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Three Types of Experimental Designs Are Commonly Used

There are three main types of experimental designs: independent measures uses separate groups for each condition, repeated measures uses the same group for all conditions, and matched pairs attempts to match participants between conditions based on important characteristics. Independent measures avoids order effects but requires more participants. Repeated measures needs fewer participants but is susceptible to order effects which can be controlled with counterbalancing. Matched pairs reduces participant variables but is very time-consuming and impossible to match participants exactly.

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42 views

Three Types of Experimental Designs Are Commonly Used

There are three main types of experimental designs: independent measures uses separate groups for each condition, repeated measures uses the same group for all conditions, and matched pairs attempts to match participants between conditions based on important characteristics. Independent measures avoids order effects but requires more participants. Repeated measures needs fewer participants but is susceptible to order effects which can be controlled with counterbalancing. Matched pairs reduces participant variables but is very time-consuming and impossible to match participants exactly.

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zanderhero30
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Three types of experimental designs are commonly used:

1. Independent Measures:
This type of design is also known as between groups. Different participants are used
in each condition of the independent variable.  This means that each condition of the
experiment includes a different group of participants.  This should be done by random
allocation, which ensures that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned
to one group or the other.
Independent measures involves using two separate groups of participants; one in each
condition. For example:

Pro: Avoids order effects (such as practice or fatigue) as people participate in


one condition only.  If a person is involved in several conditions they may
become bored, tired and fed up by the time they come to the second condition,
or becoming wise to the requirements of the experiment!
Con: More people are needed than with the repeated measures design (i.e. more
time consuming).
Con: Differences between participants in the groups may affect results, for
example; variations in age, gender or social background.  These differences are
known as participant variables (i.e. a type of extraneous variable).
Control: After the participants have been recruited, they should be randomly
assigned to their groups. This should ensure the groups are similar, on average
(reducing participant variables).
2. Repeated Measures:
This type of design is also known as within groups. The same participants take part in
each condition of the independent variable.  This means that each condition of the
experiment includes the same group of participants.
Pro: Fewer people are needed as they take part in all conditions (i.e. saves
time). 
Pro: As the same participants are used in each condition, participant variables
(i.e., individual differences) are reduced. 
Con: There may be order effects. Order effects refer to the order of the
conditions having an effect on the participants’ behavior.  Performance in the
second condition may be better because the participants know what to do (i.e.
practice effect).  Or their performance might be worse in the second condition
because they are tired (i.e. fatigue effect). This limitation can be controlled
using counterbalancing.
Control: To combat order effects the researcher counter balances the order of
the conditions for the participants.  Alternating the order in which participants
perform in different conditions of an experiment.

Counterbalancing
Suppose we used a repeated measures design in which all of the participants first
learned words in 'loud noise' and then learned it in 'no noise'.  We would expect the
participants to show better learning in 'no noise' simply because of order effects, such
as practice. However, a researcher can control for order effects using
counterbalancing.
The sample would split into two groups experimental (A) and control (B).  For
example, group 1 does ‘A’ then ‘B’, group 2 does ‘B’ then ‘A’ this is to eliminate
order effects.  Although order effects occur for each participant, because they occur
equally in both groups, they balance each other out in the results.
3. Matched Pairs:
Each condition uses different but similar participants. An effort is made to match the
participants in each condition in terms of any important characteristic which might
affect performance, e.g. gender, age, intelligence etc.
One member of each matched pair must be randomly assigned to the experimental
group and the other to the control group.

Pro: Reduces participant variables because the researcher has tried to pair up
the participants so that each condition has people with similar abilities and
characteristics. 
Pro: Avoids order effects, and so counterbalancing is not necessary.
Con: Very time-consuming trying to find closely matched pairs.
Con: Impossible to match people exactly, unless identical twins!
Con: If one participant drops out you lose 2 PPs’ data.
Control: Members of each pair should be randomly assigned to conditions.
However, this does not solve all these problems.

Experimental Design Summary


Experimental design refers to how participants are allocated to the different
conditions (or IV levels) in an experiment. There are three types:
1. Independent measures / between groups: Different participants are used in each
condition of the independent variable.
2. Repeated measures /within groups: The same participants take part in each condition
of the independent variable.
3. Matched pairs: Each condition uses different participants, but they are matched in
terms of important characteristics, e.g. gender, age, intelligence etc.

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