Natural experiments

Definition of Natural Experiment:

Investigations looking for casual relationship where the (1)_______cannot be (2)_______by the (3)_______.

• (1) IV

  (2) controlled

  (3) experimenter

• (1) IV

  (2) identified

  (3) experimenter

• (1) DV

  (2) directly manipulated

  (3) experimenter

• (1) IV

  (2) directly manipulated

  (3) experimenter

Select strengths of Natural Experiments:

• The participants' behaviour is natural

• High level of controls

• Ecological validity

• Generalisable findings

• Easy to standardise

Select characteristics of Natural Experiment in term of ethics:

• Participants can give informed consent

• Participants cannot withdraw from the study

• Participants' privacy are ensured

• Participants confidentiality may not ensured

Low level of (1)___ in natural experiments

=> harder to (2)___

=> (3)___ is low

=> less confidence in the (4)___ relationship that is being investigated

=> Lower (5)___

• 1) control

  2) operationalise

  3) internal validity

  4) IV-DV

  5) reliability

• 1) control

  2) standardise procedures

  3) internal validity

  4) cause-effect

  5) reliability

• 1) control

  2) operationalise

  3) ecological validity

  4) cause-effect

  5) reliability

• 1) control

  2) standardise procedures

  3) ecological validity

  4) IV-DV

  5) reliability

Strenght: Natural environment

Participants are more likely to behave (1)___

=> Increase (2)___ of the findings

=> (3)___ is high

=> (4) ___ is high

=> Findings are more (5)___ to real life settings

• 1) naturally

  2) representativeness

  3) Mundane realism

  4) Ecological validity

  5) generalisable

• 1) naturally

  2) reliability

  3) Ecological validity

  4) Mundane realism

  5) generalisable

• 1) naturally

  2) representativeness

  3) Ecological validity

  4) Mundane realism

  5) generalisable

Participants MAY be unaware of being in a study, which can help the experimenter to avoid:

• Mundane realism

• Demand characteristic

• Social desirability bias

• Ethical criticism

Is it true that sometimes Natural experiments are not considered an experiment?

• True

• False

Select a Natural experiment

• Comparing teenagers happiness on sunny day vs rainy day

• Participants watch 2 different films, their facial expressions are recorded

• Comparing teenagers concentration level when studying in classrom vs at home

Select characteristics of a NOT natural experiment:

• The IV are manipulated to create 2 or more levels

• The IV are not manipulated

• Conducted in a artificial environment

• Tasks may lack mundane realism

• Only possible to conduct if IV occur naturally 2 or more levels

Select natural experiments’ weaknesses

• Difficult to control extraneous variables

• Internal validity

• Time consuming/Expensive

• High ethical assurance