...number of different scientific methods to conduct research on social psychology topics. These methods allow researchers to test hypotheses and theories and look for relationships between different variables. Both correlational and experimental research designs have its advantages and disadvantages. Another decision in designing research concerns where the study should be conducted: in a field setting or in a laboratory. Correlational Research Social psychologists use correlational research to look for relationships between variables. For example, a social psychology might carry out a correlational study looking at the relationship between workplace violence and aggression. Conducting surveys, directly observing behaviors, or compiling research from earlier studies are some of the methods used to gather data for correlational research. While this type of study can help determine if two variables have a relationship, it does not allow researchers to determine if one variable causes changes in another variable. Experimental Research Experimental research is the key to uncovering causal relationships between variables. In experimental research, the experimenter randomly assigns participants to one of two groups: (1) the control group; and (2) the experimental group. The control group receives no treatment and serves as a baseline. Researchers manipulate the levels of some independent variable in the experimental group and then measure the effects. Since, researchers...
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...Running Head: LABOR MARKET DISCRIMINATION A Field Experiment: Labor Market Discrimination Meghrie Jaridian Notre-Dame University ABSTRACT In a pretest done about the choice of applicants that are most likely to get hired, 83 % of sixty participants voted for applicants of the Lebanese origin, and 17 % voted for applicants of the Syrian origin. In the experiment, sixty participants randomly selected from The American University of Beirut students were randomly assigned to two different conditions and a control group, making twenty participants in each condition. In condition 1, 85 % of participants rated for the applicants of the Lebanese origin, 15 % rated for applicants of the Syrian origin. In condition 2, 65 % of participants rated for the applicants of the Lebanese origin, 35 % rated for applicants of the Syrian origin; and finally in the control group results for the Lebanese and Syrian applicants’ ratings were equal. Differential treatment by ethnicity still appears to be still dominant in the Lebanese labor market. A Field Experiment: Labor Market Discrimination Discrimination toward or against a person or group is the prejudicial treatment of them based on certain characteristics. It can be positive behavior directed towards a certain group (e.g. affirmative action), or negative behavior directed against a certain group (e.g. redlining). The latter is the more common meaning, i.e. negative discrimination. Moreover, racial discrimination differentiates...
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...Experimental Research to Analyze Cause and Effect Relationships Table of Content List of Abbreviations................................................ Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. List of Figures and Tables .................................................................................................. i 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 2 Causality ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 Cause and Effect ................................................................................................. 2 Internal and External Validity ............................................................................ 3 Experimental design ........................................................................................... 5 Randomization.................................................................................................... 5 Classification of Experimental Designs ............................................................. 6 Time, Cost, Administration, and Ethical Regulation ......................................... 7 Case Study: The Effect of Payment Transparency on Consumption ................. 8 3 Experimental Research ................................................................................................. 5 4 Limitations.........
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...RESEARCH DESIGN A. Definition Research design refers to the complete sequence of steps to be undertaken to ensure that the appropriate data will be obtained in a way which permits an objective analysis leading to valid inferences with respect to the stated problem. It is a step in problem solving consisting of a detailed plan to be followed in obtaining the needed data. It specifies what organisms, chemicals, glasswares, and equipment will be used in the study. B. Significance 1. It serves as a guide for direction during the actual experimentation. 2. It allows a gain of maximum information relevant to the problem at minimum cost. 3. It makes the statistical test of significance valid because it takes into consideration all the assumptions that went into deriving the various statistics. C. General Features The design of an experiment depends on the type of research undertaken and the nature of the conditions under which study is done. The design of an experiment is dictated by the question it is to answer. There is no common blueprint that will serve as a guide in writing a research design. Each problem requires its own unique design. A research design contains the following sections: I. Introduction A. Background of the Study B. Statement of the Problem C. Significance of the Study D. Scope and Limitation of the Study II. Review of Related Literature III. Methodology IV. Time Table V. Proposed Budget ...
