scholarly journals What Do Laboratory Experiments Measuring Social Preferences Reveal About the Real World?

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D Levitt ◽  
John A List
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Real World ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
The Real ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Laboratory Results

A critical question facing experimental economists is whether behavior inside the laboratory is a good indicator of behavior outside the laboratory. To address that question, we build a model in which the choices that individuals make depend not just on financial implications, but also on the nature and extent of scrutiny by others, the particular context in which a decision is embedded, and the manner in which participants and tasks are selected. We present empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of these various factors. To the extent that lab and naturally occurring environments systematically differ on any of these dimensions, the results obtained inside and outside the lab need not correspond. Focusing on experiments designed to measure social preferences, we discuss the extent to which the existing laboratory results generalize to naturally-occurring markets. We summarize cases where the lab may understate the importance of social preferences as well as instances in which the lab might exaggerate their importance. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of interpreting laboratory and field data through the lens of theory.

Is Imagination Constrained Enough for Science?

2019 ◽  
pp. 250-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deena Skolnick Weisberg
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Real World ◽  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Thought Experiments ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Future ◽  
Practice Of Science

The imagination is a necessary tool for doing science, because it allows scientists to form hypotheses, make predictions about the future, and consider non-actual possibilities. But some have worried that the imagination is too unconstrained to be used in the service of scientific inquiry, which needs to be tied closely to reality. This chapter reviews these arguments and provides empirical evidence that the imagination is constrained enough for science. Both children and adults base their imagined worlds on the real world, and these worlds rarely stray from the causal structure of reality. And although the imagination may be subject to some biases that make certain kinds of worlds easier to imagine, these biases can be identified and corrected through training and enculturation in science. Finally, the conclusions drawn within an imagined context can be brought to bear appropriately on reality, allowing the results of thought experiments and hypothetical scenarios to inform the practice of science.

Another route to broadening the scope of social psychology: Ecologically valid research

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel D. Gosling
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Real World ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
The Real ◽  
Existence Proofs ◽  
Mere Existence

An imbalance is identified in social psychology between controlled experimental studies (which are common) and real-world, ecologically valid studies (which are rare). The preponderance of experimental studies (which provide mere existence proofs and lack realism) helps fuel social psychology's fault-finding focus. Laboratory experiments and ecological studies should be pursued jointly to examine social life in the real world.

Importing social preferences across contexts and the pitfall of over-generalization across theories

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne C. Pisor ◽  
Daniel M. T. Fessler
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
External Validity ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Strong Reciprocity ◽  
The Real

AbstractClaims regarding negative strong reciprocity do indeed rest on experiments lacking established external validity, often without even a small “menu of options.” Guala's review should prompt strong reciprocity proponents to extend the real-world validity of their work, exploring the preferences participants bring to experiments. That said, Guala's approach fails to differentiate among group selection approaches and glosses over cross-cultural variability.

scholarly journals Translators as Well as Thinkers: Teaching of Journalistic Translation in Hong Kong1

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Defeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Real World ◽  
The Real ◽  
The World ◽  
Translator Training ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Translation Methods

Abstract Hong Kong is probably one of the most exciting places in the world to study translation as a student or a researcher. Seven out of the eight universities offer translation degrees. Among others, journalistic translation has always been one of the most popular courses for students. However, students have often felt underprepared in journalistic translation even after taking some related courses. This study argues, with the support of empirical evidence that one of the major reasons accountable for this is the gap between institutional translator training and the real world of professional translation, which, in the context of journalistic translation, manifests itself as the difference in translation methods taught in translation programs and used in professional practice. The author further contends that this gap needs to be bridged in order to better prepare student translators for the market. Recommendations are also made as to how the gap can be narrowed or bridged.

Is The Mind-Body Problem Empirical?

