ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters discussed various ways in which experiments conducted in laboratory environments can be made as realistic, involving, and impactful as possible. Even when such methods are used, however, it is still desirable to move outside of the laboratory, into field contexts, to extend and validate the results of any research program in the social sciences. As we state throughout this book, research should be conceived as a process in which observation gives rise to theory, which is followed by research. Variations between expectations and research results lead social scientists back to observation, to theory revision, and back to research, as shown in Fig. 7.1. It is important to note that neither laboratory nor field research is accorded primacy in this diagram. Each has its place, and each should be engaged in only after appropriate observation and theory development. This chapter reinforces this view by considering how experimental methods can be applied outside the laboratory, and how laboratory and field experiments can be used in conjunction with each other. Later chapters address nonexperimental research methods in field contexts.
