Applying results from studies to other contexts is not easy and should always be done with caution. I came across yet another example, this time someone telling that human behavior in lab settings can be very different from human behavior in a natural environment. If one wants to know more about natural behavior, one should study this behavior as it naturally occurs. With the current technological means, this can be very easy (video surveillance, gps tracking, logging internet activity). And yes, there is no doubt that the data acquired in this way describes the behavior one wanted to study. But why then test in a lab setting?
The main disadvantage of lab experiments is that they take place in an artificial environment, with non-natural tasks and non-natural conditions. In the same time, this is a big advantage. Lab experiments can be reproduced, every detail can be carefully controlled and the results are easier to interpret because there are fewer unknown factors. Although the results may not tell much about human behavior in natural settings, they do tell a lot about human behavior in lab settings, which valuable information in itself. Using this information to speculate or hypothesize about behavior in other settings is perfectly fine. Drawing conclusions is not.
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