Natural Experiment - GCSE Psychology Definition

A natural experiment is a type of study in psychology where researchers observe the effects of something happening naturally without having to set it up themselves.

Unlike a laboratory or a field experiment, the researcher does not change the independent variable, which means they take advantage of a situation that occurs naturally. For example, if a new law is made, researchers might study its impact on people's behaviour.

This kind of experiment is useful because it lets scientists see real-life reactions and results, but it can be harder to know if the changes are really due to the event being studied or if other factors are involved.