Discuss the experimental design in social psychology

• Psychology • Research Methods in Psychology • Experimental Designs Experimental Designs What is the best experimental design in psychology? When it comes to experimental designs, one size doesn't fit all, and choosing the right one for your research is crucial. A design that works great in one context won't necessarily be the appropriate choice for a different study. In this article, we'll go through experimental designs in psychology, consider the strengths and… Experimental Designs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ...

What is Experimental Research in Psychology? For the answer to the question, "What is experimental research in psychology?", one must first understand what psychology is. The definition of psychology is the scientific study of people's thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Now the question, "What is experimental research?", can be addressed. Experimental research is a scientific method of gathering data whereby the one conducting the research is able to manipulate the independent variable. Experimental research psychology is the act of applying experimental research methods to the study of human behavior. Most experimental research in psychology uses human or animal subjects. An experiment is a carefully designed procedure to answer a question or test a hypothesis. One famous psychological study was the marshmallow experiment conducted by Walter Mischel at Stanford University in the early 1970s. This experiment sought to test how well young children, between four and six years of age, could delay gratification when presented with treats, such as marshmallows. The Scientific Method of Research The scientific method of research is the process of answering questions in a systematic way. There are six steps (including one optional one) to the scientific method: • Ask a question. During this stage, background research on prior studies is performed. • Form a hypothesis • Make observations and perform the experiment • Interpret and analyze data • Draw conclusions • Communicate resul...

• Psychology • Cognition • Experimental Method Experimental Method A key aim of psychology is to learn and understand more about psychological phenomena. This is usually done through a process called the experimental method. The experimental method in psychology research attempts to investigate the cause-and-effect relationship between variables. The crucial aspect of the experimental method is that it follows a 'scientific routine' to increase the chances of establishing valid… Experimental Method • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •...

Learning Objectives • Differentiate the goals of descriptive, correlational, and experimental research designs and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each. • Explain the goals of descriptive research and the statistical techniques used to interpret it. • Summarize the uses of correlational research and describe why correlational research cannot be used to infer causality. • Review the procedures of experimental research and explain how it can be used to draw causal inferences. Psychologists agree that if their ideas and theories about human behaviour are to be taken seriously, they must be backed up by data. However, the research of different psychologists is designed with different goals in mind, and the different goals require different approaches. These varying approaches, summarized in Table 3.2, are known as research designs. A research design is the specific method a researcher uses to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Psychologists use three major types of research designs in their research, and each provides an essential avenue for scientific investigation. Descriptive research is research designed to provide a snapshot of the current state of affairs. Correlational research is research designed to discover relationships among variables and to allow the prediction of future events from present knowledge. Experimental research is research in which initial equivalence among research participants in more than one group is created, followed by a manipulati...

Learning Objectives • Explain why social psychologists rely on empirical methods to study social behavior. • Provide examples of how social psychologists measure the variables they are interested in. • Review the three types of research designs, and evaluate the strengths and limitations of each type. • Consider the role of validity in research, and describe how research programs should be evaluated. Social psychologists are not the only people interested in understanding and predicting social behavior or the only people who study it. Social behavior is also considered by religious leaders, philosophers, politicians, novelists, and others, and it is a common topic on TV shows. But the social psychological approach to understanding social behavior goes beyond the mere observation of human actions. Social psychologists believe that a true understanding of the causes of social behavior can only be obtained through a systematic scientific approach, and that is why they conduct scientific research. Social psychologists believe that the study of social behavior should be based on the collection and systematic analysis of observable data. The Importance of Scientific Research Because social psychology concerns the relationships among people, and because we can frequently find answers to questions about human behavior by using our own common sense or intuition, many people think that it is not necessary to study it empirically (Lilienfeld, 2011). But although we do learn about peo...

