Alternatives to Experimentation PDF

Reviewer_Alternatives to Experimentation By Janna B. Sabas ALTERNATIVES TO EXPERIMENTATION: NONEXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Scientific Explanation in Psychological Experiments ➔ An Experiment is a CONTROLLED procedure Identify antecedent conditions...

Reviewer_Alternatives to Experimentation By Janna B. Sabas ALTERNATIVES TO EXPERIMENTATION: NONEXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Scientific Explanation in Psychological Experiments ➔ An Experiment is a CONTROLLED procedure Identify antecedent conditions s Compare treatment conditions ba Ensure equivalence across groups Nonexperimental Designs Common Non-experimental Approaches Sa 1. Phenomenology 1. Phenomenology 2. Case Studies 2. Case Studies 3. Field Studies 3. Field Studies a 4. Archival Studies 4. Archival Studies 5. 6. 7. Qualitative Research Surveys & Interviews Correlational nn 5. Qualitative Phenomenology Ja 8. Quasi-experimental Designs ➔ Description of an individual’s ➔ Being OBJECTIVE and immediate experience by SYSTEMATIC are the keys for valid ➔ Source of Data: Personal and reliable results experience Immersion in the experience Dimensions for Describing Research Identify themes er Designs Develop an exhaustive description (theory building) w ➔ Degree of manipulation of Cannot be used to understand the antecedent conditions causes of behavior. ie ➔ Degree of imposition of units ➔ Provides descriptive conclusions ★ Internal Validity vs. External Validity that can lead to the formulation of ev hypothesis ➔ describes but cannot explain R behavior ➔ may lead us into areas of discovery that might otherwise go unnoticed Reviewer_Alternatives to Experimentation By Janna B. Sabas ➔ Disadvantages Source for developing therapy Questionable accuracy and techniques objectivity Source of information for rare Difficult to replicate and evaluate phenomena (e.g. influences of Low external validity testosterone therapy on a Low internal validity female-to-male transgendered individual which is a rare occurrence Phenomenology is both a philosophy and Provide exceptions to conventional a method of inquiry. A phenomenological ideas, theories, beliefs s study focuses on examining the ba essence of an experience (phenomenon), ➔ LIMITATIONS: Case Study whereas a case study looks to deeply working with only one or very few describe and analyze a bounded case or subjects Sa multiple cases (bound in time and place). Not able to observe an individual directly all the time Phenomenological studies involve several Subjects or others providing data for participants who have each experienced the case studies might neglect to a phenomenon of interest. A case study mention important information explores an event, program, organization, activity, or individual. nn Retrospective data Low external and internal validity Ja Case Study Field Studies ➔ A descriptive record of a single ➔ Data are collected from real- life by individual’s experiences, or settings behaviors, or both, kept by an ➔ Examples: outside observer. Naturalistic Observation ➔ Provides information about the Participant Observation er impact of significant events in a ➔ Studies behavior in its natural setting person’s life. providing realistic descriptions of w ➔ Record: produced by systematically behavior recording experiences and behavior High external validity ie ➔ An IN-DEPTH study of a unique individual or group ➔ Disadvantages: Field Study ev ➔ Examples: Uncontrollable conditions Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Difficult to remain objective R Development Ethical issues Freud’s case study of Little Hans led Low internal validity to Freud’s formulation of the theory of Oedipus complex ➔ Major Purposes: Case Study Source of inferences, hypotheses, theories Reviewer_Alternatives to Experimentation By Janna B. Sabas Naturalistic observation studies ➔ We are dealing with specific samples of time that may or may not ➔ Observing behavior as it occur in its contain the behaviors we want to natural setting observe ➔ Descriptive method which involves ➔ Reactivity no manipulation of antecedent Tendency of participants to alter their conditions behavior when they know they are ➔ Subject responses are free to vary. being observed ➔ Extensively used in animal behavior ➔ Unobtrusive Measures s research - Ethology Covert procedures to measure ba Example: Dian Fossey studied the behavior without the participants’ family life and social bonds of rare knowledge mountain gorillas. Sa Participant-observer studies Systematic Observation ➔ Specific rules that dictate which ➔ The researcher becomes a behavior will be recorded participant to the group being a DECIDING who and when to observe and studied what to record and analyze draws heavily on both the researcher’s judgment and observational skills. nn ➔ Does not usually include systematic observation techniques. or measurement Ja ➔ Example: ➔ Examples: Festinger (1956) joined a cult to Wheeller (1988) – spent a year understand how they resolve their by observing Chinese residents of cognitive dissonance when the Hong Kong and noted many end-of-the-world prophecy fails. The interesting differences between cult leader tells her member that the these Chinese and typical reason why the world did not end is er Americans. because of their belief and their Yepez (1994) – whether teachers of prayers. w English as a Second Language courses gave equal amounts of Field Study vs. Field Experiment ie attention to their male and female students. It observed and recorded ➔ Field experiment is a true ev the number of classroom experiment conducted in a more interactions between 4 different natural environment R teachers and their pupils. ➔ Cunningham (1989) trained several college students to approach LIMITATIONS: Naturalistic observation opposite-sex bar patrons at random, studies delivering one of several conversation-starters to measure ➔ Does not lend itself to testing causal how positive each person’s antecedents of behavior or response would be. determining cause and effect. Reviewer_Alternatives to Experimentation By Janna B. Sabas Results: women responded more positively Internal and external validity are to lines that were self-disclosing or ordinary issues of concern. (“hi”) than they did to flippantly delivered Important measure: Replicability – lines such as “You remind me of someone I how likely is it that another used to date,” or “bet I can outdrink you.” researcher would obtain the same Men however, did not appear to care which results with a similar sample? kind of conversational gambit a woman ➔ Provides descriptive information to used. They all responded positively. the personal experiences of individuals s ARCHIVAL STUDY ➔ Adds real-life context to quantitative ba data ➔ Descriptive research method in ➔ Disadvantages which already existing records Difficult to analyze Sa are reexamined. Subject to researcher’s biases ➔ Example OF INFORMATION: crime Inaccuracies of self-reports and death rates; educational levels; Low internal and external validity housing patterns; disease rates – a can be used to analyze societal ~ END trends or to gather information about populations subgroups. ➔ Large amounts of data are already nn Ja available thus saving time, effort, and resources for data collection ➔ Disadvantages: Archival study by Data may be incomplete Accuracy of data is subject to unknown procedures Low internal validity er QUALITATIVE RESEARCH w ➔ Relies on words rather than ie numbers for data being collected ➔ Focuses on self-reports, personal ev narratives, expression of ideas, memories, feelings thoughts R ➔ Used to study phenomena that are contextual or cannot be understood without the context in which they appear. Potential Bias: there is a chance that interpretation of the data might be influenced by the researcher's viewpoint.