Experim
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ... Joseph Luzzi, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist
Research designs are either experimental or non-experimental. Experimental research is conducted mostly in laboratories in the context of basic research. The principle advantage of experimental designs is that it provides the opportunity to identify cause-and-effect relationships. Non-experimental research, e.g., case studies, surveys, correlation studies, is non-manipulative observational research usually conducted in natural settings. While laboratory-controlled experimental studies tend to be higher in internal validity, non-experimental studies tend to be higher in external validity.
One major limitation of experimental research is that studies are typically conducted in contrived or artificial laboratory settings. Results may not generalize or extrapolate to external settings. Two exceptions to this rule are natural experiments and field experiments. Natural experiments document and compare the behaviors of subjects before and after some natural event; e.g., floods, tornadoes, hurricanes. Field experiments involve manipulating conditions in the natural setting for the purpose of determining their influence on behavior. The field experiment is unique insofar as it tends to be moderately high on both external and internal validity.
In experimental research, the investigator manipulates conditions for the purpose of determining their effect on behavior. Subjects should be unaware of their membership in an experimental group so that they don’t act differently (Hawthorne Effect). In the simplest experimental design, investigators administer a placebo to the control group and a treatment to the experimental group. Experimental designs vary in terms of subjects’ assignments to different groups, whether subjects were pre-tested, whether different treatments were administered to different groups, and the number of variables being investigated.
Experiments are typically structured in
Research designs are either experimental or non-experimental. Experimental research is conducted mostly in laboratories in the context of basic research. The principle advantage of experimental designs is that it provides the opportunity to identify cause-and-effect relationships. Non-experimental research, e.g., case studies, surveys, correlation studies, is non-manipulative observational research usually conducted in natural settings. While laboratory-controlled experimental studies tend to be higher in internal validity, non-experimental studies tend to be higher in external validity.
One major limitation of experimental research is that studies are typically conducted in contrived or artificial laboratory settings. Results may not generalize or extrapolate to external settings. Two exceptions to this rule are natural experiments and field experiments. Natural experiments document and compare the behaviors of subjects before and after some natural event; e.g., floods, tornadoes, hurricanes. Field experiments involve manipulating conditions in the natural setting for the purpose of determining their influence on behavior. The field experiment is unique insofar as it tends to be moderately high on both external and internal validity.
In experimental research, the investigator manipulates conditions for the purpose of determining their effect on behavior. Subjects should be unaware of their membership in an experimental group so that they don’t act differently (Hawthorne Effect). In the simplest experimental design, investigators administer a placebo to the control group and a treatment to the experimental group. Experimental designs vary in terms of subjects’ assignments to different groups, whether subjects were pre-tested, whether different treatments were administered to different groups, and the number of variables being investigated.
Experiments are typically structured in