Nonexperimental vs' Experimental Methods

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Nonexperimental vs. Experimental Methods

• Psych 7
• January 30th

2
Last Week

• Conceptual and operational definitions
• Independent and dependent variables
• Reliability and validity
• Scales of measurement

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Outline

• Nonexperimental vs. Experimental Methods
• Nonexperimental Research Strategies
• Descriptive
• Correlational
• Experimental Research Strategies
• Experimental
• Quasi-Experimental
• Choosing a Method

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Nonexperimental vs. Experimental Methods

• Im interested in studying the relationship
  between where in the country one lives and the
  occurrence of aggression/discrimination
• How do I decide on the best research strategy?

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Nonexperimental vs. Experimental Methods, cont.

• The different types of research differ in 3 ways
• The nature of the question asked
• Is there a relationship between 2 variables? Vs.
• Why is there a relationship between 2 variables?
• The method used to answer the question
• Nonexperimental vs. Experimental
• The degree of precision used to answer the
  question
• Observing a relationship vs. determining its
  cause

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Nonexperimental vs. Experimental Methods, cont.

• Nonexperimental Methods
• Experimental Methods

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Nonexperimental Research Strategies

• Descriptive Research
• Goals
• Examples
• Observational research, Survey research, Case
  studies

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Nonexperimental Research Strategies Descriptive

• North vs. South and Aggression/ Discrimination
  Example
• Observational Study
• Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

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Nonexperimental Research Strategies, cont.

• Correlational Research
• Goals

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Nonexperimental Research Strategies Correlational

• North vs. South and Aggression/ Discrimination
  Example
• Research by Hovland Sears (1940)

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Experimental Research Strategies

• Experimental Research
• Goals
• Characteristics
• Manipulation, Measurement, Comparison, Control,
  Randomization

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Experimental Research Strategies Experimental

• North vs. South and Aggression/ Discrimination
  Example
• Culture of honor research (Cohen et al., 1996)
• Study 1
• The need to take action against insults so as not
  to loose status before family and peers

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Culture of Honor Research Study 1 Results
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Culture of Honor Research Study 1 Results, cont.
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Experimental Research Strategies, cont.

• Quasi-Experimental Research
• Goals
• Determine a cause effect relationship, but
  cant meet criteria for true experiment
• Characteristics
• Uses a non-manipulated or non-controlled variable
  rather than a manipulated one

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Experimental Research Strategies Experimental

• North vs. South and Aggression/ Discrimination
  Example
• Culture of honor research (Cohen et al., 1996)
• Study 3

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Culture of Honor Research Study 3 Results
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Choosing a Method

• Things to consider
• Artificiality of experiments
• Ethical and practical considerations
• Participant variables
• Description of behavior
• Prediction of behavior
• Multiple methods are ideal

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Thursday

• Observing behavior
• Cozby, Chapter 6
• Homework Assignment 1 due in class