1. THE EXPERIMENT
An EXPERIMENT allows researchers to control or manipulate the situation being studied

2. IMPORTANT! INFORMED CONSENT
ALL experiments MUST meet the American Psychological Association’s (APA) code of ethics
There must be __________________________ from participants
All risks must be presented and no harm can be done to the subject
Animals must be treated humanely
INFORMED CONSENT

3. EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
__________________________: can be manipulated by the experimenter
__________________________: experimenters predict this will be affected by the manipulations of the independent variable
(“DEPENDS” on the independent variable)
EVERY experiment has at least one of each!
DEPENDENT VARIABLE

4. EXPERIMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
To eliminate “chance” in an experiment, a _______________________ is needed
Control subjects are not treated the same as those being experimented upon.
HOW IS THIS DONE?
1) RANDOM ASSIGNMENT: subjects are randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (to avoid bias)
2) _______________: an inactive substance used as a control in an experiment (not always used)
CONTROL CONDITION
PLACEBO

5. GETTING ACCURATE RESULTS
SINGLE-BLIND STUDY
_____________________________: subjects do NOT know whether they are in an experimental or control group
To eliminate any other bias, we might run a…
DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY: Neither the experimenter nor the subjects know who is in each group.

6. Shortcomings of Experimentation
Not always representative of population
Most volunteers = college students Participants are aware of their actions
SOLUTIONS?
_____________________: the careful study of behavior conducted in a natural setting outside the lab.
Example: Prejudice in offices and schools ↑
FIELD RESEARCH