Field study
A field study (also: field study ) is a systematic scientific observation under natural conditions, i.e. outside the laboratory in the biotope of the observed object. It can be purely observational and descriptive, it can serve to check results obtained in laboratory studies and / or be combined with manipulative series of experiments. In contrast to the field experiment , the manipulation of the independent variables is deliberately avoided.
history
Important historical studies in medicine and biology, among others, are almost always field studies, because modern laboratory and study standards have only been generally applied for the last few decades. The relevance of the results was and is mostly determined by the question, implementation and interpretation.
Considerations for a Study
- A field study should have a specific, relevant goal, about which a first hypothesis is formulated.
- Existing studies with similar topics and questions must be taken into account.
- All considerations, especially the selection of the field study objects (test subjects), must be precisely documented. ( Representativeness )
- The methodology, treatment and evaluation carried out must be fully documented.
- Influence by the field study objects or the examiner should be avoided. Here, both the examiner and the study participant can be left in the dark about various aspects. See: blinding
- Follow-up refers to examinations of the subjects or data collection after the trial has been terminated.
- At the end of a field study there is always a detailed analysis of the results. Nowadays the significance is usually set at 5%.
Subjects where field studies are often used
Examples of well-known field studies
- Jane Goodall's observations on chimpanzees
- Dian Fossey's observations on gorillas
See also
Web links
