Which of the following is a disadvantage of a laboratory experiment?

Laboratory experiments are characterized by a high level of control over variables, which allows researchers to establish cause-and-effect relationships more clearly. However, this controlled environment often lacks the realism found in natural settings, leading to lower ecological validity. Ecological validity refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to real-world settings.

In a laboratory setting, the artificial conditions may influence participant behavior in ways that would not occur in everyday life, potentially affecting how the results can be applied outside of the experiment. For instance, participants may respond differently due to awareness that they are in a study or because the environment does not replicate actual situations they encounter. Consequently, while laboratory experiments can be rigorous and systematic, they might not accurately reflect behaviors or outcomes in more natural contexts, highlighting the disadvantage of lower ecological validity.