Ms.

Salbia Abbas
Research Methods-II
 Chapter# 1 (Outline)
 Experimental method: Control and variability, logic, characteristics.
 Independent measures designs/ between group design
 Alternative independent group design
 Methodological issues: Individual differences; assigning conditions
 Repeated measures designs/ within group design
Experimental Research Design

 Experimental research design is a framework of

protocols and procedures created to conduct
experimental research with a scientific approach using
two sets of variables. Herein, the first set of variables
acts as a constant, used to measure the differences of
the second set. The best example of experimental
research methods is quantitative research.
 Experimental research helps a researcher gather the
necessary data for making better research decisions
and determining the facts of a research study.
Types of Experimental Research Designs

Based on the methods used to collect data in experimental studies, the

experimental research designs are of three primary types:
Pre-experimental Research Design
A research study could conduct pre-experimental research design when a group
or many groups are under observation after implementing factors of cause and
effect of the research. The pre-experimental design will help researchers
understand whether further investigation is necessary for the groups under
observation.
 Pre-experimental research is of three types —
 One-shot Case Study Research Design
 One-group Pretest-posttest Research Design
 Static-group Comparison
True Experimental Research Design
A true experimental research design relies on statistical analysis to prove
or disprove a researcher’s hypothesis. It is one of the most accurate forms
of research because it provides specific scientific evidence. Furthermore,
out of all the types of experimental designs, only a true experimental
design can establish a cause-effect relationship within a group. However, in
a true experiment, a researcher must satisfy these three factors —
 There is a control group that is not subjected to changes and an
experimental group that will experience the changed variables
 A variable that can be manipulated by the researcher
 Random distribution of the variables
 This type of experimental research is commonly observed in the
physical sciences.
Quasi-experimental Research Design
 The word “Quasi” means similarity. A quasi-
experimental design is similar to a true experimental
design. However, the difference between the two is
the assignment of the control group. In this research
design, an independent variable is manipulated, but
the participants of a group are not randomly assigned.
This type of research design is used in field settings
where random assignment is either irrelevant or not
required.
 The classification of the research subjects, conditions,
or groups determines the type of research design to
be used.
Advantages of Experimental
Research
 Experimental research allows you to test your idea in a controlled environment
before taking the research to clinical trials. Moreover, it provides the best method to
test your theory because of the following advantages:
 Researchers have firm control over variables to obtain results.
 The subject does not impact the effectiveness of experimental research. Anyone
can implement it for research purposes.
 The results are specific.
 Post results analysis, research findings from the same dataset can be repurposed
for similar research ideas.
 Researchers can identify the cause and effect of the hypothesis and further analyze
this relationship to determine in-depth ideas.
 Experimental research makes an ideal starting point. The collected data could be
used as a foundation to build new research ideas for further studies.
6 things to remember while
conducting Experimental Research
1. Invalid Theoretical Framework
 Usually, researchers miss out on checking if their hypothesis is logical to be tested.
If your research design does not have basic assumptions or postulates, then it is
fundamentally flawed and you need to rework on your research framework.
2. Inadequate Literature Study
 Without a comprehensive research literature review, it is difficult to identify and fill
the knowledge and information gaps. Furthermore, you need to clearly state how
your research will contribute to the research field, either by adding value to the
pertinent literature or challenging previous findings and assumptions.
3. Insufficient or Incorrect Statistical Analysis
 Statistical results are one of the most trusted scientific evidence. The ultimate goal
of a research experiment is to gain valid and sustainable evidence. Therefore,
incorrect statistical analysis could affect the quality of any quantitative research.
4. Undefined Research Problem
 This is one of the most basic aspects of research design. The research
problem statement must be clear and to do that, you must set the
framework for the development of research questions that address the
core problems.
5. Research Limitations
 Every study has some type of limitations. You should anticipate and
incorporate those limitations into your conclusion, as well as the basic
research design. Include a statement in your manuscript about any
perceived limitations, and how you considered them while designing
your experiment and drawing the conclusion.
6. Ethical Implications
 The most important yet less talked about topic is the ethical issue. Your
research design must include ways to minimize any risk for your
participants and also address the research problem or question at hand.
If you cannot manage the ethical norms along with your research study,
your research objectives and validity could be questioned.
Independent measures designs/ between group
design

