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What is one advantage of doing a feild experiment instead of a laboratory experiment

User Jairaj
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1 Answer

17 votes
17 votes

Answer:

Field experiments can often have the potential to give scientists opportunities that are not possible in a lab setting.

Step-by-step explanation:

Having people "act natural" in a lab setting is impossible to truly achieve, as we all know what happens to our mental state and behavior when we are being actively observed. This is also especially helpful when conducting wildlife research, as there are a myriad of different things influencing animal and plant behavior that would be nigh impossible to recreate perfectly in a controlled lab setting.

Field research can have its disadvantages as well, as it is very hard to only have one thing change (make an independent variable) in a wild environment with ever-changing weather, social effects, etc. Also, you, as the researcher, as causing an impact on the very location that you are observing, which can alter your results in unpredictable ways.

The thing to remember is that each type of study has its advantages and disadvantages; if they didn't, then we'd all do the same type of research! You have to weigh your research options and figure out which one works best for your situation :)

User Shannon Cook
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