Sociological experiment: characteristics, features and examples

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

What is a sociological experiment? This is how rarely anyone will answer right away, and correctly. Often the term is given a different definition, closer to the social experiment. In this article, we will teach you to see the difference. After reading, no one will make such mistakes.

Concept

A sociological experiment is a method of social research that allows you to obtain information about the qualitative and quantitative changes in the performance of a social object as a result of the impact of new factors on it.

What is important to understand? That the concept of a sociological experiment is not the same as the concept of a social experiment. The latter is understood in a broader sense. This includes an experiment in science or society, such as an experiment in social psychology.

The results of such research are accepted as truth.

What is the basis?

The reason for conducting an experiment is the desire to test an assumption (hypothesis) regarding a certainquestion. By the way, the latter also has its own requirements that must be met. Consider them.

1. An assumption cannot contain definitions that have not been confirmed by experience. In this case, the hypothesis becomes untestable.
2. Hypothesis cannot be opposed to proven scientific facts.
3. An assumption cannot contain many constraints or assumptions, it must be simple.
4. Hypotheses applied to a wide range of events than those touched upon during an experiment are much more important than standard assumptions.
5. The assumption must be verified at a specific level of theoretical knowledge, practical possibilities and methodological equipment of the study. For example, a hypothesis that contains two similar concepts will never be successful in this sense.
6. The formulation of the hypothesis should highlight the way it is tested in a particular study.

It turns out that the experiment, as a method of sociological research, is borrowed from social and general psychology, where the object is small groups of people. The results obtained are considered correct not only for this group, but also for other similar groups.

It is important to understand that the experiment as a method of sociological research is used in order to confirm the hypothetical actions in a given situation. That is, the so-called scenario was written long ago, and the subjects only act within its framework.

Basic concepts

We have already de alt withwhat is an experiment in sociological research, now let's move on to the basic terms. So, an experimenter is a researcher or a group of researchers who develop the theoretical component of the experiment and carry out the experiment itself in practice.

An experimental factor, or, in other words, an independent variable, is a group of conditions or just one condition that is introduced into an experimental situation by a sociologist. The independent variable is controlled and controlled by the experimenter. This happens only if the intensity of action and direction, as well as quantitative and qualitative characteristics, are realized within the experiment.

Experimental situation is the situation that the experimenter deliberately creates in accordance with the program. It is important to understand that the experimental factor is not included.

The object of the experiment in a sociological study is a social community or a group of people who found themselves in the conditions of the experiment, arising from the program setting for conducting a social experiment.

Next, let's look at the stages of research. And we will give examples of a sociological experiment later.

Action algorithm

How is the experiment going? Not everyone knows about this, especially if a person has not touched sociology and has not studied it.

The experiment includes not only the very tactics of conducting, but also organizational issues. Let's talk about that.

There are four stages of conductingexperiment:

1. Theory. The experimenter is looking for a problem field for the experiment, objects, subject. It is important for him to find both research hypotheses and experimental problems. The object of research is both social communities and social groups. Before determining the subject of the experiment, the researcher takes into account the objectives and goals of the study. It is also important to project the ideal course of the process, this will help to identify the cause of the final result, if it is excellent.
2. Methodology. At this stage, a research program is developed. The method of a sociological experiment implies the construction of certain experimental methods, the formation of a plan for creating an experimental situation, the definition of procedures for the latter.
3. Implementation. The item is implemented by creating a predetermined experimental situation. At the same time, the reactions of the objects of the experiment to certain situations are also studied.
4. Analysis and evaluation of results. No matter what kind of sociological experiment, each ends the same way. What does it mean? Upon completion of the study, the experimenter analyzes and evaluates its results. In particular, it answers the question of whether the hypothesis was confirmed and whether the goal was achieved. The results of the experiment may be unexpected, but this is even good, because any side results may be useful in future studies.

