Experimental studies are at the heart of scientific inquiry but have yet to gain their due recognition in the methodological repertoire of family business researchers. In this article we discuss the usefulness of experiments to further the development of family business science. We argue that well-developed experiments can enable family business scholars to not only scrutinize difficult-to-isolate relationships, but explore multilevel and causal processes that form the foundation of family firm heterogeneity. Hence, the purpose of this article is to draw researchers’ attention to the value of experiments in generating new and relevant insights in family firm contexts. Our work is intended to encourage, guide and inspire family business scholars to increase methodological variety in our field by carefully designing, evaluating and carrying out experimental studies.

实验研究是科学探究的核心，但尚未在家族企业研究人员的方法学方法论中得到应有的认可。在本文中，我们讨论了实验对进一步发展家族企业科学的有用性。我们认为，完善的实验可以使家族企业学者不仅可以研究难以隔离的关系，而且可以探索形成家族企业异质性基础的多层次和因果过程。因此，本文的目的是吸引研究人员注意实验在家族企业环境中产生新的和相关的见解方面的价值。我们的工作旨在通过精心设计，