Question

7) Laboratory experiments have strength in _________.
A) internal validity     B) external validity

Answer 1

Question 7

Option A : internal validity

Explanation : Internal and external validity are concepts that reflects whether or not the results of a study are trustworthy and meaningful. While internal validity relates to how well a study is conducted (its structure) , external validity relates to how applicable the findings are to the real world.

Internal validity is the extent to which a study establishes a trustworthy cause and effect relationship between a treatment and an outcome. Internal validity also reflects that a given study makes it possible to eliminate alternative explanations for a finding.

The unique strength of experimental research is its internal validity (causality) due to its ability to link cause and effect through treatment manipulation, while controlling for the spurious effect of extraneous variable.

A laboratory experiment is an experiment conducted under high controlled conditions (not necessarily a laboratory) , where accurate measurements are possible. The researcher decides where the experiment will take place, at what time, with which participants, in what circumstances and using a standardized procedure.

Laboratory experiments, conducted in laboratory(artificial) settings, tend to be high in internal validity, but this comes at the cost of low external validity (generalizability) , because the laboratory setting in which the study is conducted may not reflect the real world.

Strengths

Control - Lab experiments have a high degree of control over the environment and other extraneous variables which means that the researcher can accurately assess the effects of the I.V, so it has higher internal validity.