Views

Examples of sociological experiments reveal a lot of new things. Because of this, there is an erroneous stereotype that the experiment can beonly one kind. But it's not. The following classification of experiments has been accepted as a basis for a long time. So, let's talk in more detail:

1. According to the way of doing. This includes both an imaginary experiment and a natural one. In the first, the research situation arises from the fact that a mental model is created. This type is the most common, as it is present in any sociological experiment, if the latter uses static analysis. An imaginary experiment is no less important when modeling social processes with the help of a computer. With the help of mental research, it is possible to determine the strategy of a natural experiment with greater accuracy. As for the latter, there is an independent variable in it, which is considered natural and does not depend on the actions of the experimenter. This subtype implies minimal or no researcher intervention, because the use of the method is limited by nature. Most often, sociological natural experiments are carried out in small groups.
2. By the nature of the research situation. We are talking about the method of collecting sociological information in a laboratory or field experiment. In a laboratory study, groups of subjects are formed artificially, and in a field experiment it is characterized by finding the experimental group in familiar natural conditions.
3. According to the rational sequence of the proof of experimental assumptions. There are two types - linear and parallel experiments. The former are so called because the same group is subjected to analysis. That is, at the same timeis both control and experimental. The parallel study involved two groups. This can be observed both in the experiment of observation and in a sociological survey. The method implies that one group is under constant conditions and is called the control group, while the other is considered experimental and the experimental conditions are constantly changing. How are hypotheses proven? By comparing the status of both groups. During the experiment, the characteristics of the two groups are compared and, based on the results of the test, a conclusion is given why this or that result was obtained.

As you can see, sociological observation and experiment can mean the same thing, it all depends on how correctly the type of experiment was chosen.

To make it clearer what experiments we are talking about, let's talk about the most famous studies.

Hawthorne experiment

This is one of the most famous sociological experiments of the 20th century. It gained popularity due to the fact that at that time (20-30s of the last century) it was the largest study, because twenty thousand people participated in it. What is the point?

Sociologist Mayo conducted an experiment at the enterprises of the electrical company "Western Electric". We have already said above that the experimenter involved twenty thousand employees of the organization.

The results revealed the following:

1. The absence of a mechanical relationship between the variable in working conditions and labor productivity. The first included the mode of work, lighting, payment system, and so on.
2. Heightlabor productivity is ensured by interpersonal communication, a group atmosphere, the subjective attitude of employees to work, the presence of respect, identification of the interests of employees with the interests of the company, sympathy between employees and company management.
3. There are hidden factors that affect performance. These included the requirements and rules of workers, informal norms.

What was the result of the well-known sociological experiment? Mayo found that not only material factors are important for good labor productivity (and it used to be considered so), but also psychological and social aspects.

But this is not the only sociological experiment? Of course not, so below we will analyze no less resonant ones.

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The most famous sociological study, perhaps, is this one. According to him, novels were even written and two films were shot. What was he needed for? It was conducted to find the causes of conflicts in the US Marine Corps and correctional facilities of the same country. At the same time, the goal was to study the importance of roles in social groups and behavior.

Experimenters recruited a group of twenty-four mentally and physically he althy men. All participants were registered in the "psychological study of prison life" and received $15 per day.

Randomly selected half of the men who became prisoners. The other part played the role of prison guards. Location forexperiment was the basement of the psychological department of Stanford University. A kind of prison was created there.

The prisoners received the usual instructions of prison life, including the rule of wearing a uniform and maintaining order. To make everything as believable as possible, the prisoners were arrested in their own homes. As for the guards, they were forbidden to physically influence subordinates, but nevertheless they had to control order in a makeshift prison.

The first day passed peacefully, but on the second day, the guards were waiting for an uprising. The prisoners barricaded themselves in their cells and did not react in any way to shouts and persuasion. As expected, the guards very quickly lost their temper and began to divide the prisoners into good and bad. Naturally, punishment and even public humiliation followed.

What was the result of such a social experiment? Not only was society opposed to such research, but in a few days the guards began to show sadistic inclinations. It can be said of the prisoners that they became depressed and showed signs of extreme stress.

Obedience experiment

We have already discussed what a social experiment is as a method of sociological research. At the same time, the types of such studies were also considered. But information cannot be called particularly easy, so we will continue to understand the sociological experiment using an example.

Stanley Milgram set out to clarify the question: how much suffering people are willing to inflict on other people, if such infliction of pain is part of the workresponsibilities? Thanks to this experiment, it became clear why so many victims of the Holocaust.

So how did the experiment go? Each trial in the study was divided into roles of "student" and "teacher". The actor was always the student, but the real participant in the experiment became the teacher. Two people were in different rooms, while the “teacher” was obliged to press a button for each wrong answer, which shocks the “student”. It is important that each subsequent wrong answer increased the tension. Sooner or later, the actor would start screaming and complaining that he was in pain.

