EXPERIMENTAL

RESEARCH
DESIGN
Original material from
Jay P. Picardal, Ph.D.
Advantages of Experiment

1. Experiments allow us to set up a

direct comparison between the
treatments of interest.

2. We can design experiments so that

the error in the comparison is small.

3. Most importantly, we are in control

of experiments, and having that control
allows us to make stronger
inferences about the nature of
differences that we see in the
experiment.
What is an Experimental Design
(E.D.) ?

• Refers to the complete sequence of steps

undertaken to answer a research problem
• Involves the logical structure and organization
of an experiment
• It is a detailed plan of the sampling
procedures, data collection and data analysis
followed by the investigator during the actual
experimentation
• It includes the variables under study
• It is the ‘blueprint’ of the entire experiment
Reference: DOST – SEI/ ESEP (2001). A Guide to Investigatory
Projects
Functions of the
Experimental Design

• It provides direction during the

actual experimentation
• It allows a gain of maximum
information relevant to the
problem at minimum cost
• It makes the statistical test of
significance valid because it
takes into consideration all the
assumptions that went into
deriving the various statistics
Types of Experimental Research Designs

Experimental research designs can be classified into the

following typology:

commonly
used in I.P.
To fully understand experimental designs
used in I.P., we need to understand some
basic terms first …
Treatments Experimental Units Responses
- specific experimental - a person, animals, - outcomes that we observe
condition applied to plants, microbes, after applying a treatment to
experimental units; machine, object to which an
composed of we apply the treatments. experimental unit; also
independent variable) referred to as dependent
variable.
Ex 1: different kinds or Ex 1: plots of land
amounts of fertilizer in receiving fertilizer
agronomy Ex 1: nitrogen content
Ex 2: different amount Ex 2: 10 male mice, with or biomass of corn plants
of carbohydrate in food ~similar age from same
breed Ex 2: body weight gain after 2
weeks feeding, ad libitum
VARIABLES vs
FACTORS
Variables — are factors that
change in ways that can be
observed, measured, and
verified.
Independent variable (IV)
– the variable manipulated by the
experimenter
-- causes something to happen
– hypothesized to cause an effect on
dependent variable Experimental Constants:

Dependent variable (DV) 1. Amount of sunlight (same length of

–the measured and observed variable; the
responses; outcome of the experiment
–hypothesized to be affected by the
independent variable
exposure)
2. Amount of water (same time of watering;
same volume of water given)
3. Soil composition (homogenized; same loam
type)
4. Identical pots (same shape, size,
In some references, there are three (3)
types of variables recognized:

1. Independent variable
2. Dependent variable
3. Controlled variable
* Controlled variable is also called ‘experimental constant’
 A factor of an experiment is a controlled independent variable; a variable
whose levels are set by the experimenter or researcher. A factor is a general
type or category of treatments. Different treatments constitute different levels
of a factor
For example, the baking treatment for
a cake involves a given time at a given temperature.

The treatment is the combination of time and temperature, but we

can vary the time and temperature separately.
Thus we speak of a time factor and a temperature
factor.
Individual settings for each factor are called levels of the factor. In
this example, there are 2 levels for each factor.
They combine to
Time : 5 minutes; 10 minutes form the 4
Temp: 15°C; 45°C treatment groups

Treatment 1: 5 minutes under 15°C

Treatment 2: 10 minutes under 15°C
Treatment 3: 5 minutes under 45°C
Treatment 4: 10 minutes under 45°C
 CONTROL GROUPS vs EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS
CONTROL GROUP EXPERIMENTAL GROUP
•Also called the control condition • Also called the experimental condition
•Are not exposed to the independent • The subjects in an experiment which are
variable or factors exposed to the treatment (independent
•Results are compared to those of the variable/s) or factors
experimental group • The group being studied and compared to the
control group

Control Group – absence of Experimental Group – presence of independent

independent variable (i.e. fertilizer) variable (i.e. fertilizer added to the soil)
 SAMPLE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: (1) FACTORS: Factor 1 (% vermimeal);
ANIMAL NUTRITION EXPERIMENT Factor 2 (amount of probiotics)

