Experimental Design

Research question/problem and hypothesis

Independent vs. Dependent variables
Causal vs. Correlational
Experimental vs. Control conditions
Confounding factors
Factors besides the independent variable (IV) that
may be responsible for an observed relationship
between the IV and the dependent variable (DV)
Ways to eliminate the influence of the confounding
factors

Experimental Design
Sources of errors (anything that affects the
DV besides the IV)
Random vs. Systematic

Randomization
Counterbalancing

Experimental Design
Between- vs. Within-subjects design
Between subjects design
Pros
Cons

Within subjects design

Pros
Cons
When do researchers prefer to use within
subjects design?

Measurement Assessment
Reliability and Validity
Reliability
the extent to which the measurement process yields
consistent results when the process is "repeated" in
some way (i.e., not necessarily duplicated).
Necessary but not sufficient
Cronbach's alpha

Validity
Validity assessment involves demonstrating that the
theoretical construct supposedly measured by the
indicator(s) is actually being measured by that
indicator(s).

Validity
Internal vs. external validity
Internal validity
Differences in dependent variable measures
are due to the manipulation of independent
variable, and the independent variable alone.
I.e., X causes Y

External Validity
Generality of an effect to the populations and
settings to which it can be applied

Validity (contd)
Construct validity
the degree of correspondence between a construct
and is operationalizations, where that correspondence
is evaluated within a nomological net (i.e., within a
theoretical context).
Nomological validity
the degree to which the construct as measured by a set of
indicators predicts other constructs that past theoretical and
empirical work says it should predict

Discriminant validity
assesses the degree to which a concept and its indicators
differ from another concept and its indicators

Convergent validity
the degree of convergence seen when two attempts are made
to measure the same construct through maximally different
methods.

Experimental Design
Manipulation checks
What is it?
How to do it?

Confounding checks
What is it?
How to do it?

Effect Size

Experimental Design
Moderators
What is it?

Mediators
What is it?

Moderated mediators and mediated

moderators