An independent measures design, also called a between-groups design, is a type of experimental

design where different participants are assigned to different groups, and each group experiences a different
condition of the experiment.
Steps in an Independent Measures Design
 Recruit Participants: The experimenter recruits a sufficient number of participants and randomly
assigns them to different groups. Random assignment helps to minimize pre-existing differences
between groups, such as age, gender, or other characteristics, that could influence the results.
 Assign Participants to Groups: Each participant is randomly assigned to only one group, ensuring
that each group is independent of the others.
 Expose Groups to Different Conditions: Each group is exposed to a different experimental condition
(different levels of the independent variable). This ensures that any differences in the dependent
variable (e.g., test scores, reaction time) are a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.
 Collect Data: The dependent variable (e.g., performance, behavior) is measured in all groups after the
manipulation.
 Analyze the Data: The experimenter compares the data from the different groups (e.g., using
statistical tests) to determine if there are any significant differences between the groups. This helps to
determine whether the independent variable caused any changes in the dependent variable.
Types of Independent Measures Designs
 Two-Group Design: The simplest form of independent measures
design, where there are two groups. One group might receive a
treatment, while the other does not.
 Multigroup Design: More than two groups are involved, each exposed
to a different level of the independent variable. For example, if you were
testing three different treatments, you would have three groups, each
experiencing one of the treatments.
Advantages of Independent
Measures Design
 No Carryover Effects:
 Since each participant is only exposed to one condition, there's no risk of one condition influencing the
participant’s performance in another condition. This is a problem in repeated measures designs
where participants are exposed to multiple conditions.
 Simplicity:
 It's generally easier to design and execute an independent measures experiment, especially if you can
recruit participants who are already part of your target population.
 Minimizing Demand Characteristics:
 In some cases, participants may change their behavior based on their knowledge of the experimental
conditions, especially in repeated measures designs. In independent designs, this is less of an issue
because the participants only know about their own condition.
 Flexibility:
 Independent measures designs allow for the inclusion of different types of groups, such as different age
groups, gender groups, or clinical vs. non-clinical groups. This flexibility is helpful in understanding how
different subgroups may respond to treatments or conditions.
 Less Likely to Cause Fatigue or Boredom:
 In repeated measures designs, participants have to go through multiple conditions, which could lead to
fatigue or boredom. Since independent measures designs expose participants to only one condition,
these factors are minimized.
 Individual Differences Between Groups:
 One major disadvantage is that because different participants are used in each group, there could be
inherent differences between the groups unrelated to the experimental condition (e.g., group 1 may
have more motivated participants). These differences may introduce variability into the results and
obscure the effects of the independent variable.
 Solution: Random assignment is often used to minimize such individual differences. However,
sometimes matching participants on key characteristics (e.g., age, gender, etc.) can also be useful.
 Need for Larger Sample Size:
 Since each group is composed of different participants, you need more participants overall compared
to a repeated measures design, where the same participants are tested in all conditions.
 Example: If you want to compare two groups, each group will need its own participants. If each
group consists of 50 participants, you’ll need a total of 100 participants, which could be challenging
depending on your resources.
 Potential Group Selection Bias:
 Even with random assignment, there's still the possibility that the groups may differ in ways that
affect the outcome. While random assignment helps, it's not always perfect at creating equivalent
groups.
 Solution: Stratified sampling or matching participants based on key characteristics can sometimes
help address this problem, especially in cases where random assignment might not guarantee
balanced groups.
 Increased Variability in Data:
 Since different participants are assigned to each group, the data may have greater variability than in
repeated measures designs. This can make it harder to detect significant effects without a larger
sample size.
Disadvantages of Independent Measures
Design

 Individual Differences Between Groups:

 One major disadvantage is that because different participants are used in each group, there could be inherent
differences between the groups unrelated to the experimental condition (e.g., group 1 may have more
motivated participants). These differences may introduce variability into the results and obscure the effects of
the independent variable.
 Solution: Random assignment is often used to minimize such individual differences. However, sometimes
matching participants on key characteristics (e.g., age, gender, etc.) can also be useful.
 Need for Larger Sample Size:
 Since each group is composed of different participants, you need more participants overall compared to a
repeated measures design, where the same participants are tested in all conditions.
 Example: If you want to compare two groups, each group will need its own participants. If each group consists
of 50 participants, you’ll need a total of 100 participants, which could be challenging depending on your
resources.
 Potential Group Selection Bias:
 Even with random assignment, there's still the possibility that the groups may differ in ways that affect the
outcome. While random assignment helps, it's not always perfect at creating equivalent groups.
 Solution: Stratified sampling or matching participants based on key characteristics can sometimes help
address this problem, especially in cases where random assignment might not guarantee balanced groups.
 Increased Variability in Data:
 Since different participants are assigned to each group, the data may have greater variability than in repeated
measures designs. This can make it harder to detect significant effects without a larger sample size.
Statistical Analysis for
Independent Measures Design
 When analyzing data from an independent measures design,
researchers typically use between-subjects statistical tests. The
most common one is the independent-samples t-test, which
compares the means of two different groups. If more than two groups
are involved, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to compare
the means of the groups.
 Independent-Samples t-Test: This is used when you have only two
groups and want to compare their means to see if there is a statistically
significant difference between them.
 One-Way ANOVA: This is used when you have three or more groups,
and you want to compare the means of all groups at once to see if at
least one of the groups is different from the others.
Alternative independent group design

