Which of the following statements about the ecological validity of laboratory research findings is TRUE?
A) It is the purpose of programmatic applied research, not laboratory research, to determine the conditions governing the ecological validity of a laboratory finding.
B) To be ecologically valid, results of a field study must be identical to results of a lab study.
C) Because laboratory studies use artificial research procedures and convenience samples, the results of those studies can never be ecologically valid.
D) Structural external validity is the most important factor in judging the ecological validity of laboratory research.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which research findings can be generalized to real-world settings. While laboratory research may lack ecological validity, it is not the purpose of laboratory research to determine the conditions governing ecological validity. That is the domain of programmatic applied research. Therefore, option A is the correct statement. Option B is incorrect because ecological validity does not require identical results between lab and field studies; rather, it refers to the ability to generalize findings from a controlled lab setting to real-world contexts. Option C is incorrect because it overgeneralizes the limitations of laboratory research. While convenience samples and artificial procedures may reduce ecological validity, they do not eliminate it altogether. Option D is incorrect because structural external validity refers to the degree to which a study's methods and procedures mirror real-world conditions, but it is not the most important factor in judging ecological validity. Other factors, such as the representativeness of the sample, the realism of the experimental situation, and the similarity of the dependent measure to actual behaviors, may be more relevant to ecological validity.

Which of the Following Statements About the Ecological Validity of Laboratory