(2) LEVELS OF FACTORS: 2 levels for each

Research Title: Influence of vermimeal and factor
probiotics supplementation on growth of where: Factor 1 (5% or 10%) & Factor 2 (3kg or
broiler chickens 6kg)

(3) NO. OF TREATMENTS: Four (4)

where: T1 = 5% VM + 3kg probiotic/ basal diet
T2 =10% VM + 3kg probiotic/ basal diet
T3 = 5% VM + 6kg probiotic/ basal diet
T4 =10% VM + 6kg probiotic/ basal diet
T1R1 T3R1 T3R3 T2R1 Control
(4) NO. OF CONTROL: Only one (1)
R2
where: basal diet is only given, and no vermimeal
and no probiotics. Basal diet consists of feeds +
water, given ad libitum
Control T2R2 T1R2 T4R2 T1R3
R1 (5) INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: vermimeal;
probiotics
DEPENDENT VARIABLE: growth of chicken
T3R2 ControlR T4R1 T2R3 T4R3
(6) Is there any indicator that REPLICATION was
3 applied in this experiment? YES
How many replicates per treatment? 3

(7) Is there any RANDOMIZATION applied

in the assignment of Treatments to
experimental units (5 chicks)? YES
General Features of E.D.
• It depends on the type of research undertaken
• It depends on the nature of the conditions under
which the study was done
• It is dictated by the research question it aims to
answer
• There is no such thing as “true to all blueprint”.
The blueprint is unique, and is dependent on factors,
levels of factors, variables, treatments and
experimental constants
• Therefore, each research problem requires its own
unique design
Basic Principles in Experimental
Design
A. Replication
• Refers to the repetition of a study using
the same methods but with different
subjects.
• It is done to provide an estimate of
variation among observations on units
treated alike, & assessing the
significance of observed difference.
• The number of replicates needed is
based on the degree of precision
required, homogeneity of the samples
and the number of treatments in the
study.
Basic
Principles
B. Randomization
• refers to the assignment of the
experimental units to the
treatments or vice versa, by chance.
• It ensures a valid or unbiased
estimate of population parameters
e.g. means and difference between
treatments
• It neutralizes possible effect of the pre-
existing differences between samples
to the experimental results
valid – ensures that what be measured
is being measured
Types of Experimental Research Designs

Experimental research designs can be classified into the

following typology:
I. Pre-Experimental Designs
✔ Pre-Experimental Designs are the simplest form of
experimental research designs.
✔ Pre-experimental designs have little or no control over
extraneous variables.
✔ These designs do not randomly assign subjects to
different treatments. As a consequence, the results of a test
using a pre-experimental design are difficult to interpret.
✔ These designs are simple and relatively inexpensive.

✔ There are three types of pre-experimental designs:

(a) One-Shot Case Studies,
(b) One Group Pre-Test - Post-Test, and
(c) Static Group tests
A. One-Shot Case Studies
✔ With a one-shot case study, test units—people, test
markets, etc.—are exposed to a treatment.
✔ The standard notion for a treatment is the symbol "X."
✔ A single measurement of the dependent variable is
taken (O1).
✔ There is no random assignment of test subjects as
there is only one treatment, and there is no control.
✔ Here is the standard notation for a One-Shot Case
Study:

✔ This research design has two significant flaws: 1) there is no pre-test and 2) there is no control
group. A control group would, in this case, be a group that did not receive the treatment. Without
these restraints, this research design cannot establish internal or external validity.