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...Examples are different fertilizers, different makes of machines and different advertisement channels. The values of a response are supposed to reflect the effect of different treatments. If an experiment is to be carried out on a particular project, the objective of the experiment must be clearly stated, unless the objective of tge experiments must be clearly stated, unless the objective of the project is carefully identified, the most appropriate design may not be adopted. The main aim of this project is to use the collected data to investigate the effect of different levels of nitrogen fertilizers on the fertilizers on the yield of maize and sugar beet separately using analysis of variance (ANOVA) method at the institute of agricultural research Akure It should be noted that the data used here is secondary data. Fertilization has to do with the aim of bringing about an increase in crop yield and consequently increase in farmers’ product and income. That is to increase the yield of maize and sugar beet and make useful observation on the effectiveness of different level of nitrogen fertilizers on varieties of sugar beet and maize. This project identifies the levels of nitrogen fertilizers that contributed to the yield of the species. In enhancement of easy analysis, the objectives of the...
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...domain of science. —Wilhelm Wundt, 1874 PREVIEW AND CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Chapters 2 and 3 describe the context out of which modern psychology emerged in the nineteenth century. Philosophers, interested in the same fundamental questions about the human mind and behavior that occupy psychologists today, began to speculate about the need to examine these issues scientifically. At least one nineteenth-century British philosopher, John Stuart Mill, even proposed the development of a scientific psychology. Meanwhile, physiologists and physicians in Europe made great strides in furthering our understanding of the physiology of the nervous system and, in particular, of the brain. This chapter examines how this experimental physiology combined with philosophical inquiry to create a new experimental psychology in Germany in the late nineteenth century. The chapter opens with a brief discussion of some aspects of German education that made it attractive to American students, and then continues with a look at how Gustav Fechner’s psychophysics provided a standardized set of methods for studying sensory thresholds. The creation of the ‘‘New Psychology’’ and its first laboratory by Leipzig’s Wilhelm Wundt forms the focus of the middle of the chapter. The chapter ends with consideration of three other important German psychologists, Hermann Ebbinghaus, G. E. Muller, and Oswald Kulpe. After you finish this chapter, you ¨ ¨ should be able to: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Describe the philosophy of education in Germany...
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...Chapter 11 Experiments and Test Markets Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which term below refers to a study involving the manipulation of one or more variables to determine the effect on another variable? A) ex post facto B) experiment C) monitoring study D) communication study E) descriptive study Answer: B Level: easy 2. Which variable in an experiment is manipulated by the researcher? A) dependent variable B) extraneous variable C) moderating variable D) independent variable E) mediating variable Answer: D Level: moderate 3. Which variable in an experiment is the variable expected to be affected by the manipulation? A) dependent variable B) extraneous variable C) moderating variable D) independent variable E) mediating variable Answer: A Level: easy 4. All of the following are terms used to refer to an independent variable except _____. A) predictor B) explanatory C) criterion D) all of the above refer to an independent variable E) none of the above refer to an independent variable Answer: C Level: easy Use the following to answer questions 5-9: In the study of bystanders and thieves presented in the text, participants are invited to a store where they see someone steal the purse of another customer. The accosted shopper and the thief are really acting their parts to set the stage for the experiment. Participants view the robbery alone or with another participant. The study sought to determine...
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...Mba 1st executive communication Sec b 11. Ex post facto design is a quasi-experimental study examining how an independent variable, present prior to the study, affects a dependent variable. So like we just said, there is something about the participant that we're going to study that we don't have to alter in the participant. We will make this a little clearer a little later with some examples and descriptions. But first, quasi-experimental simply means participants are not randomly assigned. In a true experiment, you have what is called random assignment, which is where a participant has an equal chance of being in the experimental or control group. Random assignment helps ensure that when you apply some kind of condition to the experimental and control groups, there isn't some predisposition in one group to respond differently than the other. A true experiment and ex post facto both are attempting to say: this independent variable is causing changes in a dependent variable. This is the basis of any experiment - one variable is hypothesized to be influencing another. This is done by having an experimental group and a control group. So if you're testing a new type of medication, the experimental group gets the new medication, while the control group gets the old medication. This allows you to test the efficacy of the new medication. Ex post facto designs are different from true experiments because ex post facto designs do not use random assignment. True experiments have random...