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Foss
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Real World ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Body Problem ◽  
A Priori ◽  
The Real ◽  
Existential Import ◽  
Mind Body Problem ◽  
The Mind

There is no problem more paradigmatically philosophical than the mind-body problem. Nevertheless, I will argue that the problem is empirical. I am not even suggesting that conceptual analysis of the various mind-body theories be abandoned – just as I could not suggest it be abandoned for theories in physics or biology. But unlike the question, ‘Is every even number greater than 2 equal to the sum of two primes?’ the mind-body problem cannot be solved a priori, by analysis alone; though I will not argue this thesis here, it is nearly obvious, since purported solutions must make matter of fact claims, heavy with existential import, about the real world. By contrast, an investigation of the sensitivity of the mind-body problem to empirical evidence will show that purported solutions to the problem are empirically testable, to a degree consistent with philosophy giving a clarified mind-body problem to the sciences. I offer the bold outlines of such an investigation here.

scholarly journals Referential Communication Between Friends and Strangers in the Wild

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-72
Author(s):  
Kris Liu ◽  
J. Trevor D'Arcey ◽  
Marilyn Walker ◽  
Jean Fox Tree
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Referring Expressions ◽  
Downtown Area ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Art Objects ◽  
Laboratory Results ◽  
In The Wild

The Map Task (Anderson et al., 1991) and Tangram Task (Clark & Wilkes-Gibbs, 1986) are traditional referential communication tasks that are used in psycholinguistics research to demonstrate how conversational partners mutually agree on descriptions (or referring expressions) for landmarks or unusual target objects. These highly-controlled, laboratory-based tasks take place under conditions that are relatively unusual for naturally-occurring conversations (Speed, Wnuk, & Majid, 2016). In this study, we used the Artwalk Task (Liu, Fox Tree, & Walker, 2016) – a real world-situated blend of the Map Task and Tangram Task – to demonstrate that the process of negotiating referring expressions ‘in the wild’ is similar to the process that takes place in a laboratory. In Artwalk, participant pairs communicated via a Skype-to-mobile phone connection. One participant guided the other through a small downtown area with the goal of identifying public art objects, finding objects twice during two rounds. In addition to replicating laboratory results, we also found that acquaintanceship and extraversion influenced the number of unique descriptors used by dyads in this task. In Round 1, introverts in stranger dyads used fewer descriptors but introverts in friend dyads were indistinguishable from extraverts. The influence of extraversion declined by Round 2. This study suggests that referent negotiation observed in labs is generalizable but that naturalistic communication is subject to social and personality factors that may not be as influential in laboratory conditions.

scholarly journals Vulnerabilities to Online Social Network Identity Deception Detection Research and Recommendations for Mitigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ismailov ◽  
Michail Tsikerdekis ◽  
Sherali Zeadally
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Real World ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Deception Detection ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
The Real

Identity deception in online social networks is a pervasive problem. Ongoing research is developing methods for identity deception detection. However, the real-world efficacy of these methods is currently unknown because they have been evaluated largely through laboratory experiments. We present a review of representative state-of-the-art results on identity deception detection. Based on this analysis, we identify common methodological weaknesses for these approaches, and we propose recommendations that can increase their effectiveness for when they are applied in real-world environments.

scholarly journals Virtually Enhanced Fluid Laboratories for Teaching Meteorology

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (9) ◽  
pp. 1949-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lodovica Illari ◽  
John Marshall ◽  
W. D. McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Real World ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Rotating Fluid ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The Real ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Large Scale Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract The “Weather in a Tank” project offers instructors a repertoire of rotating tank experiments and a curriculum in fluid dynamics to better assist students in learning how to move between phenomena in the real world and basic principles of rotating fluid dynamics that play a central role in determining the climate of the planet. Despite the increasing use of laboratory experiments in teaching meteorology, many teachers and students do not have access to suitable apparatuses and so cannot benefit from them. This article describes a “virtually enhanced” laboratory that could be very effective in getting across a flavor of the experiments and bring them to a wider audience. In the pedagogical spirit of Weather in a Tank, the focus is on how simple underlying principles, illustrated through laboratory experiments, shape the observed structure of the large-scale atmospheric circulation.

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