Laboratory study

A laboratory study is a scientific method to test a certain working hypothesis - ideally under precisely controlled conditions - with the help of laboratory experiments . In contrast to a field study that takes place in the natural environment of the research object, a laboratory study creates an artificial environment specially developed for the study. A laboratory study on humans does not take place in the everyday life of the test subjects, but under observation by the study director in a largely closed environment. A well-known example of such an “artificial environment” is the so-called sleep laboratory , in which the sleep of patients can be examined or - with the help of measuring and recording nocturnal erections in male patients with erectile dysfunction - whether there is a physical cause.

The advantages of a laboratory study compared to a field study can be seen in the fact that many influencing variables are easier to observe in the laboratory than outside of such a research facility. This applies both to the actual experimental set-ups and to variables that influence them , in particular for potential disturbances. In particular, it is usually only possible to systematically vary a single variable in the laboratory, so that changes in a test group compared to a control group with the same essential characteristics can be traced back to this variable.

On the other hand, it is disadvantageous that the results of a laboratory study cannot simply be transferred to the situation outside the laboratory. If an examination is carried out on humans, it must also be expected that simply being in a laboratory will influence and change the behavior of those affected.