Experimental psychology uses controlled experiments to test hypotheses about behavior, and can also use surveys and case studies. It originated in Germany in the late 1800s and involves creating controlled experimental conditions to test theories. Ethical concerns are important, and researchers must demonstrate how their study will contribute to psychology and protect participants.
Experimental psychology is an approach to psychological research in which people use experiments under controlled conditions to explore and test hypotheses about behavior. In addition to using classical experiments, people in this field can also rely on surveys, case studies, and other research methodologies to expand the scope and nature of their work. This discipline originated in Germany in the late 1800s and you can see examples of it all over the world.
In the broader field of psychology, people seek to understand human behavior, including motivations, human development, and how people act alone and in crowds. There are numerous branches of psychology that cover a variety of topics, from researchers interested in neurology and the brain mechanics underlying behavior to researchers following topics such as mental illness. In experimental psychology, people create controlled experimental conditions to test theories.
People can conduct experiments in a wide variety of settings. Researchers can stage a scene on a street or at an event to see how people react if they are interested in social psychology, or they could use a controlled laboratory setting to study isolated behaviors to learn more about development, identity and abnormal behavior. The experiment is supervised by researchers who log data and ensure the safety of the participants, making sure that no one is exposed to undue risk.
This work may involve animal and human subjects. Working with living subjects involves considerable ethical concerns, especially when those subjects are human beings. Some well-known events in the history of experimental psychology have led to greater scrutiny of research, with better safeguards to protect subjects. One such example was the 1971 Stanford prison experiment, in which researcher Philip Zimbardo wanted to explore how people fit into the roles of prisoners and prison guards. The simulation became so real and dangerous to the participants that Zimbaro decided to call it off before it was over, and before the planned “breakout,” in which the research subjects’ friends were planning to end the experiment by force.
When people design experimental psychology studies, they explore the behavior they are trying to explain and try to create situational controls to isolate and study that behavior. They must be able to demonstrate how a study will contribute to the field of psychology and must also display safeguards to protect the health and safety of participants. People who want to volunteer for an experimental psychology study need to have informed consent skills, understand the nature of the experiment, their role, and how to opt out.
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