Ch. 7: Randomized Experiments and Causal Inference
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Ch. 7: Randomized Experiments and Causal Inference. Randomized Experiments. Experiments where participants are randomly assigned to the experimental groups or conditions. Often referred to as “true experiments.”. Reasons for Using Random Assignment.
Ch. 7: Randomized Experiments and Causal Inference
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Randomized Experiments • Experiments where participants are randomly assigned to the experimental groups or conditions. • Often referred to as “true experiments.”
Reasons for Using Random Assignment • Provides a safeguard against biased assignment of sampling units to the different treatment groups. • Distributes the characteristics of the sampling units over the different conditions to prevent biased outcomes. • Permits the use of statistical analyses that require certain data characteristics.
Ways of Achieving Random Assignment • Presorting booklets or questionnaires • Blindly drawing names • Flipping a coin • Consulting a table of random numbers
Between-Subjects Designs • Subjects are exposed to one condition each. • Also called nested designs.
Within-Subjects Design • Subjects are exposed to each condition. • Also called: • Repeated-measures design • Crossed design • Importance of counter-balancing
Factorial Designs • Design has more than one factor and two or more levels of each factor
Aristotle’s Four Kinds of Causation • Material • Formal • Final • Efficient
Three Criteria of Efficient Causation • Covariation • Temporal precedence • Internal validity
Mill’s Methods • Method of agreement • If X, then Y. • X is a sufficient condition of Y. • Method of difference • If not-X, then not-Y. • X is a necessary condition of Y.
Diagramming the Solomon Design R = Randomization O = Observation X = Treatment exposure
Preexperimental Designs • One-shot case study: • Symbolized as X-O • where X = treatment exposure andO = observation • One-group pre-post design • Symbolized as O-X-O
Examples of Potential Threats to Internal Validity • History • Maturation • Instrumentation • Selection
The Social Psychology of the Experiment • Artifact: A finding resulting from conditions other than those intended by the experimenter. • Demand characteristics & the good subject • Use of quasi-control subjects • Experimenter Expectancy Effect • Use of blind experimenters and double-blind procedures