EXPERIMENTAL

RESEARCH
STRATEGY
Chapter 7

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Goal
The purpose of the experimental research strategy is to establish the
existence of a cause- and- effect relationship between two variables.

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How
To accomplish this goal, an experiment manipulates one variable while a
second variable is measured and other variables are controlled.

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4 basic elements,
1. Manipulation. Manipulate one variable by changing its value to create a set
of two or more treatment conditions. (3 levels of lighting & plant
grow)

2. Measurement. Obtain a set of scores in each treatment condition.

(measure the amount of light and the length of the plant)
3. Comparison. The scores in one treatment condition are compared with
the scores in another treatment condition. (compare growth under 3
conditions)
4. Control. All other variables are controlled to be sure that they do not
influence the two variables being examined. (Control oxygen ,
fertilizer, soil, and water)

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 Terminology
In an experiment, the variable that is manipulated by the researcher is called independent
variable.. Teaching methods, level of lighting

The different values of the independent variable or the specific conditions that are used in in
an experiment are called treatment conditions or the levels of the independent variable.
(Traditional, Constructivist) (high light, Med light, low light)

The dependent variable is the variable that is observed for changes to assess the effects of
manipulating the independent variable. Student score in math , size of plants

All variables in the study other than the independent and dependent variables are called
extraneous variables.
IQ, Temperature, Fatigue, Age, Noise,
oxygen, soil, fertilizer,..….

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The problem with experimental design

How can observations made in an artificial, carefully

controlled experiment reveal any truth about nature?

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However,

Just because an experiment takes place in an unnatural

environment does not necessarily imply that the results are
unnatural.
Example, studying gravity on the moon
feather , hammer

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Causation & 3rd variable
Although it is relatively easy to demonstrate that one variable is related to
another, it is much more difficult to establish the underlying cause of the
relationship.

Number of smiles & life span

Eating fish & life span
Life span may be as wide as your smile
Could your smile predict your life span?

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Causation and the Directionality Problem

 TV & violence (correlation & t-test misleading)

Compare 2 groups (High TV and Low TV)?
We need manipulation

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Use manipulation if you can
 In general, whenever there is a relationship between two variables, a
researcher can use manipulation to determine which variable is the
cause and which is the effect.

 Temperature & Ice cream consumption (can

we change the
temperature to see if ice-cream consumption goes up?)

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Sometimes we have to use correlation

 Depression & Insomnia (can we manipulate depression to see if

Insomnia decreases?)

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What is the confounding variable in this
research?
 Group A (using humorous words to memorize)
 Group B (using non-humorous words)

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Can we separate humor and surprise?
≠
≠

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level of surprise
 The level of surprise varies systematically with the level of humor, and
so it might be confounding variable.

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≠
=

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Methods of control (gender)
 Holding a variable constant (all boys)
 Matching values across treatment conditions (10 males and 20 females
could be assigned to each group)
 Control by randomization (random assignment)

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Which one is better to control gender?

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Quasi-experimental design
 A quasi-experimental design is one that looks like an experimental
design but lacks the key ingredient -- random assignment.

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ex post facto

1. Studies pre-existing groups. smokers and non-smokers’

anxiety
2. No treatment
3. This type of study often is called ex post facto research
because it looks at differences “ after the fact;” that is, at
differences that already exist between groups.
Difference between Engineering and Education (PE , non-PE)
students in their reading speed.

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2 types of control groups
 a no- treatment control group is a condition in which the participants
do not receive the treatment being evaluated.
 Place’bo Control Groups (can the researcher be sure that the observed
effect is really caused by the treatment, or is part ( or all) of the effect
simply a placebo effect?)
They think they are getting a medicine
 Treatment group

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Manipulation check

 A manipulation check is an additional measure to assess if

the participants are aware of, perceived and interpreted the
manipulation and/ or to assess the direct effect of the
manipulation.

 The effects of posting podcasts on students achievement in

Math

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 Simulation and field studies
 researchers often attempt to maximize the realism of the
experimental environment to increase the external validity of
the results.
 Two standard techniques are used to accomplish this:
simulation and field studies.

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Simulation
• Simulation is the creation of conditions within an experiment that
simulate or closely duplicate the natural environment being examined.

• Example, the intent of the research was to study the development of

interpersonal dynamics and relationships between guards and inmates in
a prison. An actual prison, consisting of three barred cells, a solitary
confinement facility, guards’ quarters, and an interview room was built in
the basement of the psychology building.
• Movie

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field studies
Research studies conducted in a real- world environment are called field
studies,

In these studies, the researchers create an emergency situation, then

manipulate
variables within the emergency and observe bystander responses.
 Candid Camera

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