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...Takako Hirokawa, Noah Finkelstein, and H. J. Lewandowski† Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 (Dated: March 4, 2014) In response to national calls to better align physics laboratory courses with the way physicists engage in research, we have developed an epistemology and expectations survey to assess how students perceive the nature of physics experiments in the contexts of laboratory courses and the professional research laboratory. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) evaluates students’ shifts in epistemology and affect at the beginning and end of a semester. Also, at the end of the semester, the E-CLASS assesses students’ reflections on their course’s expectations for earning a good grade. By basing survey statements on widely embraced learning goals and common critiques of teaching labs, the E-CLASS serves as an assessment tool for lab courses across the undergraduate curriculum and as a tool for PER research. We present the development, evidence of validation, and initial formative assessment results from a sample that includes 45 classes at 20 institutions. We also discuss feedback from instructors and reflect on the challenges of large-scale online administration and distribution of results. I. INTRODUCTION Laboratory courses offer significant opportunities for engagement in the practices and core ideas of science. Laboratory course environments typically have apparatus, flexible...
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...The design of any experiment is of utmost importance because it has the power to be the most rigid type of research. The design, however, is always dependent on feasibility. The best approach is to control for as many confounding variables as possible in order to eliminate or reduce errors in the assumptions that will be made. It is also extremely desirable that any threats to internal or external validity be neutralized. In the perfect world, all research would do this and the results of research would be accurate and powerful. In the real world, however, this is rarely the case. We are often dealing with human subjects, which in itself confounds （puzzles） any study. We are also dealing with the restraints of time and situation, often resulting in less than perfect conditions in which to gather information. There are three basic experimental designs, each containing subsets with specific strengths and weaknesses. These three basic designs include: (1) pre-experimental design; (2) quasi-experimental design; and (3) true experimental design. They will be discussed below and as you will discover, are addressed in order of effectiveness. Pre-Experimental Design Pre-experimental designs are so named because they follow basic experimental steps but fail to include a control group. In other words, a single group is often studied but no comparison between an equivalent non-treatment group is made. Examples include the following: The One-Shot Case Study. In this arrangement...
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...April 3, 2016 C H A P T E R 3 Evaluation Methods Learning Objectives 1. Recognize differences between evaluation methods and how they support the human factors design cycle 2. Design formative and summative human factors studies 3. Understand representative sampling and the implications for study design and generalization 4. Design an experiment considering variables that are measured, manipulated, controlled, and cannot be controlled 5. Interpret results and recognize the limitations of a study 6. Identify the ethical issues associated with collecting data with human subjects 1 April 3, 2016 PURPOSE OF EVALUATION 3 TIMING AND TYPES OF EVALUATION 5 LITERATURE REVIEW, HEURISTIC EVALUATION, AND COGNITIVE WALKTHROUGHS USABILITY TESTING COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION AND CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS IN-SERVICE EVALUATION 5 7 8 9 STEPS IN CONDUCTING A STUDY 10 STUDY DESIGN 11 ONE FACTOR WITH TWO LEVELS ONE FACTOR WITH MORE THAN TWO LEVELS MULTIPLE FACTORS BETWEEN-SUBJECTS DESIGN WITHIN-SUBJECT DESIGNS MIXED DESIGNS SAMPLING PEOPLE, TASKS, AND SITUATIONS 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 MEASUREMENT 15 DATA ANALYSIS 16 ANALYSIS OF CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS ANALYSIS OF DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES 16 17 DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND COMMUNICATING RESULTS 18 STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND TYPE I AND TYPE II ERRORS STATISTICAL AND PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE GENERALIZING AND PREDICTING ...
