Compare and contrast the experimental method with the correlational method. How do these two approaches differ, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

a . Experimental method: Involves manipulation of at least one independent variable and measurement of at least one dependent variable. The two defining features are random assignment (to conditions, or levels, of an independent variable) and control (over the independent variable). Experiments are typically preferred to other studies within social psychology because they allow the researcher to draw causal conclusions with a relatively high degree of confidence (i.e., they are high in internal validity). They are sometimes not feasible for practical or ethical reasons, however, and they are often low in external validity and mundane realism.
b. Correlational method: Involves measuring the relationship between two or more variables, without manipulation and without random assignment. Correlational studies are relatively low in internal validity (compared to experiments) but they are often a researcher's only option (e.g., when variables cannot be manipulated for logistic or ethical reasons). Correlational studies are also often relatively high in external validity and mundane realism.