Chapter 11 - Experimental Research Flashcards
Random Assignment
(Not the same as random sample)
2 or more groups that we are comparing. Whether someone is in one group or another is random.
If both random sampling and random assignment are used then…
You have causality (random assignment) and generalizability (random sampling).
Intervention
It’s when you put the hypothesized independent variable into the experiment to see if it causes a dependent variable.
Treatment v Control Group
Treatment group has the intervention.
Control group doesn’t have any interventions, just compared to treatment group.
Ecological Validity
The extent to which something could be replicated in an IRL setting instead of just an artificial one.
4 Types of Experimental Research
Laboratory Experiments
Experimental Surveys
Field Work
Natural Experiments
Experimental Decision Lab
Using interventions to see how it affects people’s decision-making.
Ex.: how does negative ads affect voter behaviour.
Pros and Cons of Experimental Decision Lab
Pros: controlled, all participants have the same environment
Cons: might not reflect IRL because of social desirability, interviewer effect
Sample Group Bias
Where your sample group is chosen in a non-random way, like conveniently. Can be used as a pre-experiment.
Ex.: students because you’re on campus.
Survey Experiments
A survey with an intervention. Perhaps different information in prefaces or something.
Continuum of lab, survey, and field experiments.
Decreasing amounts of control, increasing amounts of IRL. Difference between a lab and survey is that typically people aren’t present for a survey,
Pros and Cons of Fields Experiments (Party Convention as Example)
Pros: IRL behaviour
Cons: feasibility (are party officials going to give you access?), spillover (treatment diffuses to control group), and ethics (could have IRL outcomes).
Natural Experiments
Nature intervening with independent variables.
