What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of experimental research?

What will be an ideal response?

The principal advantage of a controlled experiment lies in its validity in studying causal processes. The power of experimental research is the ability to strengthen causal inferences about the factors under study. Experimental research also allows researchers to isolate particular factors and to study their interactions carefully, has strong internal validity, and provides relatively accurate inferences about cause and effect. Because experimental research is longitudinal, it provides the opportunity for studying change over time.

The principal disadvantage of the experimental approach has to do with its limitations in generalizability or external validity. If the stringent requirements of experimental research designs are to be met, the design often becomes feasible only with small and atypical groups, in which case the conclusions cannot be generalized with any certainty. Controlled experiments are rarely possible, and capturing rich and complex causal and predictive relationships from available data is extremely challenging. An experiment is designed to show the effect of a particular factor, not all other factors that may produce or moderate the same effect, but there may be little practical value in seeking a precise separation of these factors if they operate together in the real world. Experimental research may not be feasible for many of the topics and questions addressed by health services researchers. It may also not be feasible if people are unwilling to be experimental guinea pigs or are unavailable for participation in experiments, or if the volunteers are not representative.

Additionally, many of the controls required in experimental research may be difficult or impossible to realize in health services or other social science research, especially when a natural setting is used. The experimenter’s expectations may affect the results of the experiment if a double-blind process cannot be implemented, and ethical and time considerations may make it unfeasible to study behavior in artificial settings. Conducting true experiments with large and representative samples is typically more complex and costly than other designs.