1.13Longitudinal Studies
6.1.14Ethnography
6.1.15Experiments
6.1.16Small Scale Research
6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
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