Final answer:
The major difference between clinical and field trials is that clinical trials are controlled experiments in a lab or clinical setting focusing on safety and efficacy of treatments, while field trials are natural experiments in real-world settings that are less controlled and focus on observing behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Major Difference Between Clinical and Field Trials When considering the major difference between clinical and field trials, it's important to understand the distinct environments and purposes of these studies. Clinical trials are highly controlled experiments that take place within clinical settings. Their primary aim is to test new medical interventions, establish drug dosages, determine side effects, demonstrate efficacy, and ensure the safety of treatments for human consumption. Clinical trials often involve phases, such as pharmacokinetic analysis in phase II to establish effective doses for phase III, and can involve various population groups and conditions. In contrast, field trials (sometimes referred to as field research or natural experiments), occur in natural settings where behaviors and outcomes are observed without the controlled variables of a lab. The focus is often on how people behave in real-world situations. While this can lead to more ecologically valid data, it is less useful for determining causality due to the number of uncontrolled variables. Moreover, clinical trials sometimes employ methods like Equipoise and Double-Blind to maintain ethical standards and validity, which reflects upon the Kantian value of not using humans purely as a means to an end and addresses the natural rights highlighted in social contract theory. This ethical approach is less applicable to field trials, which typically prioritize observation in a less controlled research design that seeks to identify correlations rather than causation.