There are numerous research methods used to determine if theories, ideas, or even products have validity in a market or community. One of the most common options utilized today is experimental research. Its popularity is due to the fact that it becomes possible to take complete control over a single variable while conducting the research efforts. This process makes it possible to manipulate the other variables involved to determine the validity of an idea or the value of what is being proposed. Outcomes through experimental research come through a process of administration and monitoring. This structure makes it possible for researchers to determine the genuine impact of what is under observation. It is a process which creates outcomes with a high degree of accuracy in almost any field. The conclusion can then offer a final value potential to consider, making it possible to know if a continued pursuit of the information is profitable in some way. The pros and cons of experimental research show that this process is highly efficient, creating data points for evaluation with speed and regularity. It is also an option that can be manipulated easily when researchers want their work to draw specific conclusions. List of the Pros of Experimental Research 1. Experimental research offers the highest levels of control. The procedures involved with experimental research make it possible to isolate specific variables within virtually any topic. This advantage makes it possible to dete...

Does aspirin reduce the risk of heart attacks? Is one brand of fertilizer more effective at growing roses than another? Is fatigue as dangerous to a driver as the influence of alcohol? Questions like these are answered using randomized experiments. In this module, you will learn important aspects of experimental design. Proper study design ensures the production of reliable, accurate data. The purpose of an experiment is to investigate the relationship between two variables. When one variable causes change in another, we call the first variable the explanatory variable. The affected variable is called the response variable. In a randomized experiment, the researcher manipulates values of the explanatory variable and measures the resulting changes in the response variable. The different values of the explanatory variable are called treatments. An experimental unit is a single object or individual to be measured. The following video explains the difference between collecting data from observations and collecting data from experiments. You want to investigate the effectiveness of vitamin E in preventing disease. You recruit a group of subjects and ask them if they regularly take vitamin E. You notice that the subjects who take vitamin E exhibit better health on average than those who do not. Does this prove that vitamin E is effective in disease prevention? It does not. There are many differences between the two groups compared in addition to vitamin E consumption. People who...

Learning Objectives • Define experiment • Identify the core features of true experimental designs • Describe the difference between an experimental group and a control group • Identify and describe the various types of true experimental designs Experiments are an excellent data collection strategy for social workers wishing to observe the effects of a clinical intervention or social welfare program. Understanding what experiments are and how they are conducted is useful for all social scientists, whether they actually plan to use this methodology or simply aim to understand findings from experimental studies. An experiment is a method of data collection designed to test hypotheses under controlled conditions. In social scientific research, the term experiment has a precise meaning and should not be used to describe all research methodologies. Experiments have a long and important history in social science. Behaviorists such as John Watson, B. F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, and Albert Bandura used experimental design to demonstrate the various types of conditioning. Using strictly controlled environments, behaviorists were able to isolate a single stimulus as the cause of measurable differences in behavior or physiological responses. The foundations of social learning theory and behavior modification are found in experimental research projects. Moreover, behaviorist experiments brought psychology and social science away from the abstract world of Freudian analysis and towards emp...

Learning Objectives • Define experiment • Identify the core features of true experimental designs • Describe the difference between an experimental group and a control group • Identify and describe the various types of true experimental designs Experiments are an excellent data collection strategy for social workers wishing to observe the effects of a clinical intervention or social welfare program. Understanding what experiments are and how they are conducted is useful for all social scientists, whether they plan to use this methodology or simply understand findings of experimental studies. An experiment is a method of data collection designed to test hypotheses under controlled conditions. Students in my research methods classes often use the term experiment to describe all kinds of research projects, but in social scientific research, the term has a unique meaning and should not be used to describe all research methodologies. Experiments have a long and important history in social science. Behaviorists such as John Watson, B. F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, and Albert Bandura used experimental designs to demonstrate the various types of conditioning. Using strictly controlled environments, behaviorists were able to isolate a single stimulus as the cause of measurable differences in behavior or physiological responses. The foundations of social learning theory and behavior modification are found in experimental research projects. Moreover, behaviorist experiments brought psycho...