 An alternative independent group design refers to variations on the

classic independent measures or between-groups design. These
designs aim to address some of the limitations or provide more
sophisticated ways to compare multiple groups, while still keeping the
groups independent of one another.
Matched Groups Design

 A matched groups design is a type of independent groups design in

which participants are matched based on certain characteristics before
being randomly assigned to different experimental groups. This aims to
control for variables that might influence the outcome (like age, gender,
or intelligence), which could introduce unwanted variability into the
results.
 Process:
 Matching: Before assigning participants to groups, the researcher
identifies variables that could affect the outcome and measures them.
Then, participants are grouped based on similarity on these variables.
 Random Assignment: Within each matched pair, one participant is
randomly assigned to each experimental condition.
Merits & De-Merits

 Advantages:
 Reduces variability within groups, making it easier to detect differences
between experimental conditions.
 More control over participant characteristics than simple random
assignment.
 Disadvantages:
 Matching can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if there are
many variables to match on.
 Not always possible to perfectly match participants.
Randomized Block Design
A randomized block design is similar to the matched groups design, but it involves grouping
participants into blocks based on a variable that is important to the study (like age or baseline
health). Once participants are placed into blocks, they are randomly assigned to different
conditions within those blocks.
 Process:
 Block Creation: Participants are grouped into blocks based on a characteristic (for
example, age groups like 18-30, 31-40, etc.).
 Random Assignment within Blocks: Once blocks are formed, participants are randomly
assigned to the different experimental conditions within their block.
Advantages:
 Helps to control for an important extraneous variable (like age or gender).
 Increases precision by reducing variability within blocks.
Disadvantages:
 If the blocks don't cover the relevant variability in the population, it can reduce the
effectiveness of the design.
 Still requires larger sample sizes because you need a sufficient number of participants in
each block and condition.
Multi-group Design (with More than Two
Groups)

This type of independent groups design involves comparing three or more groups. While
traditional independent measures designs typically involve two groups (e.g., treatment vs.
control), a multi-group design expands this to allow for a more detailed comparison of
several conditions or levels of the independent variable.
 Randomly assign participants to three or more different experimental groups.
 Each group is exposed to a different level or condition of the independent variable.
 Advantages:
 Allows for more comprehensive analysis of how different conditions compare.
 Can reveal more nuanced effects of different treatments.
 Disadvantages:
 Requires more participants, as each group needs a sufficient number of people to ensure
statistical power.
 More complex data analysis, often requiring ANOVA or
4. Factorial Design (Between-
Groups)
A factorial design is a more complex variation that examines the effects of two or more
independent variables simultaneously. It allows you to see not only the main effects of each
independent variable but also whether there is any interaction between them.
 The design involves multiple independent variables (factors). Each factor has at least two levels
(e.g., high vs. low, treatment vs. control).
 Participants are randomly assigned to one of the conditions, where each condition is a unique
combination of the factors' levels.
 Advantages:
 Provides a more thorough understanding of how multiple independent variables interact to
influence the dependent variable.
 Reduces the need for multiple separate experiments by testing multiple variables at once.
 Disadvantages:
 More complex to design and analyze, especially as the number of factors and levels increases.
 May require a large sample size to detect significant interactions, especially if the effects are
small.
Natural Groups Design (Quasi-Experimental
Design)

A natural groups design is an alternative independent group design in which the researcher
compares pre-existing groups, such as people from different backgrounds, genders, or cultural groups,
rather than randomly assigning participants to groups. This type of design is often used when random
assignment is not feasible or ethical.
Pre-existing Groups: The participants are not randomly assigned. Instead, groups are based on a
natural characteristic, like gender, age, or socioeconomic status.
 The researcher then compares the outcomes across these naturally occurring groups.
Advantages:
 Useful when random assignment is not possible, and when working with specific populations.
 Can be more realistic because it reflects real-world conditions (e.g., studying naturally occurring
differences between groups).
Disadvantages:
 Higher risk of confounding variables, as the groups may differ on other factors beyond the variable
of interest.
 Harder to establish causality because the groups were not randomly assigned.
Choosing Between These Designs

The choice of which alternative independent group design to use depends

on several factors, such as:
 Research question: Is the focus on a single condition, multiple
conditions, or the interaction between multiple factors?
 Control over variables: Do you need to control for specific variables
that could affect the results?
 Practicality: Do you have the resources to recruit enough participants
for complex designs like factorial or multi group designs?
 Ethical considerations: Are there ethical concerns that prevent
random assignment?
Sessional Work
Assignment#1
2 pagers

 Methodological issues: Individual differences; assigning

conditions
 Repeated measures designs/ within group design