1. 7 (a) Identify and briefly explain three problems of using .laboratory-style experiments to
study the effects of the mass media on their audiences (Item C, line 4). (9 marks)
Three problems identified such as:
difficulty in measuring long-term effects
difficulty in distinguishing the effects of other possible causes from those in the
experiment
experimenter effect
artificiality of the laboratory setting
problems of defining .violence.
ethical problems.
Two further marks for each of three satisfactory explanations such as:
Model Answer
Laboratory style experiments to study media effects on audiences will raise problems. Firstly,
lab style experiments will mean there is difficulty in measuring long-term effects: the
experiment only lasts for a short period and only measures the immediate effects of exposure
to violent images.
Secondly there is difficulty in distinguishing the effects of other possible causes from those in
the experiment: for example subsequent violent behaviour may be the result of wider social
factors, eg socialisation, peer group pressures, etc., not the media content. Perhaps a more
holistic research approach which looks at primary socialisation and secondary socialisation and
not just the mass media would be more beneficial.
The third criticism of laboratory experiments when conducting sociological research is the
Experimenter effect: in laboratory conditions it is impossible to avoid some experimenter effect,
such as the Hawthorne effect, where participants in the experiment change their behaviour
because they are aware of being in an experiment.