| Unit 4: Experimental Research Methods | |
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| Experimental Research Methods | Unit 4 Overview | Unit 4 Outcomes | Unit 4 Resources | Basics of Experimental Research | Complex Research Designs | Single-Subject Research | Activities and Assessments Checklist |
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After you have successfully completed this unit, you will be able to:
• Explain what an experiment is and recognize examples of studies that are experiments and studies that are not experiments
• Explain what internal validity is and why experiments are considered to be high in internal validity
• Explain what external validity is and evaluate studies in terms of their external validity
• Distinguish between the manipulation of the independent variable and control of extraneous variables and explain the importance of each
• Recognize examples of confounding variables and explain how they affect the internal validity of a study
• Explain the difference between between-subjects and within-subjects experiments, list some of the pros and cons of each approach, and decide which approach to use to answer a particular research question
• Define random assignment, distinguish it from random sampling, explain its purpose in experimental research, and use some simple strategies to implement it
• Define what a control condition is, explain its purpose in research on treatment effectiveness, and describe some alternative types of control conditions
• Define several types of carryover effect, give examples of each, and explain how counterbalancing helps to deal with them
• Describe several strategies for recruiting participants for an experiment
• Explain why it is important to standardize the procedure of an experiment and several ways to do this
• Explain what pilot testing is and why it is important
• Explain why researchers often include multiple dependent variables in their studies
• Explain what a manipulation check is and when it would be included in an experiment
• Explain why researchers often include multiple independent variables in their studies
• Define factorial design, and use a factorial design table to represent and interpret simple factorial designs
• Distinguish between main effects and interactions
• Sketch and interpret bar graphs and line graphs showing the results of studies with simple factorial designs
• Describe the basic elements of a single-subject research design
• Design simple single-subject studies using reversal and multiple-baseline designs
• Explain how single-subject research designs address the issue of internal validity
• Identify several situations in which single-subject research would be appropriate
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