Location of Research

Defining the Location of Research

  • The location of research refers to the environment or setting where a research study is conducted.
  • It can greatly influence the results and can be categorised as either a field setting or a laboratory setting.
  • Researchers must consider the advantages and disadvantages of different locations based on their aim, hypothesis, and the nature of their experiment.

Field Research

  • Field research, also known as field experiments, take place in a natural, real-world environment.
  • They have high ecological validity as they replicate real-life situations.
  • The results of field research typically extend to real-world settings, thus enhancing the generalisability of the findings.
  • However, field research can lack control over extraneous variables, which may impact the validity of results.

Laboratory Research

  • Laboratory research or laboratory experiments are conducted in controlled environments.
  • They offer a high level of control over extraneous variables, hence increasing the reliability of results.
  • Laboratory settings allow for the replication of a study, an important characteristic in contributing towards research validity.
  • However, such settings may lack ecological validity as they do not accurately reflect real-world scenarios.
  • Participants may also experience unnatural behaviour due to the observer effect or Hawthorne effect.

Making a Choice on Location

  • The choice between field and laboratory research depends on the nature of the study, the specific objectives, and the trade-off between control and ecological validity.
  • If the intent is to generalise findings to real-world situations, field research might be more suitable.
  • However, for research that seeks to establish cause-and-effect relationships with high control over variables, a laboratory setting may be more proper.

Ethical Considerations

  • Regardless of the location, researchers must adhere to ethical guidelines such as informed consent, confidentiality, and avoidance of harm.
  • Different locations may present unique ethical challenges, and thus the selection of location should also factor in the ethical implications.