✔ Despite these limitations, market researchers often use this design for testing new-to-the-market
products.
B. One Group Pre-Test - Post-Test:

✔ With this research design the test unit is measured

twice, one before the test and once after the test.
✔ There is still no control group; which is to say, a group
not receiving the treatment.
✔ Here is the standard notation for a one-group pre-test -
post-test study

✔ This allows the researcher to estimate the treatment effect by subtracting the pre-test
measure from the post-test measure.
✔ But, given the lack of a control, the validity of the conclusions are questionable.
Extraneous variables like history & maturation can affect the results because the
observed changes in the dependent variable might be due to factors outside the
research design.
C. Static Group Design:
✔ With the Static Group design there is a Control Group
(CG) in addition to the Experimental Group (EG).
✔ The experimental group is exposed to the treatment
while the control group is not.
✔ Test units, however, are not randomly assigned to
the control or experimental groups.
✔ Here is the standard notation for a Static Group study:

✔ Measurements for both groups are made after the Note: Treatment = new textbook
treatment is administered to the experimental group.
The treatment effect is measured as O1 - O2.
✔ Weaknesses of this research design stem from the fact
that test units are not randomly assigned to the
experimental or control groups and there are no pre-
test measurements taken
II. True Experimental Designs
✔ True Experimental Designs are where researchers
assign test units to treatments at random.
✔ There are three basic types of True Experimental
Designs:
(A) Post-Test Only Control Group Design,
(B) Pre-Test Post-Test Control Group Design, and
(C) Solomon Four Group Design.

✔ The effect of the treatment is

A. Post-Test Only Control Group Design:
✔ With this research design, test units are randomly
assigned to the experimental and control groups.
✔ The experimental group is exposed to the treatment
and then both the experimental and control groups are
measured.
✔ But, there is only one measurement is taken.
Here is the standard notation for a Post-Test Only study:
calculated as O1 - O2.
✔ The advantage of this research design
is that the random assignment of the
test units should produce roughly
equal control and experimental groups
before the treatment is administered.
And, the mortality for the control and
experimental groups should be
similar.
B. Pre-Test - Post-Test Control Group
Design:
✔ With this research design, test units are randomly
assigned to experimental and control groups. A pre-
test measure is taken from both groups.

✔ Here is the standard notation for a Pre-Test - Post-Test

Control Group study:

✔ Selection bias is controlled by the randomized

assignments of test units. Mortality can be a problem if
it is not relatively equal between the experimental and
control groups. History can also be an issue if these
factors effect the experimental and control groups
unequally.
✔ The treatment effect or TE is measured by (O2 O1) -
(O4 O3).
C. Solomon Four Group Design:
✔ The Solomon Four Group Design is a research
design that assesses the impact of pretesting on
subsequent measures.
✔ It is used when the researcher suspects that earlier
tests influence the results of later tests.
✔ With this research design, test units are randomly
allocated to two experimental groups and two control
groups.
✔ One of the experimental groups and one of the control
groups is measured. Both experimental groups are
then exposed to a treatment.
✔ Afterwards, both experimental and control groups are
measured.
✔ A total of six measurements are taken.
✔ The design aims to account for pre-testing bias and
pre-test manipulation interaction bias.

Here is the standard notation for a Solomon Four Group

study:
III. Quasi-Experimental Designs
✔ Quasi-Experimental Designs are used when the
researcher creates an artificial environment to
control for extraneous variables.
✔ With quasi-experimental designs, the research lacks
control over when the treatment is administered or
assigns test units to the experimental and control
groups in a non-random fashion.
✔ There are two basic types of quasi-experimental
designs:

(A) Time Series and

(B) Multiple Time Series.
A. Time Series
✔ There is no randomization of the test units to the
treatments.
✔ The timing of the treatment presentation as well as
which test unites are exposed to the treatment may not
be within the researcher's control.

Here is the standard notation for a Time Series study:

✔ The advantages of Time Series are that it is easier to

interpret the results than a One Group Pre-Test - Post-
Test design because of the many measures it takes.
The multiple measures help determine underlying
trends.
✔ But, the Time Series design has two weaknesses.
-- First, researchers cannot control history.
-- Second, given the repeated measures there is a testing
effect on the subjects. Subjects may become more aware
of their eating habits, which could influence the results of
B. Multiple Time Series:
✔ With the Multiple Time Series, the researchers add a
control group to the research design.
✔ The addition of a control group enhances the
researchers' ability to discern the treatment effect.

