Different ways to set up experiments can really change how trustworthy and accurate the findings are in psychology. Let’s break this down:
Internal Validity:
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are great because they try to eliminate other factors that could mess up the results. This means they're often very accurate. On the other hand, observational studies might have problems because they can be influenced by biases, which makes them less reliable.
External Validity:
Field experiments usually do a better job of showing real-life behaviors than lab studies. This means the results from field experiments can often be applied to the real world more effectively.
Reliability:
When researchers do repeated measures designs, they check the same group of people under different conditions. This helps make sure that the results are consistent and trustworthy.
For example, if a researcher does an RCT on how well a new therapy works, they can show stronger cause-and-effect relationships than if they just used a survey to ask people how they feel. This means the conclusions from the RCT are usually more reliable and valid.
Different ways to set up experiments can really change how trustworthy and accurate the findings are in psychology. Let’s break this down:
Internal Validity:
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are great because they try to eliminate other factors that could mess up the results. This means they're often very accurate. On the other hand, observational studies might have problems because they can be influenced by biases, which makes them less reliable.
External Validity:
Field experiments usually do a better job of showing real-life behaviors than lab studies. This means the results from field experiments can often be applied to the real world more effectively.
Reliability:
When researchers do repeated measures designs, they check the same group of people under different conditions. This helps make sure that the results are consistent and trustworthy.
For example, if a researcher does an RCT on how well a new therapy works, they can show stronger cause-and-effect relationships than if they just used a survey to ask people how they feel. This means the conclusions from the RCT are usually more reliable and valid.