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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)
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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
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However,
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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.
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Causation and the Directionality Problem
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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.
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Sometimes we have to use correlation
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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
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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
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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.
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field studies
Research studies conducted in a real- world environment are called field
studies,
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