Ecological Validity In Psychological Research

validity in psychological research.

Ecological validity in research refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be applied to the ‘real world’, in the form of naturally occurring situations and the degree to which participants’ reactions in controlled laboratory conditions are likely to reflect behaviour exhibited in real-life situations. Research considered to have a high level of ecological validity may have greater relevance to the area being studied and therefore provide an increased benefit to the wider population. This essay will explore the role of ecological validity in relation to three specific research studies and consideration will be given to other relevant factors which affect how psychological research is conducted

Bandura and his colleagues concluded from these findings that children’s behaviour can be influenced by witnessing violent acts due to the increased aggression demonstrated in the study by the experimental groups. However, the ecological validity of the Bobo doll studies is a matter for consideration, due to the artificial environment of the laboratory and how the children could potentially have perceived the expectations upon them. It could be argued that the participants felt that aggressive acts upon the doll was anticipated (a demand characteristic) and acceptable. Furthermore, whilst the experimental groups’ actions were interpreted by the researchers as aggressive, the participants’ behaviour towards an inanimate object which could be perceived as designed for the purpose of being hit (the Bobo doll) would not necessarily be reflected in a real-life situation towards living beings or in other

In conclusion, evidence suggests that there is a trade-off between ecological validity and experimental control. The more controlled a study or experiment, the less ecological validity it is likely to have, due to the fact that when an experiment is controlled, the conditions under which the experiment occurs and therefore the results recorded may be different from those found in a natural setting. The achievement of high ecological validity in research may also be limited by ethical considerations, practicality and consequentiality. Controlled laboratory experiments, which may be considered to have low ecological validity, are beneficial in other ways; they are generally easier to replicate and consistently reproduced results may become more significant in their interpretation and often lead to further