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Why would it be important for an experiment to be conducted in a natural setting as opposed to a controlled setting? What obstacles do researchers face in conducting experiments in a natural setting? How can they overcome these obstacles?

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Solution Summary

Factors supporting a natural setting as opposed to a controlled setting are listed to explore both elements.

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Hello,
This is one of those situations where both settings 'would' be ideal but impossible. Let me explain.

The goal of psychology testing is to examine natural behavior. You want people to react as naturally as they can under an experiment. Researchers want to discover results that will be reliable and valid, the results should be a true representation of behavior.

It has been stated that " People act differently in a lab than at home. They act differently when they are being observed than when they do in private."1 They know that they are being watched by a researcher, so they will probably alter their behavior to make themselves look 'better' or to try to mimic the results that the they think the researcher is looking to find. Martin Orne in 1962 proposed the concept of a "Demand characteristic" which he suggested that most participants in research strive to be 'good subjects' and wish the experiment to be a success.2

Now in a controlled setting, people know that they are being observed, and they know that their every move is being examining. So they might alter their behavior, which means that their true behavior will remain suppressed.

However, if the participants were to be examined in their natural setting, unaware ...

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