8 Advantages and Disadvantages of Experimental Research
Experimental research has become an important part of human life. Babies conduct their own rudimentary experiments (such as putting objects in their mouth) to learn about the world around them, while older children and teens conduct experiments at school to learn more science. Ancient scientists used experimental research to prove their hypotheses correct; Galileo Galilei and Antoine Lavoisier, for instance, did various experiments to uncover key concepts in physics and chemistry, respectively. The same goes for modern experts, who utilize this scientific method to see if new drugs are effective, discover treatments for illnesses, and create new electronic gadgets (among others).
Experimental research clearly has its advantages, but is it really a perfect way to verify and validate scientific concepts? Many people point out that it has several disadvantages and might even be harmful to subjects in some cases. To learn more about these, let’s take a look into the pros and cons of this type of procedure.
List of Advantages of Experimental Research
1. It gives researchers a high level of control. When people conduct experimental research, they can manipulate the variables so they can create a setting that lets them observe the phenomena they want. They can remove or control other factors that may affect the overall results, which means they can narrow their focus and concentrate solely on two or three variables.
In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, scientists conduct studies in which they give a new kind drug to a group of subjects and a placebo drug to another group. They then give the same kind of food to the subjects and even house them in the same area to ensure that they won’t be exposed to other factors that may affect how the drugs work. At the end of the study, the researchers analyze the results to see how the new drug affects the subjects and identify its side effects and adverse results.
2. It allows researchers to utilize many variations. As mentioned above, researchers have almost full control when they conduct experimental research studies. This lets them manipulate variables and use as many (or as few) variations as they want to create an environment where they can test their hypotheses — without destroying the validity of the research design. In the example above, the researchers can opt to add a third group of subjects (in addition to the new drug group and the placebo group), who would be given a well-known and widely available drug that has been used by many people for years. This way, they can compare how the new drug performs compared to the placebo drug as well as the widely used drug.
3. It can lead to excellent results. The very nature of experimental research allows researchers to easily understand the relationships between the variables, the subjects, and the environment and identify the causes and effects in whatever phenomena they’re studying. Experimental studies can also be easily replicated, which means the researchers themselves or other scientists can repeat their studies to confirm the results or test other variables.
4. It can be used in different fields. Experimental research is usually utilized in the medical and pharmaceutical industries to assess the effects of various treatments and drugs. It’s also used in other fields like chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, electronics, agriculture, social science, and even economics.
List of Disadvantages of Experimental Research
1. It can lead to artificial situations. In many scenarios, experimental researchers manipulate variables in an attempt to replicate real-world scenarios to understand the function of drugs, gadgets, treatments, and other new discoveries. This works most of the time, but there are cases when researchers over-manipulate their variables and end up creating an artificial environment that’s vastly different from the real world. The researchers can also skewer the study to fit whatever outcome they want (intentionally or unintentionally) and compromise the results of the research.
2. It can take a lot of time and money. Experimental research can be costly and time-consuming, especially if the researchers have to conduct numerous studies to test each variable. If the studies are supported by the government, they would consume millions or even billions of taxpayers’ dollars, which could otherwise have been spent on other community projects such as education, housing, and healthcare. If the studies are privately funded, they can be a huge burden on the companies involved who, in turn, would pass on the costs to the customers. As a result, consumers have to spend a large amount if they want to avail of these new treatments, gadgets, and other innovations.
3. It can be affected by errors. Just like any kind of research, experimental research isn’t always perfect. There might be blunders in the research design or in the methodology as well as random mistakes that can’t be controlled or predicted, which can seriously affect the outcome of the study and require the researchers to start all over again.
There might also be human errors; for instance, the researchers may allow their personal biases to affect the study. If they’re conducting a double-blind study (in which both the researchers and the subjects don’t know which the control group is), the researchers might be made aware of which subjects belong to the control group, destroying the validity of the research. The subjects may also make mistakes. There have been cases (particularly in social experiments) in which the subjects give answers that they think the researchers want to hear instead of truthfully saying what’s on their mind.
4. It might not be feasible in some situations. There are times when the variables simply can’t be manipulated or when the researchers need an impossibly large amount of money to conduct the study. There are also cases when the study would impede on the subjects’ human rights and/or would give rise to ethical issues. In these scenarios, it’s better to choose another kind of research design (such as review, meta-analysis, descriptive, or correlational research) instead of insisting on using the experimental research method.
Experimental research has become an important part of the history of the world and has led to numerous discoveries that have made people’s lives better, longer, and more comfortable. However, it can’t be denied that it also has its disadvantages, so it’s up to scientists and researchers to find a balance between the benefits it provides and the drawbacks it presents.
