The comparative method (2024)

Table of Contents

The comparative method Advantages Disadvantages Evaluation References


	The comparative method
	Advantages Discovers cause and effect relationships Poses no ethical issues Can be studied in the past It avoids artificiality	Disadvantages No control over variables ‘Thought experiemnt’
	Evaluation However, the comparative method gives the researcher even less control over variables than do field experiments, so we can even be less certain whether a thought experiment really has discovered the cause of something.

The comparative method

Advantages

Discovers cause and effect relationships
Poses no ethical issues
Can be studied in the past
It avoids artificiality

Disadvantages

No control over variables
‘Thought experiemnt’

Evaluation

However, the comparative method gives the researcher even less control over variables than do field experiments, so we can even be less certain whether a thought experiment really has discovered the cause of something.