Here is the standard notation for a Multiple Time Series

study:
IV. Statistical
Designs
✔ Statistical Designs are a collection of basic
experimental designs that offer researchers the ability
to statistically control and analyze external variables.
✔ Statistical control uses various sophisticated statistical
techniques to exclude the influence of extraneous
variables from an analysis.

✔ The most commonly used Statistical Research Designs

are the (A) Complete Randomized Design [CRD],
(B ) Randomized Complete Block Design [RCBD]
(C) Factorial Design

These designs offer the following advantages:

✔ 1) The effects of multiple independent variables on the
dependent variable can be measured,
✔ 2) Specific extraneous variables can be statistically
controlled, and each test unit can be measured more
than once with these economically efficient designs.
GOOD VS. BAD EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
COMPLETE RANDOMIZED DESIGN

Description: Treatments are randomly assigned

to the experimental subjects without restrictions.
Experimental subjects are assumed to be
homogenous with respect to the factors that could
affect the treatments being compared.

Advantage: Flexible in the number of treatments

and replication is limited only only by the number
of experimental subjects. Statistical analysis is
simple and easy.

Disadvantage: It is not always easy to obtain

experimental subjects with homogenous
characteristics. Must be conducted in a controlled
environment to minimize errors contributed by
confounders e.g. ambient conditions.
RANDOMIZED COMPLETE BLOCK
DESIGN
Description: Experimental subjects are divided into more
or less homogenous groups called BLOCKS. The purpose
of blocking is to have experimental subjects in a single
group, all of which have similar characteristics, so that
observed differences will be largely due to treatments.
RANDOMIZED COMPLETE BLOCK DESIGN
(for field experiment)
FACTORIAL EXPERIMENT (1) FACTORS: Factor 1 (% vermimeal);
Factor 2 (amount of probiotics)
SAMPLE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
ANIMAL NUTRITION EXPERIMENT (2) LEVELS OF FACTORS: 2 levels for each
factor
where: Factor 1 (5% or 10%) & Factor 2 (3kg or
Research Title: Influence of vermimeal and 6kg)
probiotics supplementation on growth of
broiler chickens (3) NO. OF TREATMENTS: Four (4)
where: T1 = 5% VM + 3kg probiotic/ basal diet
T2 =10% VM + 3kg probiotic/ basal diet
T3 = 5% VM + 6kg probiotic/ basal diet
T4 =10% VM + 6kg probiotic/ basal diet
T1R1 T3R1 T3R3 T2R1 Control
(4) NO. OF CONTROL: Only one (1)
R2
where: basal diet is only given, and no vermimeal
and no probiotics. Basal diet consists of feeds +
water, given ad libitum
Control T2R2 T1R2 T4R2 T1R3
R1 (5) INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: vermimeal;
probiotics
DEPENDENT VARIABLE: growth of chicken
T3R2 ControlR T4R1 T2R3 T4R3
(6) Is there any indicator that REPLICATION was
3 applied in this experiment? YES
How many replicates per treatment? 3

(7) Is there any RANDOMIZATION applied

in the assignment of Treatments to
experimental units (5 chicks)? YES
References
DOST-SEI (2001). Research II: A Guide to Investigatory Projects. Engineering and Science Education
Project (ESEP). Published by DOST-SEI, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila.
Oehlert, G.W. (2010). A First Course in Design and Analysis of Experiment. University of Minnesota,
MN, USA. 680pp.
Experimental Research Design. Available as
http://media.acc.qcc.cuny.edu/faculty/volchok/causalMR/CausalMR6.html
Experimental Design. Available as https://studylib.net/doc/9633547/module-6--experimental-design-
powerpoint
Lavraka, P.J. (2008). Encyclopedia of Survey Research
Methods. http://srmo.sagepub.com/view/encyclopedia-of-survey-research-methods/n540.xml