Question

Why are psychological experiments often conducted under special controlled conditions that do not occur naturally outside the laboratory?

Answer 1

The reality are subjected to different and unexpected factors which are not present in a control environment, as a laboratory. Not only, the introduction of the study might change the behavior of the subject as well.

As explained by Kurt Lewin: “Experimentation in the laboratory occurs, socially speaking, on an island quite isolated from the life of society” (Lewin, 1944, p. 286).

Let's take a brief example. A group of scientists wants to test the generosity of people, the experiment once conducted in a laboratory might result in a higher generosity actions than in real life. Why? Because of the social pressure. In order to keep the natural behavior of the subjects in a laboratory, a significant number of factors have to be taken in consideration. Therefore, in such cases, the experiments outside a laboratory might result in more reliable data.