EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

UNIT – 4
Quote of the Day
What are We Learning Today

• What is experiment and major components of experiment

• Types of variables and their examples
• Techniques of controlling extraneous variables
• Experimental validity
• Internal validity
• External validity
• Experimental designs
• Pre-experimental designs
• True Experimental designs
• Quasi Experimental Designs
An Experiment

• An experiment is a procedure carried out to support, refute, or

validate a hypothesis.
• Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by
demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is
manipulated.
• An experiment examines the effects of independent variable on a
dependent variable.
Variable

• An element, feature, or factor that is liable to vary or

change
• Variable is measurable characteristics that varies
• It may change from group to group, person to person or
within person over time
Examples of Variable

• Gender is a variable and can take three values i.e. male,

female and Transgender
• Marital status is a variable and take values like single,
married, divorced or widowed
• A variable may be situation specific
Types of Variable

• Independent variable
• Dependent variable
• Intervening variable
• Extraneous variable
Independent Variable (IV)

• It is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the

other variables you are trying to measure
• An IV is the cause. Its value is independent of other
variables in your study
• In experimental research, the IV is manipulated or
changed
• There can be only one IV in an experiment
Dependent Variable (DV)

• DV is also known as responding variable

• Depends on the values that result from IV
• Depends on some factor which researcher control
• How well you perform in race depends on training
• How much you earn depends on how many hours you work
• There can be one or more DV in an experiment
Intervening Variable

• It’s a variable which has effect but cannot be controlled

• These are not directly observable but link IV and DV
Extraneous Variable (EV)

• These are dangerous as they may disturb the validity of

study
• They are not IV but effect the experiment results
• They are things which influence the results
• If we are testing effect of temp on plant growth, we want to
make sure that soil type and amount of water should remain
constant else they may act as extraneous variable
Major Components of an Experiment

• The most conventional type of experiment involves three

major pairs of components:
• Independent and dependent variables

• Pretesting and post testing

• Experimental and control groups

Process of Experimental Research

• The researcher manipulates independent variables (e.g., type of

treatment, teaching method, communication strategy) and
measures dependent variables (anxiety level, English
comprehension, satisfaction) in order to establish cause-and-effect
relationships between them.
• The independent variable is controlled or set by the researcher.
• The dependent variable is measured by the researcher.
• An “experiment” is a prescribed set of conditions which permit
measurement of the effects of a particular Treatment.
What is Pre-test and Post-test

Pretest:
• The pretest is the measurement of the dependent variable prior to
the introduction of the treatment(e.g.; Giving Tuition)
Posttest:
• The posttest is the measurement of the dependent variable after
treatment has been introduced into experimental group
Techniques of Controlling EV

Randomization

Removing the Variable

Matching cases

Balancing cases

Analysis of co-variance
Experimental Validity

Internal Validity
• Indicates whether the independent variable was the sole cause of
the change in the dependent variable Internal invalidity asks the
question, “Are the measurements I make on my dependent (i.e.,
the variable I measure) variable influenced only by the treatment,
or are there other influences which change it?”
External Validity
• Indicates the extent to which the results of the experiment are
applicable to the real world
Internal Vs External Validity
Steps in Experimental Research
• State the research problem
• Determine if experimental
methods apply
• Specify the independent
variable
• Specify the dependent
variable(s)
• State the tentative hypotheses
• Determine measures to be
used
• Pause to consider potential
success
• Identify intervening
(extraneous) variables
• Formal statement of
research hypotheses
• Design the experiment
•
Final estimate of potential
success
• Conduct the study as
planned
• Analyze the collected data
• Prepare a research report
Experimental Designs

Pre Experiment Design

• Pre-experiments are the simplest form of research design. In a
pre-experiment either a single group or multiple groups are
observed subsequent to some agent or treatment presumed to
cause change.
True Experimental Design
• A true experiment is a type of experimental design and is used to
establish cause and effect relationships. There are three criteria
that must be met in order for an experiment to be determined as
a true experiment: At least one experimental and control group.
Researcher-manipulated variable.
Experimental Designs

Quasi-Experiment Design
• Like a true experiment, a quasi-experimental design aims to
establish a cause-and-effect relationship between an independent
and dependent variable. However, unlike a true experiment, a
quasi-experiment does not rely on random assignment. Instead,
subjects are assigned to groups based on non-random criteria
Thank You Very Much