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...Experiment independent measures: 1. State the experimental hypothesis for your project [3] 2. Describe the method you would use for your practical project. 13 marks are awarded for replicability and appropriateness and 6 for the quality of design and feasibility [13 + 6] 3. Give an advantage of using an alternative experimental design in this practical project [3] 4. Assess the validity of your investigation in measuring the dependant variable [6] 5. Outline how you could select a sample which could be representative [3] 6. What ethical issues would you consider in designing your practical project? [3] 7. Suggest one possible future research related to your practical project [3] | June 10 | Correlation: 1. State an alternate Hypothesis for your practical project [3] 2. Describe the method you would use for your practical project. 13 marks are awarded for replicability and appropriateness and 6 for the quality of design and feasibility [13 + 6] 3. Which inferential (non parametric test) would you use to analyse your data? Give reasons for your choice [3] 4. a) Sketch a graph to present the data that could be collected [3]b) What could this graph tell you about the relationship between the two variables? [3] 5. Explain one weakness of conducting this practical project as a correlation [3] 6. How would you address any one ethical issues in the conduct of this practical project? [3] 7. Outline one other way your research question could be investigated [3] | ...
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...Question 6. Many drug safety research studies are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies that would financially benefit if the results of the study are favorable. Is this an example of a potential confounding factor? A confounding factor is an important difference between the two groups you are comparing, other then the one you’re primarily interested in. With regards to this question, there would most likely be two groups involved in the experimental study: the control group and the treatment group. The control group would receive a placebo while the treatment group was administered the drug. Because the sponsoring pharmaceutical most likely has a personal interest in the success of the drug, and hence a desirable effect from the treatment group. The confounding factor may be how and who the participants were chosen for the study. People who may be interested in being a part of the study may have a pre-existing condition that the drug will help. In other words, a drug company is not going to have a clot-relieving drug tested on people with no pre-existing clot issue as the drug would not be isolating the issue it is intended to mediate. Yes, the relationship of the sponsor (pharmaceutical company) to the study is a confounding factor and inherently causes bias and inaccuracies within the study. 13. Below are some data from 2005 for on-the-job deaths in dangerous jobs. Which job seems the most dangerous? Which seems the least dangerous? Explain. Fishers and fishing workers...
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...manipulated factor in the experiment. The Dependent variable: performance on multiplication tasks b) The operational definition of the dependent variable is how well a participant does on a multiplication task. c) The control group is the group that doesn’t drink any of the “blast” drink, but do the multiplication and task and be compared with the experimental group that drinks the “blast” drink and does the multiplication task. There will be three experimental groups the groups exposed to the treatment, each will receive a different amount of the “blast”, and the data is collected and then compared with the control group. d) A placebo effect: experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behaviour caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent. Yes, the placebo is a concern in the study, the control group will be given an identical drink. Both the experimental group and the control group will have expectations towards the multiplication task after drinking the energy drink. e) One control procedure is giving the three experimental groups and the control group the same exact information in the same exact way for example giving them the same multiplication task. f) Yes, random assignment and random selection are needed because not all variables are known, to get the most accurate results, the experimenter/researcher must assign the groups in random manner in other words randomize...
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...EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS FOR RESEARCH Causality Experimental Designs Control Group Pre-test/Post-test Design Threats to Internal Validity Threats to External Validity Post-Test only Control Group Design CAUSALITY To establish whether two variables are causally related, that is, whether a change in the independent variable X results in a change in the dependent variable Y, you must establish: 1) time order--The cause must have occurred before the effect; 2) co-variation (statistical association)-- Changes in the value of the independent variable must be accompanied by changes in the value of the dependent variable; 3) rationale-- There must be a logical and compelling explanation for why these two variables are related; 4) non-spuriousness-- It must be established that the independent variable X, and only X, was the cause of changes in the dependent variable Y; rival explanations must be ruled out. To establish causality, one must use an experimental or quasi-experimental design. Note that it is never possible to prove causality, but only to show to what degree it is probable. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS True experimental designs include: Pre-test/Post-test control group design Solomon Four-Group design Post-test only control group design Pre-test/Post-test control group design This is also called the classic controlled experimental design, and the randomized pre-test/post-test design because it: 1) Controls the assignment of subjects to...
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