Experimental Psychology 101: The Basics of Conducting Psychological Experiments

Experimental psychology is the study of human behavior in controlled settings. The essential aspect of experimental psychology requires two groups, one with the factor being tested and one without (the control group). The idea here is to isolate one variable to understand its influence on human behavior and mental processes through comparison to the control group.

There are several other terms you’ll come across as you learn more about experimental psychology, and they are all essential to understanding to be an influential experimenter or research participant.

What is an Experiment?

An experiment is a controlled study. It usually involves measuring the effects on one variable by manipulating the other variables. In other words, you test one thing at a time to see what effects it has. For example, if you want to know if exposure to violent video games affects aggression, you would have participants play a particular game for a certain amount of time and then measure how aggressive they are after playing it.

You can conclude that video games affect aggression if they are more aggressive after playing. But what about any other factors? To control for these things, you must ensure all participants experience the same conditions (same type of video game, same length of play time) while only changing the variable being tested (e.g., exposing them to violence).

You can even use a placebo (fake) treatment like in experiments testing drugs; some get sugar pills instead of actual medication.

How do You Design an Experiment?

Designing an experiment is not as simple as stating a hypothesis and then collecting data to test it. A quality experiment should have five key elements: a clear statement of the research question or problem, the motivation for the study, the methodology, results, and interpretation. The research question or problem: This element essentially states what you are trying to figure out in your experiment.

Some examples might be Do grades affect students’ self-esteem? Is there a connection between watching violent media and being aggressive? or Is there a correlation between intelligence and happiness? The motivation for the study: What do you want to know about this topic?

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What are the Components of Experimental Psychology?

The following are the components of an experiment. It is important to note that these components can vary from type to type. A dependent variable is a variable that changes in response to one or more independent variables. An independent variable is a variable that produces a change in a dependent variable.

A control group is a group where nothing happens, and no intervention takes place, but it still provides data for comparison with other groups. A placebo effect is when someone feels better because they think they have received treatment, even though they haven’t received it.

Correlation does not imply causation; it just means that two things might be related without causing the other. Variables are aspects of our environment that cause changes in behavior.

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Types of Variables in Experiments

Variables are the different components in an experiment. They can be either controlled or uncontrolled, and they are the things that make up a study. There are three types of variables: independent, dependent, and extraneous. Independent variables are the aspects that researchers change to investigate their effects on other factors, like subjects’ behaviors. Dependent variables are studied to see how they’re affected by changes in the independent variables.

Exogenous variables are outside influences that also affect what happens to both dependent and independent variables. Exogenous variables are outside influences that also affect what happens to both dependent and independent variables. An example is lighting; if you have two identical plants, one being left in light 24/7, while the other is only exposed to light for 8 hours per day, then there will be differences between them even though you didn’t manipulate any of their features.

An example is lighting; if you have two identical plants, one being left in light 24/7, while the other is only exposed to light for 8 hours per day, then there will be differences between them even though you didn’t manipulate any of their features.

Experimental Psychology: Why Should We Use Experiments?

There are many reasons why we use experiments in psychology to answer questions about human behavior. One reason is that experiments allow us to control the situation and reduce external variables, like those found in naturalistic observation. Another reason is that experiments allow for calculating a causal relationship between two variables, so long as an independent variable is manipulated and a dependent variable is measured.

Finally, because people are not always reliable reporters of their behavior (e.g., they may forget or change their minds), experimenting allows us to assess people’s behaviors in ways they can’t lie or alter their responses. For all these reasons, experiments have become one of the most potent tools in psychological research – but only when they are done right!

What can be Tested with Experiments?

Every discipline in psychology major has its specialty, and experimental research is no exception. When it comes to research designs, experimental studies are the best way to answer questions about cause and effect. They can study many aspects of behavior, including learning and memory, personality and motivation, emotions. Biological rhythms like sleep cycles or circadian rhythms (the body’s natural 24-hour cycle), sensation perception. Thinking processes like attention span or problem-solving skills–and much more!

No matter what your question is about human behavior experimental psychology can help you find the answer. You may have heard that experiments involve testing hypotheses, but they can test any statement or idea. All an experiment needs to do is compare two different things and see if one causes changes in the other.

For example, psychologists might use an experiment to test whether students will solve problems faster. If they are asked How would you go about solving this problem? Versus How would you go over this?

Final Thoughts

This is just a quick introduction to the basics of experimental psychology. It has many more aspects, but this should be enough to get you started. This field has been around for over a hundred years and has helped us understand the human mind like never before.

You don’t need a formal education to conduct experiments in this field. But there are tons of resources that can help you learn more about what it’s all about!