ABSTRACT
The debate on the best method used to examine cognitive mechanisms and behavior has been brought into focus. This chapter summarizes the positions contained in influential papers that most clearly represent the views of laboratory versus everyday cognitive research. It reviews the pertinent papers representing opposing views and performed a meta-analysis to assess similarities and differences. The chapter examines four common sources of confusion that tend to divide laboratory and ecological research. The first source of confusion is the clevel of control used in laboratory and ecological research. A second source of confusion in separating laboratory and ecological research centers around issues of generalization, ecological and functional validity, and representativeness of design. A third source of confusion that could erroneously divide laboratory and ecological studies revolves around issues of control and generalization. A final source of confusion between laboratory and ecological research could be clarified if the purpose of the research were articulated in terms of prediction and understanding.
