Behavioral Validity in Factorial Survey Experiments: Comparison of Factorial Survey Experiments and Field Experiments Concerning Recruitment of Disadvantaged Groups

The increased use of experiments in social research yields more discussions and knowledge about the design and utility of the methods. Based on previous research and two empirical studies that apply a factorial survey experiment (FSE) and a field experiment, both aiming at detecting employers’ recruitment behavior toward wheelchair users, I discuss the behavioral validity of an FSE and research ethics in both experiments. The results of the two experiments are highly comparable and indicate a high behavioral validity of the FSE in studies of recruitment behavior. While field experiments tend to enjoy precedence in the social sciences, they also involve serious ethical considerations. An FSE, on the other hand, is criticized for having a low behavioral validity but complies better with research ethics than field experiments. This study contributes with a nuanced understanding of the behavioral validity of an FSE in studies concerning hiring behavior.