Surveys vs. Tests vs. Experiements

Using examples, explain when it would be appropriate to use experiments, surveys and tests as research methods. In your explanation, comment on the differences and similarities of these three methods of quantitative data collection and analysis.

When doing research, there are two types of ways you can come about with data. Firstly is qualitative data. This method provides data in the form of words, or even visually. Data in this method is collected in ways such as interviews and focus groups. The second method of collecting data is quantitatively. This method deals with more detail, focusing on emotions and habits of people, but coming out with numerical data. There are three ways to collect data using this method; experiments, surveys and tests.

Experiments are methodical procedures carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. With experiments, you control the independent variable, and see if and how it impacts the dependent variables. For example, Asch (1955) tested the hypothesis, “Individuals will yield to the pressure of group norms even when the situation is not ambiguous.” In this experiment, individuals were asked to come into a room, and compare a series of line to a target line and say which of the series the same length as the target was. They were shown a number of different lines and targets in each case. Asch had them answer one individually, to see if it was ambiguous or not, and everyone had gotten it 100% correct. Next, he induced group pressure. He had an individual subject enter the room with 7 other persons, who were confederates. The confederates would purposely answer some wrong to see if the subject would be affected by the peer pressure, and it was counted by the amounts of time the subject gave the wrong answer. One third of the occasions when the confederates gave the wrong answer, the real subject yielded to group pressure, despite the unambiguous information provided to their...