3.9 Types of Experiments

Experiments can vary:

• Setting: Lab, Survey, Field
• Mode: Analog vs. Digital
• And in Validity
  • Internal: were the processes conducted in a correct, reliable way?
  • External: can we generalize from the experiment to the real world, or would the results change?
  • Context: Would people act the same way outside of the experiment?
  • Recruitment: Are the people in our experiment representative of the people we care about?
  • Construct
    • Treatment: Is the experimental treatment similar to what people see in the real world?
    • Outcome: Is the outcome something we care about in the real world? Are we measuring it in a realistic, accurate way?

Review Bit by Bit chapter 4 for more examples of social science experiments.