experiment
Let an agent handle experiments by design, controls, ethics, safety and reporting, supporting sound methods and routing unsafe or unethical requests away.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle experiments by design, controls, ethics, safety and reporting, supporting sound methods and routing unsafe or unethical requests away.
A procedure carried out to test a hypothesis, demonstrate a known fact or explore an effect under controlled conditions, including laboratory, field, clinical and computational experiments and simulations; governed by research ethics when involving people or animals.
What it is for: Generating reliable evidence and learning.
It can be design experiments with controls; identify ethical approvals needed; follow laboratory safety rules; report results transparently.
Distinguishing features
Manipulates variables
Uses controls
Replicable
Subject to ethics and safety rules
What it looks like
Laboratory setups, field trials, clinical studies and simulations.
How it is recognised
Hypotheses, variables and controls
Randomisation and blinding
Observational studies do not manipulate variables
Related models
is a kind of - category
tests - purpose
is governed by - rules
is contrasted with - method
In practice
Families and kinds
laboratory experiments
field experiments
randomised controlled trials
computational experiments and simulations
demonstration experiments in teaching
Standards and regulation
Declaration of Helsinki for human research
Animal research regulations (3Rs)
Laboratory biosafety and chemical safety rules
Failure modes and hazards
Unsafe home experiments
Lack of ethical approval
P-hacking and selective reporting
Also called
+115
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.experiment
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Design Planning.
Design determines validity.
Hypothesis
Question.
Hypothesis
Hypothesis.
- What hypothesis does the experiment test? definition
- What result would falsify it? boundary
Controls
Variables.
Controls
Controls.
- What are the independent, dependent and controlled variables? definition
- Is randomisation or blinding used? boundary
Ethics Approvals.
Ethics protects participants.
Approval
Ethics committees.
Approval
Ethics approval.
- Does the experiment need ethics committee approval? provenance
- Is informed consent obtained? boundary
Animals
3Rs.
Animals
Animal research.
- Does it involve animals, and are the 3Rs applied? boundary
- Which licence is required? provenance
Safety Hazards.
Experiments can be dangerous.
Risk
Risk assessment.
Risk
Risk assessment.
- Has a risk assessment been done for chemicals, heat or electricity? boundary
- What protective equipment is needed? provenance
Limits
Unsafe requests.
Limits
Unsafe request limits.
- Does the request seek instructions for dangerous or harmful experiments? boundary
- How should the agent decline and suggest safe alternatives? action
Reporting Transparency.
Reporting enables replication.
Preregister
Registration.
Preregister
Preregistration.
- Should the study be preregistered or registered as a trial? provenance
- Which registry applies? provenance
Publish
Results.
Publish
Publishing results.
- How should results, including null results, be reported? action
- Which guideline applies? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should experiment types be separate entries?
- How should trial registries be linked?
- How should simulations be classed?