The results of the experiment were shocking: almost all participants continued to follow orders and shock the “student”. Moreover, if the “teacher” hesitated, then the researcher would say one of the phrases: “The experiment requires you to continue”, “Please continue”, “You have no other choice, you must continue”, “It is absolutely necessary that you continue”. As a rule, hearing this, the participants continued. What is the shock? Yes, in that if there was real stress, none of the students would have survived.

The bystander effect

Above we have already talked about the stages of a sociological experiment and now we continue to develop the topic. Among the high-profile experiments is a study called The Bystander Effect. It was during this experiment that a pattern was revealed about the fact that people in the crowd are restrained from helping. How was it?

In 1968, Bibb Latane and John Darley studied the behavior of crime witnesses. The cause of the study was the death of young KittyGenovese, who was killed in the afternoon in front of passers-by. What is the uniqueness of the case? But that no one came to the rescue and did not try to prevent the murder.

The essence of the sociological experiment was that a group of people or one person was locked in a room. They let smoke into the room and waited for a reaction. The experiment showed that one person reported smoke faster than a group of people. This is due to the fact that in the group people looked at each other and waited for a prearranged signal or the first step from someone.

Convinced stutterers

This experiment is still considered to be one of the worst social studies ever. Conducted by Wendell Johnson of the University of Iowa. The participants of the experiment were twenty-two children who were brought up in orphanages. They were divided into two groups, each of which was trained.

Some children have heard that they are great, they cope well with everything and speak correctly and beautifully. Other children have been instilled with an inferiority complex for a long time.

In order to understand what follows, it is worth knowing that the experiment was carried out in order to understand what causes stuttering. So, children were called stutterers at any convenient or inconvenient occasion. As a result, the guys from the group, which was subjected to emotional pressure and insults, began to speak badly. Because of the constant insults, even those kids who spoke well began to stutter.

Johnson's study caused he alth problems for trial participants until death. They just couldn'tcure by no means.

Even at the university they understood that Johnson's experiments were not only unacceptable, but also dangerous for society. For this reason, all data on the work of this person was classified.

Tendency towards totalitarianism

After World War II, people speculated about how the German people went along with the Nazis. At the same time, an experiment was conducted to create an organization with a totalitarian ideology.

The researcher was the history teacher of the California school Ron Jones, who decided in practice to explain to the tenth graders the reason for the popularity of the Nazi ideology. Note that such classes lasted only a week.

So the first thing the teacher explained was the power of discipline. Ron demanded that the children enter and leave the classroom silently, sit quietly at their desks, do everything according to the first order. Schoolchildren, due to their age, quickly became involved in the game.

The next lessons were about the power of generality. The class constantly repeated the slogan: "Strength in discipline, strength in community", the students met each other with a certain greeting, they were given membership cards. Also appeared symbols and the name of the organization - "Third Wave".

With the creation of the name, new members began to be attracted, there were people responsible for finding dissidents and slanderers. Every day, the number of participants in the classes grew. The principal of the school even began to greet the students with the “Third Wave” gesture.

On Thursday, the historian told the guys that their organization is not entertainment, but a nationwide program, there are such branches inevery state. According to legend, in the future, the participants of the "Third Wave" are obliged to support a new presidential candidate. Ron said that on Friday he would present an appeal that would signal the mobilization of the "Third Wave". Naturally, there was no appeal at the scheduled time, and this was explained by the teacher to the assembled schoolchildren. In addition, the historian was able to convey to the children the essence - how easily Nazism took root in a democratic country.

Teenagers left with tears in their eyes, depressed, many thought about it. By the way, the public became aware of the experiment only a few years later.

The power of dissidence

It has long been known that the majority affects individuals. The experiment described below was conducted in reverse: does the opinion of the minority influence the representation of the group? Let's see what came of it now.

The author of the experiment is Serge Moscovici, who created a group of six people, two of whose members were dummy. They called green the color blue. As a result of the experiment, 8% of the rest of the respondents gave the wrong answer, as they were influenced by a group of dissidents.

After conducting the experiment, Moscovici came to the conclusion that the idea of a minority is spreading in society on the rise. If at least one representative of the majority goes over to their side, then the progression can already be stopped.

Moscovici also found the most effective ways to change public opinion. Among them is the repetition of the same thesis, as well as the confidence of the speaker. But morea tactic in which the minority agrees on everything except one point becomes an effective method. It seems that the group is ready to make concessions and the minority turns into the majority.

As you can see, in order to understand sociology, it is not enough to read a couple of articles and examples. Sometimes it takes a lifetime.