Explore the logic of experimental design
May 5th, 2020
Week 1 Assignment: Explore the Logic of Experimental Design
In a paper, answer the following questions:
- Jackson (2012) even-numbered Chapter Exercises (p. 244).
- What is the purpose of conducting an experiment? How does an experimental design accomplish its purpose?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of an experimental design in an educational study?
- What is more important in an experimental study, designing the study in order to make strong internal validity claims or strong external validity claims? Why?
- In an experiment, what is a control? What is the purpose of a control group? Of single or multiple comparison groups?
- What are confounds? Give an example of a design that has three confounds. Describe three ways to alter the design to address these confounds and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- What does “cause” mean and why is it an important concept in research? How are correlation and causation related?
- You are a researcher interested in addressing the question: does smiling cause mood to rise (i.e., become more positive)? Sketch between-participants, within-participants, and matched-participants designs that address this question and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each to yielding data that help you answer the question. Describe and discuss each design in 4-5 sentences.
Support your paper with a minimum of 5 resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.
Length: 5-7 pages not including title and reference pages
References: Minimum of 5 scholarly resources.