8 Main Advantages and Disadvantages of Experimental Research
Commonly used in sciences such as sociology, psychology, physics, chemistry, biology and medicine, experimental research is a collection of research designs which make use of manipulation and controlled testing in order to understand casual processes. To determine the effect on a dependent variable, one or more variables need to be manipulated.
Experimental research is used where:
- time priority in a causal relationship.
- consistency in a causal relationship.
- magnitude of the correlation is great.
In the strictest sense, experimental research is called a true experiment. This is where a researcher manipulates one variable and controls or randomizers the rest of the variables. The study involves a control group where the subjects are randomly assigned between groups. A researcher only tests one effect at a time. The variables that need to be test and measured should be known beforehand as well.
Another way experimental research can be defined is as a quasi experiment. It’s where scientists are actively influencing something in order to observe the consequences.
The aim of experimental research is to predict phenomenons. In most cases, an experiment is constructed so that some kinds of causation can be explained. Experimental research is helpful for society as it helps improve everyday life.
When a researcher decides on a topic of interest, they try to define the research problem, which really helps as it makes the research area narrower thus they are able to study it more appropriately. Once the research problem is defined, a researcher formulates a research hypothesis which is then tested against the null hypothesis.
In experimental research, sampling groups play a huge part and should therefore be chosen correctly, especially of there is more than one condition involved in the experiment. One of the sample groups usually serves as the control group while the others are used for the experimental conditions. Determination of sampling groups is done through a variety of ways, and these include:
- probability sampling
- non-probability sampling
- simple random sampling
- convenience sampling
- stratified sampling
- systematic sampling
- cluster sampling
- sequential sampling
- disproportional sampling
- judgmental sampling
- snowball sampling
- quota sampling
Being able to reduce sampling errors is important when researchers want to get valid results from their experiments. As such, researchers often make adjustments to the sample size to lessen the chances of random errors.
All this said, what are the popular examples of experimental research?
Stanley Milgram Experiment – Conducted to determine whether people obey orders, even if its clearly dangerous. It was created to explain why many people were slaughtered by Nazis during World War II. The killings were done after certain orders were made. In fact, war criminals were deemed just following orders and therefore not responsible for their actions.
Law of Segregation – based on the Mendel Pea Plant Experiment and was performed in the 19th century. Gregory Mendel was an Austrian monk who was studying at the University of Vienna. He didn’t know anything about the process behind inherited behavior, but found rules about how characteristics are passed down through generations. Mendel was able to generate testable rather than observational data.
Ben Franklin Kite Experiment – it is believed that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity by flying his kite into a storm cloud therefore receiving an electric shock. This isn’t necessarily true but the kite experiment was a major contribution to physics as it increased our knowledge on natural phenomena.
But just like any other type of research, there are certain sides who are in support of this method and others who are on the opposing side. Here’s why that’s the case:
List of Advantages of Experimental Research
1. Control over variables This kind of research looks into controlling independent variables so that extraneous and unwanted variables are removed.
2. Determination of cause and effect relationship is easy Because of its experimental design, this kind of research looks manipulates variables so that a cause and effect relationship can be easily determined.
3. Provides better results When performing experimental research, there are specific control set ups as well as strict conditions to adhere to. With these two in place, better results can be achieved. With this kind of research, the experiments can be repeated and the results checked again. Getting better results also gives a researcher a boost of confidence.
Other advantages of experimental research include getting insights into instruction methods, performing experiments and combining methods for rigidity, determining the best for the people and providing great transferability.
List of Disadvantages of Experimental Research
1. Can’t always do experiments Several issues such as ethical or practical reasons can hinder an experiment from ever getting started. For one, not every variable that can be manipulated should be.
2. Creates artificial situations Experimental research also means controlling irrelevant variables on certain occasions. As such, this creates a situation that is somewhat artificial.
3. Subject to human error Researchers are human too and they can commit mistakes. However, whether the error was made by machine or man, one thing remains certain: it will affect the results of a study.
Other issues cited as disadvantages include personal biases, unreliable samples, results that can only be applied in one situation and the difficulty in measuring the human experience.
Also cited as a disadvantage, is that the results of the research can’t be generalized into real-life situation. In addition, experimental research takes a lot of time and can be really expensive.
4. Participants can be influenced by environment Those who participate in trials may be influenced by the environment around them. As such, they might give answers not based on how they truly feel but on what they think the researcher wants to hear. Rather than thinking through what they feel and think about a subject, a participant may just go along with what they believe the researcher is trying to achieve.
5. Manipulation of variables isn’t seen as completely objective Experimental research mainly involves the manipulation of variables, a practice that isn’t seen as being objective. As mentioned earlier, researchers are actively trying to influence variable so that they can observe the consequences.