Difference between experimental and non experimental research in psychology
Answers
The difference between experimental and non-experimental research in any social science field is that experimental research involves testing a hypothesis in a controlled environment, while non-experimental research involves examining the pre-existing scenario in the world (or patient, for psychology, which is sometimes called a social science rather than medical science), and attempting to draw conclusions from the situation - usually a cause-effect relationship.
Some social sciences, particularly history, archaeology, and political science, tend toward the non-experimental research methods. There is simply no way to form a meaningful experiment for the majority of these fields, as the situation is far too complex to create a controlled example of.
Psychology and anthropology, on the other hand, are much more inclined to experimental research for determining patterns, though non-experimental research is required for diagnosis or categorization of a specific individual or group.